Google+ Jack Leslie F1: 2015 Singapore Grand Prix Preview

13 September 2015

2015 Singapore Grand Prix Preview

After two historic races Spa and Monza, the Formula 1 paddock will reconvene in Singapore for a completely different and very unique challenge. 
© Octane Photographic
The 13th round of the 2015 F1 season takes place at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, under dark skies and floodlights. 


The Singapore Grand Prix isn’t the only night race on the calendar, with Bahrain joining the club in 2014. However, unlike the race at the Bahrain International Circuit, the paddock and schedule runs on European time in Singapore. 

1,600 custom-made floodlights illuminate the circuit over a race weekend and are connected by 108,423 metres of cables. With the Singapore skyline as a backdrop, it is a stunning and dramatic venue for what could be an exciting race. 
© Octane Photographic

The track layout contrasts heavily with Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, the last two venues F1 raced at. It is a tight and twisty street circuit, with barriers it ready to punish even the smallest of errors and only a few small run-off areas. Consisting of slow and medium-speed corners, drivers get very little time to rest. 

It is one of F1’s newest races, joining the calendar in 2008. This year’s Singapore Grand Prix is the eighth in the sport’s history and looks set to be an interesting one, with power and straight-line speed not being a priority. Could Ferrari properly challenge Mercedes? Will Red Bull be strong? 

A lap of the 3.147 mile track kicks off on the short start/finish straight, with packed grandstands to the right and the pit lane to the left. Turn 1 is a medium-speed left-hander, with the gently sweeping right-hander of Turn 2 following swiftly after. The pit lane exit feeds cars back on track on the outside of the second corner. 

Turn 3 is a slow left-hand hairpin. The opening complex is tricky to master, but it does feature a big tarmac run-off area – which drivers often cut on the first lap. The wide pit straight – which is where the first DRS zone is situated - and braking zone for the opening corner make it a good overtaking spot. 

The next corner is a barely-there kink, before the medium-speed, challenging right of Turn 5. A good exit is crucial for the run onto the back straight, which is the longest flat-out section of the circuit and is broken up by a right-hand kink. This is also where the second DRS zone will be. 
© Octane Photographic

After Raffles Boulevard, there is a slow left-hander with a bumpy braking zone, before a brief burst of power and another 90-degree corner, this time with drivers turning to the right. Next up is the left-hander of Turn 9, taken at similar speeds to the previous two corners. 

The 10th corner on the circuit – named the ‘Singapore Sling’ - was changed for the 2013 race, with a clumsy left-right-left chicane being replaced by a sweeping, medium-speed left-hander. The next part of the circuit has been modified slightly for this year’s race. 

The Turn 11 chicane is now tighter, with the left-right section being followed by a sharper Turn 12 kink and the entry to the following left-hand hairpin being tweaked. Corner speeds will be reduced through here because of the changes. A medium-length straight follows before the braking zone for the slow right of Turn 14. 

The final sector of the lap is almost non-stop cornering. It is vital that drivers find a good rhythm in practice, as even the slightest slip of concentration could cause them to hit the wall. Turn 15 is a medium-speed kink, with drivers braking for the following right-left chicane mid-way through the corner. 

After a short burst of power along the water front, the drivers then brake heavily for the 18th and 19th corners, which make up the slow right-left chicane. Here, the track heads under the big grandstand. Next up are the 20th and 21st turns on the track, which make up a right-left chicane. 
© Octane Photographic

The pit entry is to the left-hand side at the end of the following straight, with the last corner being a medium-speed left-hander, with drivers clipping the first kerb and building up speed throughout. 

Several of the corners have blind entries due to the barriers being in the way. This has caused crashes in the past – for example, in 2010 Kamui Kobayashi’s crashed car was hit by Bruno Senna, as after the Japanese driver hit the wall at Turn 18. 

Sebastian Vettel is the most successful driver at the Singapore Grand Prix, having won the event three times. Lewis Hamilton has two victories to his name, triumphing in style last year. Fernando Alonso has also won there twice, at the controversial 2008 race and in 2010. 

Mercedes will undoubtedly be the team to beat this year in Singapore, with Hamilton’s recent success moving him further away from team-mate Nico Rosberg at the top of the drivers’ standings. Ferrari could be closer, as the Mercedes engine will not be as important. 

Williams typically do not go well at tracks that require higher downforce so the team could be in for a trickier weekend, while Red Bull will probably be stronger. The midfield fight has been very close in recent races and hopefully that will continue. McLaren is hoping to be more competitive too, after a dismal Italian Grand Prix 
© Formula1.com

Singapore Grand Prix Fact File: 

Location: Marina Bay, Singapore 
Track Length: 3.147 miles 
Direction: Anti-clockwise 
Turns: 23 
Laps: 61 
First race: 2008 
Lap record: Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari, 2008, 1:45.599 
Tyre compounds: Super-soft and soft 
2014 race winner: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 
2014 pole position: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:45.681 
2014 fastest lap: Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, 1:50.417 
Live on: Sky Sports F1 (Highlights on BBC)

No comments: