Singapore GP - Ferrari News & Quotes

[vcs316]

Singapore Grand Prix – Night time spectacular

Just over one week ago, Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro said farewell to the European season on a high note, with a win and a third place in its home race at Monza. A good way to face the final part of the championship and now it is time for an event which might boast far less history than the Italian Grand Prix, but with a character all of its own, the Singapore Grand Prix, Formula 1’s only night race.

According to the history books, Singapore staged races on a street circuit dating back to the early Sixties, but these were not Formula 1 events and the blue riband series made its debut at the new Marina Bay track in 2008. The drivers with the best records in that short time are Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton, who finished first and third respectively in 2008, switching places last year. This is yet another race that Felipe Massa missed through injury last year, but in his one Singaporean appearance in 2008, the Brazilian recorded possibly his best ever qualifying performance where he took pole position, lapping well over half a second faster than the rest of the field, although a pit-stop mishap ruined his race the following day.

When the idea of a night race was first put forward, there was concern within all the teams about how the personnel would adapt to this unusual schedule. In fact, by keeping to European time from the moment of arrival in Singapore, waking up in the early afternoon and going to bed around four in the morning, it actually proved quite easy to adapt. Unlike most venues, where arriving a few days early to adapt to the time difference is the norm, here it is better to touch down on the island as late as possible. For the mechanics and set-up crew who have been in Singapore since the start of the week, conditions are a bit more difficult, because for the first few days, they have to move to local time, with night work not an option, given that their tasks involve liaising with the local populace, who cannot be expected to switch to a “night shift.” Logistically, the event is not too demanding: the race cars and technical equipment left Maranello last Friday, while the basic equipment required to set up the offices, kitchens and hospitality all went by sea-freight, having made a slower journey from the race venues outside Europe at the start of the season and the whole team can take a short walk to the track from the hotels to start work in the afternoon. Before enjoying that walk on Thursday, Fernando and Felipe will head into the city for the official opening ceremony of Singapore’s new “Ferrari Store.”

Another concern which was soon swept aside was that of driving under artificial light, because the brightness provided by the floodlights actually proved more consistent than for example driving into direct sunlight, which can be a factor in some daylight races. The only aspect of visibility that has not been tested in the two year history of the event is what would happen if there was to be a tropical rainstorm, which is not exactly unknown in this part of the world.

With both championships still very much open, Scuderia Ferrari has not abandoned development of the F10 and for the fifteenth round of the world championship, the cars will line up with modifications mainly on the aerodynamic side, with updates to the front wing and the floor. The 5.067 kilometre track is very tricky, with all the usual demands of a street circuit, even if the corners themselves are not that challenging. The long lap – Monaco is only 3.340 km by comparison – means it is hard for a driver to get into a rhythm and maintaining total concentration is vital to avoid mistakes that carry a heavy cost, given the proximity of the barriers. Heat and humidity add to the degree of difficulty, although temperatures do drop slightly once the sun goes down. No problems are envisaged on the tyre front: by this stage of the championship, the teams having a good understanding of all four Bridgestone compounds, including the Super soft and Medium which will be used this weekend.

The Scuderia firmly believes that the points haul for first and third places in Monza has put it right back in the fight for both titles: Fernando’s 21 point deficit to the leader in the Drivers’ classification represents less than one win, equivalent to a mere 8 points if calculations were made based on last year’s system. However, with just five Grands Prix remaining, there are definitely no more second chances.

credit - ferrari

[vcs316]

Ferrari to feature another diffuser step in Singapore

Ferrari will unveil yet another development of its blown diffuser layout on the streets of Singapore this weekend.

After encountering difficulties with the F10's latest developments at Spa recently, the Italian team finally got the layout working optimally at Monza, where Fernando Alonso won from pole position.

"We now have a package that should work on all types of circuits," the Spaniard is quoted by Auto Motor und Sport.

"We know Red Bull will be very strong at the next two circuits, but we should now be more consistent than we were before.

"Consistency is the key to this title," said Alonso.

The next step, to be seen for the first time in Singapore this weekend, is a further integration of the diffuser and the gearbox and how the exhaust gases are directed through the rear bodywork.

"This race will be important but not decisive," team boss Stefano Domenicali told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

"The championship looks to be open right until the end, and the new scoring system helps us," he added.

As for the new developments for Singapore, Domenicali is quoted by Tuttosport: "We need to avoid a repeat of what happened in Belgium, where our developments failed to give us what we expected because we weren't able to test them.

"It's impossible to predict what will happen because there are so many variables at play," added the Italian.

He confirmed that the F10's next developments are "aerodynamic" in nature, situated "at the bottom of the car".

[vcs316]

Massa hopeful of continued Ferrari form

Felipe Massa says Ferrari needs to be ready for everything that will be thrown at it in the final five races of the season, as he keeps his fingers crossed the team can keep up its recent strong form.

Ferrari has scored the most points of any team in the last four races and that run of form has allowed Fernando Alonso to edge closer to the front of the world championship standings.

With Ferrari's F10 likely to be well-suited to the new Singapore track, especially with a raft of aerodynamic updates including new front and rear wings, plus a new floor, Massa is cautiously optimistic about the team's chances of making further progress with its title ambitions.

"I hope we can be competitive in Singapore, I hope we can be competitive in the next five races," Massa told the official Ferrari website. "But definitely we always need to be ready and looking at our competitors. We have seen a very, very strong Red Bull during the whole championship and McLaren, some races were very strong and some races a bit less.

"So it is something that we need to be sure of, [that] at every race that we go we are completely prepared for everything. In Monaco we were competitive so I hope we will be competitive in Singapore."

Massa concedes that his own title prospects are all but over - with him lying 63 points adrift of points leader Mark Webber – and reckons three non-scores early in the season effectively wrecked his title prospects.

"The feeling is that we had some ups and downs during the championship," he said. "I had a very bad three races where I couldn't score points, which was Canada, Valencia and Silverstone.

"They were races where we could have scored a good amount of points and could have been in a good position fighting for the championship. So that was not very great in terms of the championship, but it is also true that in the last four races we have scored more points than the other teams. We have five races to go and I hope we carry on like we did in the last four races."

Massa will get his hands on a new chassis for the Singapore race, but he does not think it will make any difference to his form.

"I think with the technology we have now in F1, when you change one chasiss to another it is the same," he said. "When you have a problem with the chassis you can see it – but anyway during the championship we change two or three times the chassis and normally it is the same."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/86857

[TheProdigalSon]

A rainy welcome


I have just arrived in Singapore, where tomorrow, a very important weekend in our season gets underway. I was welcomed by an impressive storm, although it did not do much in terms of making it cooler, although if that’s possible, the humidity increased. In the last two races here, we have never had to run in the rain and the forecast for the coming weekend is not particularly encouraging. There will therefore be another unknown factor in a Grand Prix that is already uncertain by its very nature. I very much enjoy the atmosphere at this race and racing at night is a really good idea. The unusual timing has never caused me any problems: I opted to arrive as late as possible, because for the next few days we will continue to live in European time going to bed in the early hours of the morning and having breakfast at the start of the afternoon, for example. For the past two years, that method has worked perfectly, with some small secret little tricks, so there is no reason for me to change anything in my approach.

From the experience of the first two races here, the track would seem pretty well suited to my driving style and indeed, having finished on the podium in both those races means I arrive here feeling fairly confident. I am well aware that another top three finish is very important for the classification and I am convinced that, if we do everything perfectly, then we can achieve that. We proved it at the last race weekend in Monza and everything is in place for us to repeat that feat here in Singapore. The track is reasonably similar to Monaco in terms of its technical characteristics, slow with a lot of undulations and requiring a lot of aerodynamic downforce. If you look at how the F10 performed in the Principality – leaving aside my own personal problems – then that’s another reason to be confident about this race. All the same, none of us is ignoring the remark that our boss Stefano Domenicali is repeating constantly, which is that we have to keep our feet on the ground, stay calm and concentrate, because our rivals are very strong and equally determined.

[TheProdigalSon]

So who thinks we are in for a wet race? Alonso says the weather for the weekend doesn't look encouraging. For once I don't want a wet race becuase it will be too much of a lottery and we could either come out looking like heroes or idiots if we mess up on the tyres and also trying to avoid being crashed into or crashing ourselves. One things for sure if it rains during the race we wil all be on the edge of our seats the whole race!

[goferrarigo]

So who thinks we are in for a wet race? Alonso says the weather for the weekend doesn't look encouraging. For once I don't want a wet race becuase it will be too much of a lottery and we could either come out looking like heroes or idiots if we mess up on the tyres and also trying to avoid being crashed into or crashing ourselves. One things for sure if it rains during the race we wil all be on the edge of our seats the whole race!
Most weather forecasts are predicting storms for the race. Surely they can't race if there is that much rain especially at night and the fact that it is a street circuit. If it rains though and the race continues it is going to fascinating but very tense.:-P

[NJB13]

Most weather forecasts are predicting storms for the race. Surely they can't race if there is that much rain especially at night and the fact that it is a street circuit. If it rains though and the race continues it is going to fascinating but very tense.:-P

Most forecasts are predicting no rain for the race and qualifying.
You need to understand weather here in Asia this time of year. In Singapore at this time, it rains, on average every other day. But it doesn't rain much at night :-)
So, whilst they might be predicting rain during the day, you can see they are also predicting almost clear skys and no rain at night:-
http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/spankyham/SingWeather.jpg
This (http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5015) is the weather website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5015) I used.

[Ferrari Man]

Most forecasts are predicting no rain for the race and qualifying.
You need to understand weather here in Asia this time of year. In Singapore at this time, it rains, on average every other day. But it doesn't rain much at night :-)
So, whilst they might be predicting rain during the day, you can see they are also predicting almost clear skys and no rain at night:-
http://i695.photobucket.com/albums/vv319/spankyham/SingWeather.jpg
This (http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5015) is the weather website (http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5015) I used.

I m praying your right...:pray:pray

[wappad]

Most forecasts are predicting no rain for the race and qualifying.
You need to understand weather here in Asia this time of year. In Singapore at this time, it rains, on average every other day. But it doesn't rain much at night :-)
So, whilst they might be predicting rain during the day, you can see they are also predicting almost clear skys and no rain at night:-


Really good to have this 'inside- information'.. :-). In the dry, it will be much easier and safer for Fernando to pull away from the pack..:thumb

[Alessandra]

www.formula1.com for a very welcome innuendo- free account of Fernando's relationship with the Singapore GP:-)

[Lithium]

I think I smell fear :lou

***
"I see Ferrari as the biggest threat, to be honest," said Horner ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
***
Horner's belief that it is Alonso who is now his team's biggest threat comes after Lewis Hamilton also reckoned Ferrari was also McLaren's main opposition.

"People have asked who are my closest rivals - obviously my team-mate Jenson and then Fernando [Alonso] and probably Mark [Webber], because he is leading the championship.

"Ferrari have really stepped up their game and seem to be very competitive at the moment. [b]I am assuming that they are our closest rival at the moment."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/86889

[Tech_Skill]

I think I smell fear :lou

***
"I see Ferrari as the biggest threat, to be honest," said Horner ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix.
***
Horner's belief that it is Alonso who is now his team's biggest threat comes after Lewis Hamilton also reckoned Ferrari was also McLaren's main opposition.

"People have asked who are my closest rivals - obviously my team-mate Jenson and then Fernando [Alonso] and probably Mark [Webber], because he is leading the championship.

"Ferrari have really stepped up their game and seem to be very competitive at the moment. [b]I am assuming that they are our closest rival at the moment."

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/86889

Very interesting comment from Lewis. For me, he is thinking about Alonso's position relative to him and Alonso is thinking of his position relative to Hamilton. Hamilton's comment towards webber was more like..."yea, i suppose he is a threat cos he is leading the championship, but im not worried about him really, Button and Alonso are the two i'm keeping my eye on".... or maybe I've read too much into it.

[Rob]

Alonso: “five podiums from five races”9.23.2010

Singapore, 23 September – As the floodlights brought an artificial brightness to the Marina Bay paddock, Fernando Alonso faced the press for his usual Thursday meeting and, just like every other race Thursday for the past few races, the first question concerned his title aspirations. “I think we can have a quick car everywhere in the remaining races,” affirmed the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro man. “We might not have the quickest car in the slow corners, or even in terms of straight line speed, but overall we have a very competitive package at all types of circuit and in all types of conditions. Hopefully this will help us for the remaining races.”

And to a specific question as to what he personally had to do to win the title, Fernando did not have an obvious answer. “I would like to know the answer to that!” he laughed. “If we have five podiums from five races, at least we will be very close, as consistency has not been a strong point for anyone among the top teams. Everyone has had some up and downs. Webber, who leads, has an average of 14 points per race, which means that finishing P3 in the remaining races would give you more than the leading average so far. We need to have good races because at this stage a DNF (Did Not Finish) or a retirement would probably mean bye bye to the championship. We need to finish all the races on the podium. This race has the same importance as all the other remaining races, although having won the last race in Monza, Singapore is important for Ferrari to keep the momentum going, to keep everyone in the team motivated. You cannot really consider the points situation in every race and I believe all drivers fighting for the title will be aggressive and take risks. In the end it will be about the package of the car, its set-up and what upgrades we can bring.”

The Spaniard went on to explain his special preparation regime for the night time event. “I have no special preparation for this race, apart from sticking to European time, which is the same as everyone, waking up at midday,” he said. “As for the humidity, it’s true it is very high and then there is the visibility which is different with the artificial light. In order to prepare for that, we try and find some time to do other sports at night after leaving the track to adapt the eyes to react quickly in these conditions, as well as getting used to the humidity.”

[Rob]

Massa: “to be as consistent as possible”9.23.2010

Singapore, 23 September – At a time when drivers would usually consider heading back from the race track to the hotel, Felipe Massa settled down to meet the media here at the Marina Bay paddock, as even the Thursday of the Singapore GP runs to a night time schedule.

The Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver did not have a definite answer to the first question, about which of the remaining five races would best suit the F10. “We need to analyse the situation race by race and it’s important to be as consistent as possible,” began the Brazilian. “But it is extremely difficult to predict which of the coming races will be good for us and which will be harder for us to do well.”

On the specific subject of this weekend, Felipe is looking forward to the unique challenge of the night time street track. “I like this circuit and I did a great qualifying here in 2008, six tenths quicker than second place, so I hope I can be very strong here again this year. What is important is that we have new things on the car here at a track which is very similar to Monaco in terms of being a place where the more downforce you can apply, the better it is. I think we will be competitive.”

With the two title races still so open, who might win is dominating talk in the paddock. “Mathematically, I can still win the championship, even if it looks difficult, but that does not change my attitude to each race, where my aim is always the same, namely to try and win,” was Felipe’s take on the situation. “That is the best attitude to have, not just for me, but also for the team. I think whoever is more consistent in these remaining races will be champion, because if you look at the points situation and the fact that who is quickest at each race often seems to depend on the track characteristics, then finishing regularly in the top places is the key.” Despite the fact that Singapore is in the tropics, rain has not been a feature of the past two races here, but this week, there have been plenty of heavy showers. “Rain on a track like this would certainly be a concern,” admitted Felipe. “When it rains in Monaco, also a street circuit, you never know what can happen: the race and even qualifying can be a lottery and that would be the same situation on this circuit. We have not had rain here when we have been on track, so the important thing is to be ready for any eventuality.”

[Rob]

A Passion for Ferrari in the heart of Singapore9.23.2010

Singapore, 23 september - This afternoon, at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Resort, there were celebrations at the opening of a new Ferrari Store, the thirty eighth in the world for fans of the marquee.

Situated on the first floor of one of the three towers which make up the biggest resort in Asia and designed by Israeli architect, Moshe Safdie and located in the heart of the city, its design and contents reflect the history, tradition and spirit of Ferrari.

Guest of honour at the opening was Felipe Massa, here in Singapore to take part in the fifteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship and he was joined for the ribbon cutting ceremony by Enrico Galleria, Ferrari Commercial and Marketing Director, Massimiliano Ferrari, Licensing and Retail Director, Edwin Fenech, CEO of the Asia Pacific, Middle East and African regions for the Maranello company and Teo Hock Seng, the CEO of Ital Auto Pte. During a short meeting with the local press, the Brazilian driver expressed his admiration for this city which is in a state of constant expansion: “For me, it is very nice to be back racing here, having missed last year’s race because of my accident in Hungary. That was back in 2008 and everything seems to have changed a lot! I think it is fantastic for fans of the marque to be able to acquire something linked to their dream, even if it is in a somewhat different way to what happened to me when I joined this great family.” Edwin Fenech had warm words of thanks for Teo Hock Seng for the step forward made along with the opening of the car dealership, which took place exactly one year ago in Singapore and underlined the important role played by the company’s partners in Ferrari’s Asian programme.

www.ferrari.com

[Rob]

Massa downplays Ferrari engine fears

By Pablo Elizalde Thursday, September 23rd 2010, 12:35 GMT www.autosport.com

Felipe Massa says there are no concerns about the use of engines at Ferrari, despite the team having already run its eighth power unit of the year.

The Italian squad is the only team to have used the eight engines allocated for the season, meaning it won't be able to run a new power unit in the remaining events of the year.

McLaren drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton have used seven engines each, while Red Bull's Mark Webber has used six compared to his team-mate Sebastian Vettel's seven.

Drivers using more than eight engines will have to serve grid penalties in the race where the additional unit is used.

Massa, however, believes the situation is under control at Ferrari.

"To be honest it would be very difficult to see us using different [new] engines. We just put a new engine at Monza because we wanted it for that kind of track," Massa told reporters in Singapore.

"But that doesn't mean we needed to use it. We are really like the other teams, completely the same."

The Brazilian, whose team looked like the one to beat at Monza, admitted it is hard to tell what the pecking order is at the moment, but he insists consistency will be key.

"I think we cannot say that. I think at some tracks maybe you are better, some tracks maybe they are better. Some tracks McLaren is a bit slower, some tracks they are there.

"Looking at qualifying Red Bull has been the best, but in the race they struggle in some occasions. So it's very difficult to say. I think It's important to be consistent, so let's try to do that."

Massa, who looked set for victory in the 2008 race at Marina Bay before his race was ruined by the safety car, is hopeful of another strong outing this weekend.

"I like the circuit. It's a plan where I did a great qualifying (in 2008). I think I was six tenths quicker than the second, so it's a place I enjoy and I hope we can be very strong here again."

[Ste]

Alonso confident of matching Red Bull
Source: Autosport


Fernando Alonso believes Ferrari has the pace to take the fight to Red Bull Racing in the Singapore Grand Prix - despite ending the timesheets well adrift of his title rivals.

Alonso's best lap was more than one second slower than pace-setter Sebastian Vettel, but the final times disguised the Ferrari drivers' full potential – with the Spaniard on Vettel's pace in the first two sectors on a quick lap before getting it wrong and running off track.

That lap has left Alonso quite confident about his team's potential for the Singapore weekend – as he eyes adding more valuable points to his tally to close the gap on championship leader Mark Webber.

When asked by AUTOSPORT where he felt Ferrari's potential was compared to Red Bull Racing, Alonso said: "I think we are close to them. We were more or less close with the hard tyre and then I didn't complete the lap with the soft tyre, so I guess they are in front.

"They are still a little bit in front of us, a couple of tenths, but hopefully we can fight with them and are close enough tomorrow."

Alonso said his error late in second practice was simply the result of driver error.

"I braked late for Turn 18," he said. "Then I put reverse to get back on the track and, when I put first gear to rejoin the circuit, the engine stopped. So I finished the session there.

"Unfortunately we lost the last 20 minutes when we were ready to try something else – but no big problem."

Alonso experimented both with and without the F-duct during Friday's free practice session, and he said he expected the team to decide to stick with the blown wing from Saturday.

"We were trying some different parts of the car in the first session," he said. "But we were concentrating on the F-duct, trying to see what the best solution is.

"At the moment there isn't a clear picture. We need to analyse more data but I think first plan a) is to use it. It was okay, it was working fine, so normally we should use it tomorrow definitely."

[Grillo]

Singapore doesn't look good for the F-duct but it seems they'll use it... :Hmm

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Dyer: "A very close battle"9.24.2010

“Rather a difficult day in terms of running the programme we had set out for the two free practice sessions. In the first one, the track conditions were neither fish nor fowl: the damp track meant you could not use the dry tyres without the risk of damaging them, but it was not wet enough to run properly on the intermediates. In the second session, we were unable to complete the planned programme on Fernando’s car, because an experimental component in the gearbox broke, which was discovered when he went off the track at turn 18: now we have to take a close look at the part to determine what caused the breakage. We tried various new aerodynamic solutions, also comparing the handling of the car with and without the blown rear wing: now it is up to the engineers, along with the drivers, to reach a decision tonight as to which is the best configuration for qualifying and the race. In terms of performance, the F10 seems to be reasonably competitive at this track, even if it is difficult to draw any definite conclusion, especially when you consider how the two sessions went. I think the battle between the top three teams is very tight and that we can fight for places at the front of the grid.”

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Domenicali: "We are on the pace"9.24.2010

It was rather a difficult day for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro under the artificial lights of Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit. The first free practice session took place on a track that was still wet from rain that fell in mid-afternoon, which made it something of a struggle to get through the planned programme, centred on evaluating different aerodynamic configurations on the F10. The second session saw Fernando Alonso’s car suffer a failure which meant he had to pull off into the escape road at turn 18, so he was unable to get through his work schedule. “Despite today’s difficulties, we still managed to acquire sufficient data which our engineers can now use to decide on the car set-up for qualifying and the race,” said Stefano Domenicali. “Friday’s times are always difficult to evaluate and today was no exception. From the little we could see, Red Bull look very strong, as indeed was to be expected, but we are on the pace. Having said that, clearly we will have to perform faultlessly if we want to achieve our objective, starting from tomorrow’s qualifying.”

www.ferrari.com

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Massa: "A lot of work"9.24.2010

“We did a lot of laps to try out different configurations on the car, especially comparing performance with and without the blown rear wing. I am not particularly pleased with the balance of the car and that is another reason why we spent a lot of time on track in the first session, even when track conditions were not ideal. Especially on the soft tyres, I had a bit too much oversteer. There is much work to do but I think we can be competitive all the same, even up against Red Bull who seem to be very strong. The track was very slippery when it was still damp, especially the kerbs and the part that was recently resurfaced. The hard tyres take a while to get up to temperature, which is not the case with the soft ones, although these probably suffer a bit more from degradation.”

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Alonso: "Competitive times"9.24.2010

“I braked a bit late at turn 18 and ended up in the escape road: I selected reverse, but when I then selected first gear to get going again, the car stopped. It’s a shame, because I lost the final twenty minutes of the session, the part when I was due to run with a heavy fuel load. In the debrief, the engineers told me the problem was that an experimental part in the gearbox had broken. This can happen on a Friday, when you try a lot of things, some of them even aimed at next season. Our individual sector times don’t seem too bad, in fact you could say they were quite competitive, when compared to our main rivals. We tried the car with and without the blown rear wing and for me, the first option seems to be the best, but we must study the data carefully before taking a definite decision. The hard tyres proved to be consistent and the softs give more grip than expected. This morning, I did not do much running because the track was not dry enough for slick tyres, while the intermediates would have quickly been destroyed.”

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Lots of work on the night shift9.24.2010

Singapore, 24 September – Fernando Alonso ended the first night of practice for the fifteenth round of the World Championship in fourth place, with his Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro team-mate Felipe Massa seventh. The three hours of track time were complicated for everyone by the fact that for the first time in this event’s short three year history, the cars tackled the first 90 minutes of free practice on a damp track with puddles and slippery kerbs making it treacherous, especially given that as usual on a street track, run-off areas are in short supply.

Even if this is Formula 1’s third visit to Singapore, the first time the cars go out on track under the floodlights is still a breathtaking spectacle, as the colours on the cars and in the garages look so much brighter in the artificial light than in the more normal sunshine. However, night time in Singapore does not see a significant drop in temperature, nor in the humidity levels, therefore for the drivers, but especially for the mechanics working in the garage, where the heat from the cars’ engine and brakes add to the ambient temperature, working conditions are very tough. Indeed the Prancing Horse mechanics had a very busy night time, as the team evaluated various aero options, including a comparison running the car with and without the blown rear wing. Fernando’s second session did not go the full ninety minutes, because after overshooting a corner and making use of the escape road, his F10 suffered a failure of an experimental component in the gearbox, but as the Spaniard himself pointed out, Fridays are all about testing new ideas and these things can happen.

At the end of the second session, the Red Bull Racing duo topped the time sheet, with Sebastian Vettel first, the only driver to dip under the 1m 47 second barrier, fastest, ahead of Mark Webber. Jenson Button was third for McLaren, with his team-mate Lewis Hamilton in fifth place behind Fernando and ahead of Rubens Barrichello, sixth for Williams.

www.ferrari.com

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Both ends of the grid9.25.2010

Singapore, 25 September – Fernando Alonso took pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix, at the Marina Bay Street Circuit with a time of 1.45.390. Alongside the Spaniard’s Ferrari on the front row for this spectacular night race will be Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull. Third fastest was Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren (1.45.571.) Felipe Massa will have an uphill struggle tomorrow, given that he starts right at the back, having suffered a problem which initial investigation suggests was electrical, meaning he got no further than Q1 with his F10.

[siberianlady]

Will they do the proper thing and give Massa a new engine and let him start from the pits? We saw what Fernando achieved in Monaco with the safety car etc so all is not lost for Felipe..........

[shostak]

Will they do the proper thing and give Massa a new engine and let him start from the pits? We saw what Fernando achieved in Monaco with the safety car etc so all is not lost for Felipe..........

I dont think so, firstly Monaco is shorter than Singapur (car loses more time every lap), second you need a SC in first lap, and third: Massa is not Alonso. Massa tomorrow has a more difficult race than Alonso in Monaco, for sure. :roll

[vcs316]

Singapore Saturday quotes: Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - 1st: "Every pole position is important, but clearly, starting from the front in a race like this and at this point in the season is very important and gives one hope of being able to bring down the gap in the classification even more. Setting two pole positions in a row, at circuits as different as Monza and Singapore is a real boost, because it means that the car can be really competitive at every type of track. It was certainly not an easy day, but in qualifying we managed to get the very best out of the car, while I don't think our main rivals could say the same. Honestly, I thought that the Red Bulls, which had dominated the weekend so far, would be out in front and that third was a realistic target but instead I am on pole: it's almost like an Easter surprise! There was a tense moment in Q2 when something did not work as it should have done with the engine mapping, but once it was reprogrammed, everything was back to normal. The start will be very important tomorrow, but even more so will be the need to maintain total concentration for the 61 laps of a very long race that will be extremely demanding both physically and on the car. Track conditions will play a key role, because we have seen that some sections remain damp for a long time, so just a bit of rain even a few hours before the start, could change the situation. We must run our own race and I am sure we can bring home a good result: we are in the best possible position to succeed."

Felipe Massa - 24th: "I had a problem with the gearbox which seized unexpectedly, without giving any warning and so I had to stop out on the track: now we have to understand exactly what happened. We will change the engine as a precaution, also taking into account the fact I am last on the grid. I'm expecting to have a very complicated race, especially as we are at a track where overtaking is very difficult, but it's true that anything can always happen: rain, safety car, who knows! I am very disappointed of course because today we had a very competitive car, as Fernando proved. I like this track but it seems that it does not bring me much luck..."

Stefano Domenicali: "This was a day of truly contrasting emotions. We are very disappointed that a technical problem meant Felipe basically took no part in qualifying: tomorrow, he will face a very difficult race, as indeed will Fernando, although the outlook for him is very different, starting from pole position. He put in an exceptional qualifying performance, getting the very most out of the car and finding that little something extra to go quickest in Q3. Tomorrow, it will be important to get a good start and to make the right choices, especially with a question mark over the weather and the safety-car: above all, we have to bear in mind that reliability is the crucial element."

Chris Dyer: "What happened to Felipe is very disappointing. Fernando demonstrated the full potential of the F10 and it would have been nice to see both cars fighting for the top places. Unfortunately, there was a problem on the gearbox, the cause of which we have not fully identified yet, which meant Felipe had to stop out on track on his first timed lap. Fernando was really fantastic in qualifying: in Q3 he did two timed laps, both of which would have been good enough for pole, that were exceptional given what had happened up until the start of qualifying, as he had never managed to put together a clean lap on the soft tyres. The team did a great job to produce a car capable of fighting for pole. Tomorrow we can expect a very tough race on a track that does not pardon any mistakes. The management of the tyres will be interesting, as the degradation seems a bit more marked than in recent races, which means we might see some different strategies to usual."

[Rob]

mm it was the gear box then. May of been same problem Fernando had yesterday :-?? its still possible he can come away from this with hand full of points.

[Rob]

One car at the head of the field, the other at the bottom of the time sheet: that is the bitter-sweet outcome of qualifying for Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro in the Singapore Grand Prix. On the one hand there is great regret because of the gearbox problem that meant Felipe Massa was unable to complete a single timed lap in Q1, on the other there is delight at a fantastic pole from Fernando Alonso, the second of the season for the Spanish driver and the Scuderia. This brings the Scuderia’s total number of poles to 204, two of them set at this track. For Fernando, this will be the twentieth time in his career that he starts from the number one grid slot.

[vcs316]

mm it was the gear box then. May of been same problem Fernando had yesterday :-?? its still possible he can come away from this with hand full of points.

I really doubt Massa will score points mate.. Singapore is a difficult, virtually impossible circuit to overtake.. My bet is Massa will finish the race in 13 or 14 position. I pray I am wrong but realistically it seems very very difficult..

[Rob]

i now, it horrible track to overtake, but it is possible, so i have hope. :-?? Be good result for Felipe if he could get few points :pray

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Victory for Fernando, with Felipe in the points9.26.2010

Singapore, 26 September – Under the glare of the floodlights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Fernando Alonso has just won the third Singapore Grand Prix, fifteenth round of the Formula 1 World Championship. It was a spectacular sight, run at night on a street circuit. Thanks to starting from pole position and an incredible example of race management, the Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver took the win ahead of Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull and the German’s team-mate, the Australian Mark Webber.

In the other F10, Felipe Massa staged a great fight up the order, after starting at the very back, having unfortunately stopped on his very first run in qualifying.

[vcs316]

Singapore Sunday quotes: Ferrari

Fernando Alonso - 1st: "This win is very significant. We wanted to confirm our success in Monza at a completely different type of track and we succeeded at the end of a very hard and extremely stressful race, both for me and for the car, on a track that I like a lot and which is well suited to my driving style. After the earlier gift - the Easter surprise, as I called it - of getting pole yesterday, today it was important first and foremost to make a good start: that is what happened, even if Vettel might have been slightly quicker away than me, but here the run to the first corner is not so long and so I was able to close the door and keep the lead. On the soft tyres, we were going very well, but on the hards, the Red Bull seemed to be quicker than us. The pit stop went off perfectly, both in terms of strategy and in the way it was done in pit lane. In the second part of the race, I tried to avoid taking any sort of risk, especially when getting past the backmarkers at the same time as the yellow flags were out. There are four races to go and the championship is very open. In Spa, Sebastian, Jenson and I came away empty handed, then in Monza it was Hamilton's turn: the dance towards the title sees the contenders see-sawing up and down, although Mark is still holding on to a slight lead. We must stay calm and concentrate on our own job, without thinking about what the others are doing: what is certain is that we will leave nothing to chance, fighting right to the very end. The F10 has improved a lot thanks to the work of all our engineers in Maranello and here at the track, and I am happy for that because now we can be on the pace at every type of circuit. We are not considered favourites for the races that lie ahead of us, but none of them are anything to be frightened about."

Felipe Massa - 10th: "It was a very difficult race for me after everything that happened in qualifying yesterday. We chose a strategy similar to the one used for Fernando in Monaco, hoping for some help from a Safety Car which unfortunately, came out on track too early. So I was not able to overtake that many cars and then I found myself in a train behind Sutil and Hulkenberg: one or two laps later and I could have made up two or three places and had a different sort of race. The car was not too bad, given that I was always on the same set of hard tyres: only towards the end did the situation get worse and I could feel the tyre degradation which is why Kubica managed to get past me so easily. I can't say I had much fun driving, given that I was always stuck behind another car. I had a new engine and now I only have three left which have each done one race, to rotate over the last four races of the season. I hope I will have more luck in those races than I have had this weekend!"

Stefano Domenicali: "This is an extraordinary result, which is down to an exceptional performance from Fernando, who once again proved what he is made of, in terms of driving ability and his mental attitude. The first and most important brick in this particular wall was put in place yesterday with pole position: if we had not started from the front, it would most likely have been impossible to overtake the Red Bull which proved to be so strong on track today, especially in the second half of the race. Qualifying was the key, this time in a negative way, to Felipe's race also: ninth place is definitely not a result that matches his or the car's potential, but starting last, it would have been hard to do better on a track where overtaking is very difficult. The team matched the performance of the driver, working perfectly in managing all the key moments and a major component of this victory is obviously down to everyone in Maranello, who gave their all to bring the F10 up to this level. As is traditional, I want to thank all our partners: the title sponsor Marlboro, Santander and the technical partners, first and foremost Shell, although I would actually like to name all of them. I am not the sort to feel defeated in difficult moments, but all the same I am delighted when we have happy ones like this. We have picked up two very nice wins in a row on tracks with completely different characteristics, but we are still behind in both championships: we must continue to work like this, if at all possible, multiplying our efforts to try and fight all the way to the finish. The maths will be done only at the end, on 14th November in Abu Dhabi."

Chris Dyer: "A fantastic result thanks to an incredible performance from Fernando, first yesterday in qualifying and then today in the race. Honestly, I do not think we had an advantage in terms of performance over our rivals, but at least they did not seem to have enough of one to be able to overtake us comfortably. We had to get a clean start, doing quick laps when necessary, choosing the right moment for the pit stop and being ready to manage any eventual Safety Car periods: a lot of elements to put together to get the win and that's how it turned out, with no mistakes made. All of this is also thanks to a team that worked very well, making the most of the potential of the car. As for Felipe, clearly he had to gamble on a Safety Car, given his grid position. Unfortunately, that did not work out well, because the race was neutralised too early: a few more laps and it would have been another story for him: all the same, a points finish is a good result, given the outlook at the start."

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Alonso’s brilliant win, Massa’s great recovery 09.26.2010

Singapore, 26 September – Fernando Alonso did his championship chances a world of good under the Marina Bay floodlights by leading all sixty one laps of the Singapore Grand Prix to take an incredible win, his fourth of the season, his second at this track. The Spaniard has now moved up to second in the championship, just eleven points off the leader, Mark Webber. The Australian also finished on the podium in third place, behind his Red Bull team-mate, Sebastian Vettel who never let Fernando pause for breath, tailing him by never much more than a second for this gruelling and very long race, that nearly went to the two hour limit. The race started with one Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver on pole and the other at the back of the grid, after Felipe Massa’s car failure in qualifying. So it was fitting that, at the chequered flag, it ended with one first and the other a more positive last – last of the points scorers in tenth place. Then came a slight consolation, as Felipe found himself moved up to ninth place, after Adrian Sutil was given a post-race theoretical drive-through penalty. Despite securing another fantastic win, the situation in the Constructors’ championship has not got any easier, with four races remaining. With both Red Bulls on the podium tonight, they slightly extend their lead over the Scuderia in third place.

After the start, as a strategic move, Felipe was brought straight into the pits to make his one tyre change of the race and two laps later, the Safety Car appeared for the first time, after Liuzzi stopped on track. At this point the order was Fernando, Vettel, Hamilton, Button, Webber and Rosberg and then most of the cars outside the top eight, plus Webber all came in to change tyres, while Felipe was now fifteenth. Fernando’s lead was under a second and Felipe was stuck in a high speed train, moving to fourteenth when Hulkenberg and Petrov ran wide.

By lap 12, Fernando had pulled out a 2.3 second lead over Vettel, with Felipe already over half a minute behind his team-mate. On lap 28, Hamilton was the first of the lead group to change tyres, followed one lap later by Fernando and Vettel who came in nose to tail and left in the same order. From then on, the two men seemed to be joined together by an invisible rope, the gap between them only fluctuating as they dealt with backmarkers. By lap 45, Felipe had worked his way up to ninth place, but Kubica in the Renault made an additional stop for fresh rubber and began to carve his way past slower cars on older tyres, including Felipe, who had to settle for tenth at the flag: a good day’s work after starting last.

Vettel never gave up pressuring Fernando, with the Spaniard having to also deal with being the first of the pair of them to tackle the backmarkers, but the two of them still traded fastest race laps, the final honour of being the quickest driver in the race going to the Ferrari man on lap 58. A win in Monza two weeks ago and another one here in Singapore: the final quartet of races is going to be a nail-biting time for everyone, starting in Suzuka, Japan in a fortnight’s time.

www.ferrari.com

[Rob]

Singapore GP - Up another place for Felipe9.26.2010
:-D:clap
Singapore, 26 September – After Force India’s Adrian Sutil was given a penalty by the race stewards, they have handed out another one to the Williams driver, Nico Hulkenberg. This means that Felipe Massa now moves up to eighth place in the classification for the Singapore Grand Prix. The Brazilian Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro driver thus comes away from a particularly complicated weekend with four points to his name, prior to preparing for the next round, the Japanese Grand Prix, which takes place at Suzuka circuit on 10 October.

[Rob]

Waking up to rain again9.27.2010

Singapore, 27 September - It was raining when Fernando Alonso arrived in Singapore last Wednesday and it greeted him again this afternoon, as he boarded his flight home. In between came some very busy times for the Spaniard, culminating in yesterday night’s fantastic win which has propelled him into second place in the Drivers’ championship, eleven points off the leader, Mark Webber.

Indeed, the only rain-free day was Sunday, which definitely added to the spectacle on track. Given that the track surface at Marina Bay takes a long time to dry, the slightest shower in the three hours leading up to the start of the race would have had a significant effect, at least in the early stages. In the end, up until this morning, the weather was fine, although the rain then reappeared until sunset on Monday. This was also good news for all the men and women who worked until dawn, packing away all the equipment in the paddock; the garage equipment, the cars themselves, the pit stop kit and everything used in the hospitality area, which will now be heading for Suzuka, the next stop on this round the world tour that ends in eight weeks time with a test session in Abu Dhabi, the week after the final round of the 2010 season.

Tonight, the team members take a direct flight to Milan Malpensa, landing tomorrow morning. Then, it will be straight back to work to prepare for the Japanese Grand Prix: tomorrow afternoon will see the usual debriefing session, while the first part of the crew leaves for Suzuka on Sunday 3 October: there is definitely no time to draw breath, both at the track and in Maranello!