Singapore GP Team news&Build up news. 2014

[Rob]

Singapore: Evening dress required
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Maranello, 15 September – The Formula 1 World Championship now leaves Europe and sets sail for Asia. Sunday actually sees the seventh running of the Singapore Grand Prix, round 14 of 19 this season. The race has always been run at the Marina Bay street circuit and its biggest claim to fame is that it is always run at night. The race starts at 8pm, with the track completely floodlit. Scuderia Ferrari can boast one win, two podiums and two poles here.

The win. It came in 2010, when Fernando Alonso dominated the Grand Prix, winning from pole, as well as securing a memorable triple, as he also set the race fastest lap. All race long, the Spaniard had to fend off the attentions of Sebastian Vettel, who never managed to get past, as they crossed the line separated by less than three tenths of a second.

A bitter memory. Singapore is also the scene of a bitter memory for the Scuderia. In 2008, Felipe Massa was leading, having started from pole, but at the refueling stop, he drove away before the mechanics had finished the procedure on the F2008. The Brazilian thus dragged the fuel line behind him and only realised at the end of pit lane. The mechanics had to run the length of the pit lane to get Felipe back in the race and so he could finish no higher than 13th in a race won, somewhat surprisingly, by Fernando Alonso in the Renault.

Long race. The Grand Prix is 61 laps long, equivalent to almost 309 kilometres and the race usually comes very close to the maximum time allowed of two hours. When it comes to the Ferrari drivers, Fernando Alonso loves this track and has won here twice, while Kimi Raikkonen’s best result is a third place last year.

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-evening-dress-required#sthash.WTUB0iBP.dpuf

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Into the night
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Maranello, 16 September – With the European part of this season consigned to history, it’s time for the Formula 1 circus to leave home and tackle the final six Grands Prix of the season, which involves criss-crossing the globe from the Far East to the West and back to its Middle East finale.

The first of those appointments is at the photogenic and floodlit Marina Bay circuit in Singapore and involves a move away from the tracks where power and top speed are the key factors, as Scuderia Ferrari’s Engineering Director Pat Fry explains. “After the two races in Spa and Monza, run on low downforce circuits, we now go to Singapore which is at completely the other end of the spectrum,” says the Englishman. “It’s a street circuit requiring very high downforce, where we will be running the Soft and Supersoft tyres on a track with similar characteristics to Monaco. There are hardly any high speed corners and only two turns that have combined lateral and longitudinal acceleration and therefore the challenge is more about straight line acceleration and good traction.”

The two standout features of the Singapore weekend are the fact that track action takes place at night and, being in the Tropics, it’s very hot. The former element is something that over the years has proved easy to adapt to, while the heat is tough on drivers, team personnel and the cars. “Even though it’s a night race, the temperatures are still very high, in the high 20s or low 30s, which puts heavy demands on the cooling systems for the engine and the ERS,” says Fry. “In addition, the start-stop nature of the layout puts a high loading on the brake systems, with the front brakes in particular taking a real pounding.”

The characteristics of the 5.065 km street track should be better suited to the F14 T than the fast flowing circuits of the past month. However, nothing can be taken for granted at what is one of the hardest events on the calendar and for the Scuderia crew the motivation to do well is clear. “Monza was a tough weekend for us,” admits Fry. “So now we are regrouping and we will keep pushing forward, concentrating on getting the best out of the package we’ve got.” While the team clearly wants to finish the season as high up the order in the Constructors’ classification, there are other reasons for wanting to push hard to the very end of the year. “At this stage of the season, the focus in the factory is shifting more towards next year’s car,” reveals Fry. “However, there is still quite a lot we can learn from track testing, therefore we will be bringing some specific test components for next year and other developments for the F14 T, which will help our understanding for next year.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-night#sthash.AO2Etc8d.dpuf

[TonyRizza]

podium is a realistic chance for us this weekend, mercs might crash into each other again and might get a win, however redbulls will also be strong

[Samcar222]

I'd put my money on more Merc drama. Could be a decent weekend for us, quali will be vital.

[shamim179]

Think 3rd or 4th row at best. Depends on how Williams does on this track. Red bull for sure will be strong on this track. It will be another difficult weekend but not as difficult as it was in monza.

[Rishu]

Mercs will be strong so should be RBs. We should be better than Williams on this track. Watch out for the honey badger, he might pull off a win.

[stefa]

Interesting weather forecast for all days (night). Thunderstorms all the way!

[Stormsearcher]

Barring any DNFs, i think we should do good on this track. Yes, podium should be possible.
i doubt the Merc boys will clash again. Am pretty sure they have been given the ultimatum.

[fratelliferrari]

Iam really looking forward for this GP! Too many friends laughed at me after Monza so I hope we have something to smile this Sunday!

[Stormsearcher]

if it rains.. should make things very interesting.

[Senna4Ever]

RB seems to very confident to match Merc in the next to races.
According to Renault they made big step forward on the engine/PU side and RB was on top of traction right from the beginning of the season.
And as we know from all the experts: it was Vettel (and not the car) who was 2 seconds faster than the rest in 2013 ... Merc will be struggling to catch him ;-)
Some source stated that also the fuel consumption will play a big role here ...
Williams the big unknown ...

based on that:
I don't expect miracles in the qualifying and (with 4 cars already known as faster than us) a podium in the race would be a surprise to me ...
Hopefully Alonso can shake of the bad karma of the last two grand prix that we have two cars for valuable points ...

[ARUN M KARUNAN]

Rain cause williams struggle.but there is RBR and merc.mclaren has lots of update to show alo and vet they are compitable as they announced before.TOUGH LUCK

[shamim179]

It rains often in Singapore but it dries out very quickly. The temperatures will be a lot higher so rain affected cars may not be so affected. Hopefully, we can finish in the points.

[Nova]

Fuel consumption is key..this is a long race, given the heat and humidity, could be tough for
everyone. After Monza, I would love to see us do well. Plus we havent had a win this year..
man, would it be great to have a win........

[wisepie]

Iam really looking forward for this GP! Too many friends laughed at me after Monza so I hope we have something to smile this Sunday!
Me too, it may give us a chance to fight for a podium and the weather could play into our hands, trouble is that we don't seem to be progressing with development like the others around us. After the LdM resignation, we desperately need a morale boost for the whole team. Mr Marchionne, it's in your hands.

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Alonso: “Ferrari is bigger than any one individual”
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Singapore, 18 September – In slightly cooler conditions than we have come to expect here in the Tropics, Fernando Alonso faced the press for the first time this evening and the number one topic was the ban on certain radio messages as from this weekend. “It won’t make a big difference to be honest,” began the Scuderia Ferrari driver. “I don’t think it will have a huge impact on the race itself, or preparations for the weekend. In any case, at Ferrari we have not used the radio for any performance related reasons. We tend to use it to control temperatures, to talk about traffic and strategy. I cannot say how it might affect other teams. As for the change in general, it has generated a lot of media attention, like the situation with FRIC, but in that case, we saw the final impact on the race was nothing special. I think it will be a similar case with this radio rule. It’s like if you’re a coach in football or basketball and cannot talk to your players; in the end it’s the player who shoots the ball. It won’t change our driving style and it’s not as though we won’t know how to drive the circuit.”

Rather than simply brush it away in his usual style, the Spaniard chose to question the motives behind yet another rumour about his future, this time that he and Vettel would swap teams! “It’s sad when these rumours are created in Italy,” he stated. “It’s a shame as it’s not helping Ferrari, which is the reason why we are all here and Ferrari is a much bigger brand than any one individual or even Formula 1 in general. I have a lot of respect for Ferrari and try and maintain a good atmosphere with the guys in the team, in order to have a very united team. It’s what we need and what the people expect from us. So it’s not clear to me what is the purpose of these rumours coming from Italy.”

Various factors relating to the Marina Bay circuit mean that fuel consumption could play a role on Sunday, however Alonso doesn’t feel it will be an issue. “It’s true fuel will be tight here and we will have to save a little bit extra, but it should be manageable, especially as the track layout allows you to save fuel quite easily compared to other circuits as you are generally safe from overtaking moves.”

And then came a final word on the big news since Monza, the departure of Luca di Montezemolo. “He was our leader for many years and it was a great time for Ferrari,” reckoned Fernando. “I wish him good luck with new projects and for the new President, I wish him good luck for hopefully a very successful future.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-alonso-ferrari-bigger-individual#sthash.yIJSR2Hu.dpuf

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Raikkonen: “I still want to get good results”
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Singapore, 18 September – Called to attend the formal setting of today’s FIA Press Conference, Kimi Raikkonen inevitably had less to say than his team-mate who spoke earlier at the Scuderia Ferrari hospitality. However, the first topic was the same for both men, namely the ban on various radio communications. Of course the Finn is famous for telling his race engineer over the radio two years ago (when driving for a different team) to leave him alone as he knew what he was doing! The quote has gone down in F1 history and today, Kimi seemed to continue in that belief. “We don’t spend a lot of time on the radio in my case, usually when there are no issues,” began the Ferrari man. “It might get more complicated if there are problems with the car and we have to change things to finish the race. It could be more complex, but that’s part of the game.”

Raikkonen has endured a difficult season so far, but it hasn’t dented his determination to keep searching for success. “For the rest of the season, we are going to try as hard as we can, because I still want to get good results for me and for the team,” he insisted. “ It’s going to be difficult and of course this season was not what we hoped for as we expected to do better. But there have been some pretty good improvements from us as a team and I am happier. But there is still a lot of work to do.” Hardly surprising that the driver known as “The Iceman” was unconcerned about the tropical weather here. “In the past it’s not been a problem for me, in fact, it doesn’t feel as hot or humid as in the past and also, this year, the cars are slower.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-raikkonen-i-good-results#sthash.meF7VDvn.dpuf

[Fer138]

Too bad I won't be able to attend the Singapore GP this year. It's not the most exciting track but it's something else seeing our beautiful Ferraris dazzling under the lights. Last year I was at turn 1 and saw Fernando's amazing start from P7 to P3 up close. I still remember how fantastic it was and I was literally nudging my fren going did you see that, did you see that!! Nice memories. All the best to Fernando and the team this weekend. They certainly deserve something good after a rough few weeks.

[Brembo]

Singapore :

1. Lewis
2.Alonso
3. Ricciardo
4.Kimi
9. Bianchi [4 U Katu ! ]

[stefa]

Singapore :

1. Lewis
2.Alonso
3. Ricciardo
4.Kimi
9. Bianchi [4 U Katu ! ]

Nice day dreaming... I would like this also, but I am not sure how possible is that.

[Brembo]

Nice day dreaming... I would like this also, but I am not sure how possible is that.

Here's how, Lewis takes out Nico at turn 1, Ricc busy knocking Vettel out so Alonso cuts into #2 spot, Kimi's car cooperates and he is as good as all but Alonso. And Bianchi, well I have my personal reason to see him in the points.:-)

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Pat Fry: “A tough weekend”
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Pat Fry: “The Marina Bay circuit is always very demanding, both for the drivers and the personnel, who, among other things, have to deal with extreme atmospheric weather conditions. This Friday’s track action that just ended was not perfect, as we had to deal with some reliability problems, especially on Kimi’s car, although the performance more or less matched our expectations. Cooling the various components of the car is a hard task and, in performance terms, so too is getting good traction out of the corners. As usual on street circuits, over the course of the weekend, the grip level improves significantly and so it’s important to get a clear understanding of tyre behaviour. The time difference between the Soft and Supersoft compounds is possibly greater than expected and I’m sure this aspect will make qualifying and the race very interesting. Although Friday’s times count for little and it’s difficult to string together a run of clean laps because of traffic, our drivers’ pace is encouraging. It’s very difficult to overtake in Singapore and it will be very important to do as well as possible in qualifying so as to be well placed for the race.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-pat-fry-a-tough-weekend#sthash.BtsdLwHU.dpuf

Fernando Alonso: “This track is one of a kind”
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Fernando Alonso: “As always, Friday in Singapore is a bit different to what it is at other tracks, as its characteristics mean it is one of a kind and driving here at night is always exciting. The feeling is more or less the same as usual on a first day of practice, as we were reasonably competitive in both sessions and we got through the programme without any problems. The two compounds we have for this race behaved as expected and of the two, the Supersoft produced more grip. The restrictions on radio communication did not affect our work much and it was a regular day from that point of view and everything went off as normal.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-fernando-alonso-this-track-kind#sthash.6DUwouRp.dpuf

Kimi Raikkonen: “Room for improvement”
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Kimi Raikkonen: “Overall this was a positive day, even if, as usual, there is room for improvement. In the first session we concentrated on looking at different set-up solutions and on my first set of Soft tyres I managed to do a good lap, then unfortunately some technical niggles prevented me from getting the most out of the second set. At the end of the session I had a problem with the brakes overheating, but the team managed to sort it out quickly and prepare the car for the second session. The changes we made to the set-up improved the handling of the car and with the Supersoft tyres there was plenty of grip.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-kimi-raikkonen-room-improvement#sthash.YZ3dCrmH.dpuf

[Rob]

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[fratelliferrari]

Nice photos once again Rob!

[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[fratelliferrari]

And you keep them coming...Great job Rob!

[Brembo]

Great photos ! Thanks.

[Senna4Ever]

Thanks Rob ...

[Rob]

:oops


Nessun problema

[wisepie]

Fantastic images Rob as always, grazie mille, but I still hate that nose on the F14T. Maybe it will be first over the line tomorrow to make up for its ugliness. Viviamo in speranza!

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Pat Fry: “Keep an eye on the variables”
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Pat Fry: “This was undoubtedly one of the closest qualifying sessions of the season, with the top six cars all within just over three tenths of one another. On this track, a good set-up and a high level of aerodynamic downforce makes the difference and at every corner you can gain or lose a lot of time. And, as is the case at all street circuits, the abilities of the drivers comes to the fore. I would like to be commenting on a better result, because both Kimi and Fernando didn’t make any mistakes. Kimi was comfortable with the car all weekend and we are sorry that he had a software problem on his final Q3 run, because he could definitely have got a better result. This incident confirms just how important is reliability, especially at this point in the season. Fernando showed what he can do on this track and it’s always a pleasure to see him at work. Like Kimi, he improved in every session, getting the most out of the package he had. In free practice, we saw a significant performance difference between the two Pirelli compounds and I’m sure that will make the race particularly absorbing. At this point of the season, reliability plays a key role and here in Singapore, an appearance from the Safety Car is almost guaranteed. Therefore we will have to keep an eye on all the variables in play and try and bring home as many points as possible for the team.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-pat-fry-keep-eye-variables#sthash.Zkz5znQS.dpuf

Fernando Alonso: “A law unto itself”
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Fernando Alonso: “If you had told me yesterday that we would still be competitive in qualifying, probably I wouldn’t have believed it. And in fact this fifth place is a bit different to usual, because the gap to pole is really small. This weekend, I’ve felt comfortable right from the first session and probably much of that is down to the characteristics of the track. It’s impossible to compare it to other races, because this one and Monaco are a law unto themselves. But definitely, we have made a step forward since the start of the season and I’m sure the car will continue to improve right the way to the end. Tomorrow’s race will be long and very demanding from a mechanical point of view. Reliability will play a key role as will tyre management, which could make a big difference.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-fernando-alonso-a-law-itself#sthash.NhM51lIL.dpuf

Kimi Raikkonen: “Confident for the race”
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Kimi Raikkonen: “I’m very happy with the handling of my car. Yesterday, we made some changes to the set-up and in qualifying, I finally managed to drive the way I wanted. Unfortunately, in Q3, on my final run on new Supersoft tyres, a problem forced me to pit. It’s a real shame as I felt comfortable in the car and we had the potential to get a good result. Now I want to feel confident for the race and I hope the team manages to solve the problem without too much difficulty. Tomorrow, we will do our best to bring home as many points as possible, aware that we are going in the right direction.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-kimi-raikkonen-confident-race#sthash.jqofJyZR.dpuf

[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[TonyRizza]

where do you get these photos from? they are amazing!

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Marco Mattiacci: “Continue to improve”
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Marco Mattiacci: “Today’s race could have delivered us a better result, because thanks to a quick response from the team after the disappointing outcome of the Grand Prix in Monza, we were competitive all weekend long. Our pace was good and thanks to the strategy, with Fernando we managed to run second, but it later slipped from our grasp during the course of the race. Kimi was held up by traffic and slowed with tyre degradation and, although he got a good start, he was unable to retake the places he had made up. The variable of the Safety Car altered our strategy projections, affecting the outcome of the race. Nevertheless, I firmly believe that the only strategy for winning is to be able to count on a competitive car. Now we leave Singapore having shown signs of progress: on this front, Suzuka will provide a very interesting test bench, because it will allow us to go deeper into our development work in areas in which we want to improve.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-marco-mattiacci-continue-improve#sthash.W1PT9PcS.dpuf


Singapore GP – Pat Fry: “Encouraging signs”
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Pat Fry: “Here in Singapore, the performance of the two F14 Ts was a pleasant surprise, as we have never been as close to the front runners this season. The technical characteristics of the track, our development work, the talent of our drivers and the way our car worked on the softer tyres are just some of the elements that explain our good form this weekend. While very encouraging, it was still not enough to achieve the team’s objectives and it was a real shame to see second place slip from our grasp with Fernando because of the Safety Car. Unfortunately, with Kimi we didn’t manage to get the most out of the car: he had the potential to get a better result, if hadn’t been for Massa undercutting him and then, even though he was on fresher tyres, he did not have the top speed to pass Bottas on the straight. Like Monaco, this is a track where it’s hard to overtake and the arrival of the Safety Car can jumble up the order. Now, in Suzuka, we will have another opportunity and once again, we will try and fight the Red Bulls and especially the Williams in the Constructors’ Championship.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-pat-fry-encouraging-signs#sthash.VCCIuJ9l.dpuf

[Rob]

Singapore GP – Fernando Alonso: “A bit unlucky”
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Fernando Alonso: “With hindsight, it’s easy to ask oneself how things would have gone if I hadn’t made a mistake at the start and the Safety Car hadn’t come out when it did, but overall I’m pleased with this weekend, because we were competitive and were able to fight with the front runners. Sometimes, a Safety Car can help but I think that today on this front, we were a bit unlucky, because at that moment, we were trying to make sure of second place and our strategy was good. We didn’t have much of an alternative, because if we had stayed out, the probability was that the stop for the Softs would have cost us more places. Even if in the end, I wasn’t able to get past, the fact we were competitive right to the finish confirms we have made a step forward. Now, in Suzuka, a real circuit, we will have a clearer picture of where we are.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-fernando-alonso-a-bit-unlucky#sthash.naQp91LT.dpuf

Singapore GP – Kimi Raikkonen: “A frustrating race”
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Kimi Raikkonen: “Today’s race was really frustrating, because despite the fact we were quick, we weren’t able to finish where we wanted. My start was good, I moved up a few places and everything was working perfectly. After the first stop, I lost a place to Felipe and from then on, I found myself stuck behind a Williams for the entire race. Unfortunately, every time I managed to get close, I lost aero performance on the rear and on top of that, tyre degradation was very high. It’s a real shame I was never able to run my race, even if we already knew that straightline speed is our opponents’ strong point. I’m not happy with eighth place, but on the positive side, we have seen improvements this weekend. I’m sure that if, from now on, we don’t have problems, things will go better.”

- See more at: http://formula1.ferrari.com/news/singapore-gp-kimi-raikkonen-a-frustrating-race#sthash.rxILMq45.dpuf

[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[Rob]

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[Rob]

where do you get these photos from? they are amazing!

They just turn up in my inbox 1-2 hours after each session/race.:-)

[GrndLkNatv]

The very tall guy on the other side of the car near the center of the car is my buddy Michele.
Yesterday was his last race on the traveling team, staying back in the shop now.
He's the rear jack man, arguably the fastest guy on the team!
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