2009 Singapore Grand Prix

[prisonermonkeys]

Okay, I know ... it's a little early for this. Tuesday is still four and a half hours away, but as I wholly expect this subforum to collapse under its own weight following the Renault verdict, I hope you'll forgive me for breaking the start this one time. So don't look at this thread for five or six hours, and you should be fine.

Anyway, in amongst all the politicking and obligatory tin-foil hats that I know you'e all making in anticipation of the verdict in Paris, there is actually a race this weekend. With the European leg over for another season, we now dive headlong into the second away leg for Round Fourteen of the 2009 FIA Formula One World Championship with the sport's second visit to Singapore:

SingTel Singapore Grand Prix
from the Marina Bay street circuit

One Lap of Singapore with Felipe Massa
(Sorry about the poor quality ... it was the only one I could find that wasn't an rFactor video.)

Lap Record - 1:45.599
(Kimi Rakkonen, Scuderia Ferrari, 2008)

2008 Results
1st - Fernando Alonso (Renault)
Or was he!?
2nd - Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
3rd - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)

2009 standings (after fourteen races)*
Jenson Button (Brawn-Mercedes) - 80 points
Rubens Barrichello (Brawn-Mercedes) - 66 points
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) - 54 points
Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) - 51.5 points

*I've only included the top four instead of the usual top ten, because only Button, Barrichello, Vettel and Webber can win the title.

And so to business: one good result here could mean that Red Bull and both their drivers are out of the title hunt. The RB5 is believed to have a new aero package for this race, but Brawn have one of their own to match them (as do McLaren, and I expect, another team or two).

In fact, this race could be where Jenson Button does enough to make Rubens Barrichello a mathematical outside. Button has not only won in Monaco, the closest circuit to Singapore's streets, but in Istanbul as well, the only anti-clckwise race so far. The warm local climate will make this Brawn territory, and the team's return to form in Italy will likely have instilled a newfound confidence in Button. All he needs to do is keep within sight of his team-mate all weekend, and it will become increasingly difficult for Barrichello to mount his own challenge, so expect Brawn to be strong.

Elsewhere, keep an eye out for the usual suspects of Ferrari and McLaren. Only time will tell how the Force India will fare on a street circuit, but with Adrian Sutil's previous performances on other street circuits (read: Monaco), he could well be an important character in this drama. And if Renault are forbidden from competing for the rest of the season, that will bring other teams into play. Can Williams get over their Monza disaster? Will Toyota finally work out whatever it is they're still doing in Formula One? Will Lewis Hamilton learn some restraint, or ill Martin Whitmarsh order him to crash from third position so that Heikki Kovalainen can score a point from eighth?​

 

[Ian Poole]

DYR, can i point out that it is not the correct track as they have made alterations to the track.

Only one year and they go and make alterations to it!

 

[TheCracker]

2009 Results
1st - Fernando Alonso (Renault)
Or was he!?
2nd - Nico Rosberg (Williams-Toyota)
3rd - Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes)

Crystal ball?

 

[prisonermonkeys]

can i point out that it is not the correct track as they have made alterations to the track.

Only one year and they go and make alterations to it!

I got this picture from FIA.com; it's the correct layout. The only changes I know of have been a slight reprofiling of turn ten - the Singapore Sling - which involved lowering the kerbs and making the actual corners easier, and a slight re-structure of the first corners to make overtaking easier. And circuit changes aren't altogether uncommon, especially for a circuit's sophomore event; the organisers take what they know from the first race and modify it for the second. There have been no dramatic changes to the layout. So I have no idea which circuit you're talking about.

Crystal ball?

Or dodgy USB keypad?

You decide.

 

[Hun200kmh]

Crystal ball?

I see it's already fixed 👍

Nice post interludes. About Rubens chances based on previous performances, I think we must remember Valencia.

It will be interesting to see if the Brawns opt again for a heavier load in Q3 (not battling for pole) waiting to "jump" the KERS cars with a different (longer)first stint.

It worked for Barrichello in Valencia (although his strategy was almost doomed because he was stuck behind Kova almost the entire length of his first stint) , should work here too.

 

[Lee]

Bee's Incredibly Astonishing Predictions!

1st: Button
2nd: Barrichello
3rd: Raikkonen
4th: Hamilton
5th: Liuzzi
6th: Rosberg
7th: Alonso
8th: Webber

Pole: Button (Setting a new lap record in the process)

Fastest Lap: Liuzzi

Should be the race Button puts Rubens to rest, 16 points in three races would be extremely difficult to catch up, especially in the same car.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Nice post interludes. About Rubens chances based on previous performances, I think we must remember Valencia.

I'm by no means discounting him, but the thing about Valencia is that it's not really deserving of the title "street circuit". It's a permanent racing facility built in an urban setting; the roads are as smooth as the surface of a billiards table. Singapore is a hell of a lot closer to Monaco than Valencia is. But even if Barrichello is a mile ahead, Button only has to stay in second, and the Brazilian can only take two points off him.

It will be interesting to see if the Brawns opt again for a heavier load in Q3 (not battling for pole) waiting to "jump" the KERS cars with a different (longer)first stint.

They can if they will.

The thing about why Button has been doing so well this season is that he can go just as quickly when he is heavy as he can when he is light. It's also the reason why he was struggling so much in Great Britain, Germany and Hungary. He is very gentle on his tyres, which means he struggles to get heat into them the way a driver normally would; it sounds like a disadvantage, but it mean he can make his tyres last longer. When he has a heavy car, the added weight for the fuel compensates for Button's lack of stress on his tyres. As the wheels are the only points of the car touching the ground, the added weight puts more strain on them and the tyres can heat up. As the fuel burns off, Button can maintain his pace because he has already got the heat into the tyres. In that respect, the Brawn is pretty much a perfect car. The problem with the Silverstone upgrade seems to be that it affected the mechanical grip of the car.

 

[zed300]

Well I can only guess that Red Bull will pull everything out of the aero bag for this race, as this is the last chance to make any progress to fight for the Championships. They do seem to have the aero package for high downforce, but they are well on the back foot.

BGP on the other hand are well set, and only a silly mistake from Button or his crew, oh or Renault on a mission,(wait, that was out of line wasn't it), can take the Championship from him.

 

[Touring Mars]

Bee's Incredibly Astonishing Predictions!

Meh, you don't impress me. Watch as I dazzle you all with my prediction, Derren Brown-stylee... I will successfully predict* the top six finishers in the correct order, and if I fail, I shall run through the streets of Glasgow wearing nothing but a Borat mankini.

* For legal reasons, I cannot make my prediction known before the BBC officially announce the result, but I will make my prediction known in a post immediately after the 6th-placed driver finishes the race

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I see what you did there.

 

[Ardius]

I can't possibly make a prediction, this season has been impossible to predict.

It would probably be easier to predict the weather - which looks like it should be dry, but a chance of rain at some point in the weekend.

I expect to see the circuit prove what I've been saying for a while now - that it can't provide decent racing. Last time it was only "improved" by the famous incident(s) and hence surprise winner - I think people overlooked the actual action in the race because of the surprise result, because I remember it being as dull as Valencia, despite having one more overtaking spot, it wasn't a particularly good one.
Now the crazy turn 10 kurbs have gone, one point of attrition has been taken away too.

The night racing aspect is nice but doesn't matter much, a circuit should provide entertaining racing first, look nice second.

 

[ROAD_DOGG33J]

Will Piquet-turn have a crane next to it now?

 

[senamic]

Will Piquet-turn have a crane next to it now?

I'd reckon that it may. The only issue is that he went off just near the seaside, didn't he? What with the grandstands there, fitting a crane will make the engine bay of a V12 Vantage look spacious....

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I'd reckon that it may. The only issue is that he went off just near the seaside, didn't he? What with the grandstands there, fitting a crane will make the engine bay of a V12 Vantage look spacious....

Then stick it on the outside of the corner. The road in front of the grandstand continued beyond the grandstand in either direction; the only custom-built section of the circuit is around the Start/Finish Line.

 

[Bram Turismo]

What about Force India now? Was their performance thanked merely by a fast circuit or have they actually evolved the car enough to make chance for points again this weekend?

 

[senamic]

Points are a possibility for Force India, so long as their aero package compares favourably to the new packages of McLaren, Brawn, and (uncomfirmed?) Red Bull. Personally I would not write them off.

 

[Ardius]

I certainly hope so for Liuzzi's sake, he deserved many points for the last race weekend, did he inherit Sutil's bad luck?

 

[senamic]

Looks that way. Pity, I was excited when I heard that Liuzzi was coming back to the sport. I just love his driving style, and I feel that if luck is on his side he could be up with the leaders again this weekend.

 

[Prince.M5]

This is not going to be a comfy race for everyone I'm afraid. BMW brought up their brand new package, others just pushing still and Force India getting faster every GP (not sure on this one). I do think that BMW would make a very good performance this weekend as like what they show last weekend if not that valve problem spoiled everything. Ferrari still in a good shape and seriously, I'm still laughing on Lewis's crash last two weeks ago. I hope he would do well this weekend and not trashing everything on the last lap. RBR is not in a good shape with no engine left, I think they rather take the 10 places penalty and keep on pushing hard. So this is just my short review to the 2009 Singapore GP... The big story on Friday, Mr. Fernando

Thanks for reading and please correct me if I'm wrong

 

[Ian Poole]

I got this picture from FIA.com; it's the correct layout. The only changes I know of have been a slight reprofiling of turn ten - the Singapore Sling - which involved lowering the kerbs and making the actual corners easier, and a slight re-structure of the first corners to make overtaking easier. And circuit changes aren't altogether uncommon, especially for a circuit's sophomore event; the organisers take what they know from the first race and modify it for the second. There have been no dramatic changes to the layout. So I have no idea which circuit you're talking about.

These are the changes that have been made to the circuit:

http://www.sgcarmart.com/news/events_features.php?AID=2230

After the inaugural race last year, the complaints from the drivers and their teams about the entrance and exit of the pitlane were well covered in the local dailies and the international media.

So keeping that in mind, the team at Singapore GP consulted the teams and the FIA (Federation Internationale de l'Automobile), went back to the drawing board and started flagging down other areas to be improved for the 2009 edition of Formula 1's 14th race on the calendar.

Improvements made are as follows:

Pit Lane Entry

During the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, a significant speed differential was observed at the apex of Turn 22 between cars entering the pit lane and those lapping the track. A dedicated pit entry lane will be constructed to separate slowing cars from the lapping vehicles, in order to reduce any risk of interference caused by pitting vehicles on those lapping the track. The runoff distances at Turn 22 will be reduced, providing better spectator circulation in the area.

Pit Lane Exit

For the 2008 race, the pit exit lane entered the circuit into the braking zone for Turn 1, immediately after the pit wall. Following suggestions from the FIA, the pit lane will be re-aligned and lengthened for 2009, exiting on the drivers' left at Turn 2, away from the racing line and onto a part of the circuit where the cars will all be accelerating.

Turn 1

The changes to Turn 1 will involve modification to the geometry to reduce corner speed so that it provides potential overtaking opportunities in the braking zone at the approach to the corner. The modifications will involve relocating the corner apex, reducing the corner radius and thereby reducing the estimated cornering speed.

Once the cars took to the track last September, some drivers took a far wider line, turning in from the concrete verge next to the wall. Kerbing will therefore be installed on the entry to Turn 1 so as to prevent cars utilising the concrete verge to obtain a wider line into the corner.

Turns 13 and 14

Turn 13, the tight left handed hairpin after the historic Anderson Bridge, will be amended to increase cornering speed, providing additional speed on Esplanade Drive and increasing the opportunity for overtaking in the braking zone at Turn 14. With the revision, the cars are likely to reach speeds of approximately 275km/h along the Esplanade Drive.

In addition, the geometry of Turn 14 will also be modified to improve overtaking opportunities in the braking zone. The modifications will involve relocating the corner apex to reduce the corner radius and reducing the estimated cornering speed of the cars.

That help you out interludes?

 

[Lee]

Meh, you don't impress me. Watch as I dazzle you all with my prediction, Derren Brown-stylee... I will successfully predict* the top six finishers in the correct order, and if I fail, I shall run through the streets of Glasgow wearing nothing but a Borat mankini.

* For legal reasons, I cannot make my prediction known before the BBC officially announce the result, but I will make my prediction known in a post immediately after the 6th-placed driver finishes the race

Uh huh... Um.. Uh huh... WAIT A SECOND!

 

[prisonermonkeys]

These are the changes that have been made to the circuit:

That help you out interludes?

Not really. The're just adjusting corners; there is no serious change to the layout of the circuit. It follows the same route as last year, with minor modifications.

 

[Peter]

I'm going with commons sense here, If the Brawn loves hot and hates cold, and this is a night race, so there's no sun, won't it hve not-so-good results? I'm hoping and praying for a Red Bull win here, I want them to win the title sooo badly.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

I'm going with commons sense here, If the Brawn loves hot and hates cold, and this is a night race, so there's no sun, won't it hve not-so-good results?

Singapore is in the tropics. Temperatures of thirty degrees are expected all weekend.

 

[Ardius]

Not to mention Brawn think they have fixed the tyre heating issue, they were reporting overheating at Monza.

 

[daan]

I'm going with commons sense here, If the Brawn loves hot and hates cold, and this is a night race, so there's no sun, won't it hve not-so-good results?

No you're not. Common sense will tell you that Singapore is a hot country and it's not going to be "cold" at night. It'll probably still be warmer than most European races.

 

[NapoleonMikey]

singapores weather is tropical just like here in florida. its 90+ degrees druing the day and gets down into the low 80's at night. thats still warmer then the non tropical states get druring the peak of the days heat. and for you european's thats about 35 during the day and 28 during the evening. the tropics tend to stay hot all night because of the humidity. thats the question is how will these cars handle a humid race enviroment

 

[darkfinal]

Engines aren't gonna notice it's a night race, the air is just as warm as it is in Europe at 2PM.

However, tyres ARE gonna feel the difference. There will be no sun heating the asphalt, so the track is gonna be significantly colder than the usual. I might be wrong, but that's what common thermodynamic sense tells me.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

thats the question is how will these cars handle a humid race enviroment

About the same as they would do in Sepang, which is less than three hundred kilometres away.

 

[Prince.M5]

About the same as they would do in Sepang, which is less than three hundred kilometres away.

480KM away to be precise mate Though it's not that far away...