15-Jan-10: Force India Also Set to Miss First Test

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It’s the 15th January 2010, and it’s time for F1 Minute.

Force India have confirmed they will be skipping the first test in Valencia in February, just as Red Bull are. Adrian Sutil said: “The new rules are a big challenge for everybody, so to make a clear statement about how good we have been in interpreting those new regulations we will have to wait until the first test in Jerez, where I will drive the VJM3 for the first time.” Interpreting the regulations sounds too much like the double diffuser debacle for my liking.

Moving on, Christian Horner has been talking on the Autosport International stage about the continuity of his team, suggesting that the drivers, the car, the engine, the staff, all of it will help enormously as they fight for the championship this year. He said they believe continuity is crucial.

Finally, to finish, Massa revealed that he asked Piquet Jr about the Singapore crash after it happened, and the Brazilian just laughed and wouldn’t answer the questions. Laughed!

That’ll do for now, please join me tomorrow for another F1 Minute.

Romain Remains on Track

The racing action in Abu Dhabi has yet to be seen, but what we do know is it’s a photographer’s dream. Romain Grosjean keeps his Renault on track at Abu Dhabi. The team have a bit of a reputation when it comes to racing in the dark, and Romain managed to spin in Singapore to the embarrassment of his bosses. However, they have secured a sponsor for the next three years in the form of TW Steel.

Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Force India – Qualifying – Singapore GP

The Force India Formula One Team endured a disappointing qualifying under the lights of Singapore’s Marina Bay circuit as neither Adrian Sutil nor Tonio Liuzzi made the cut for Q2. Hopes had been high for the team to enter into the second segment following the outstanding results of Spa and Monza, however a combination of traffic and the tricky high downforce configuration saw this ambition confounded. Adrian will start from 16th position and Tonio from 20th for tomorrow’s 61 lap race.

Adrian Sutil (car 20, VJM02/01):
FP3: 17th 1:49.122 (17 laps)
Q1: 16th 1:48.231 (10 laps)

Tonio Liuzzi (car 21, VJM02/04):
FP3: 16th 1:49.055 (16 laps)
Q1: 20th 1:48.792 (8 laps)

Adrian Sutil (car 20)

As we can see, we are still very quick on the straights and on the high speed circuits such as Spa and Monza, but here it is all about downforce. It’s a very similar configuration to Monte Carlo, but about twice as long with twice as many corners and that’s why we lost so much over one lap. We have had a problem with the grip level the whole weekend. I did expect us to be a little bit more competitive, but the field is very tight and if you lose out a bit in the traffic suddenly you are at the back. I lost some time on my fastest lap when Giancarlo [Fisichella] was in front of me in the middle sector and I finished 16th. It’s going to be difficult but let’s see what we can do. It’s a long race and anything is possible and we will still be giving it our best.

Tonio Liuzzi (car 21)

We knew we would struggle more on this type of circuit compared to the low downforce tracks such as Spa and Monza but we didn’t expect it would be this much. We were suffering with a lack of traction and weren’t able to find the right balance – Adrian and I seem to have the same problems. My quickest lap was quite clean, perhaps there were a couple of tenths more in it, but to get through to Q2 this time would have been quite difficult. With more fuel on board we are quite competitive but from this point on the grid it will be tough. However at a circuit like this anything can happen and if we have a good pace in the race and a good balance we could still get some points. Street circuits are always a bit crazy so we won’t give up just yet.

Dr Vijay Mallya, chairman and team principal

After the outstanding performance in Spa and Monza we were expecting more of a challenge this weekend for sure. We feel we have a car that is now amongst the quickest in the field but unfortunately in high downforce trim we are not seeing a reflection of this performance as teams that were behind us in Spa and Monza are ahead of us here. There are however only two extraordinarily high downforce tracks on the calendar – here and Monaco – so we cannot trade this improvement in performance for just one race. We are still looking forward to the Grand Prix, which is sure to be eventful, long and challenging and will try our best to continue our current run of points’ scoring finishes. We are however anticipating a better performance at the more traditional tracks of Suzuka and Interlagos, which will be sure to suit us a lot better.

21-Oct-09: Monaco Grand Prix Moved Forward a Week

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Welcome to F1 Minute for the 21st October 2009.

A while ago, I reported on the teams concern over the 2010 calendar, with some of the races too close together. The FIA confirmed today that they are moving the Monaco Grand Prix to the 16th May, which is forward by one week. This means they have the regular fortnight gap to be able to get to Turkey, rather than the back to back it was scheduled to be originally.

Meanwhile, Webber is feeling super confident for next year, after the team’s and more importantly his own improvements throughout this season. He says: “Up until Singapore there were only a couple of points between Sebastian and I so there is absolutely no reason at all why I can’t fight for the championship next season. I am disappointed that my championship bid faded, but as always you need to put a whole season together.” He’s sure that a consistent year will help them bounce back from this seasons defeat.

That’s all for now, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Williams – Singapore Grand Prix Review

SYNOPSIS
The AT&T Williams team bought a comprehensive aero upgrade to Singapore, comprising a new front and rear wing, diffuser modifications and a number of other mechanical revisions. With the FW31 designed around the higher downforce, lower speed circuits that dominate the calendar, the team was confident that they could regain the form demonstrated up until Valencia, and with the upgrades offering a handful of tenths, that the car would be additionally competitive.

Both Friday practice sessions were extremely busy and required plenty of intensive engineering to baseline the new aero package and start to generate a positive set-up direction, and it wasn’t really until Saturday morning practice that the pit wall began to generate some confidence that the car would be strong, although to what extent would remain unclear until the evening qualifying session. With both cars progressing into Q2, the session came alive when Nico posted the low fuel lap of the weekend, a 1.46.197 with two purple sectors, giving him the confidence to sit out a considerable period of the session in the garage. Team-mate Nakajima looked likely to progress through as well, but a late charge from one of the Red Bulls demoted him from the top ten in the dying seconds of the session. Rosberg’s stunning lap in Q2 was the launch pad for a strong first run on new options in Q3, but seeking some tyre pressure adjustments, he boxed and took a new set of the super softs for his second run, but his expectation of improving was cut short by the session being red flagged.

From P3 on the clean side of the grid on Sunday, it was Nico’s mission to get ahead of Vettel into turn 1, which he duly achieved and for the first 18 lap stint, was able to keep Hamilton (who was leading the race) no more than 3 seconds distant while comfortably having the measure of the Red Bull behind (and crucially having the advantage of around two more laps of fuel to respond to Vettel’s second stint strategy). Nakajima however lost his clean start when Heidfeld on P7 was demoted to the back of the grid and the starting line-up reformed behind him. With the two Brawns in front and behind Kazuki handily gifted a clean start by the BMW penalty and Kazuki shifting to the dirty side, he lost position to the heavily fuelled Button on the first lap.

Nico’s drive through penalty incurred after his first stop might not have been so compromising had the safety car not intervened. He had sufficient time advantage to have not lost position had the field not been artificially bunched up, but in the event, the double disadvantage consigned him to rear. From this position a good finish was unachievable despite a variation in his strategy to try and unlock his situation with an early second stop and a risky long final stint on the option tyre. Kazuki’s race was far less eventful, after two routine stops, he had a good battle with Kubica for the last championship point, but equally tasked with defending his position from Raikkonen behind, he was unable to improve on a p9 finish just outside the points.

Q&A WITH SAM MICHAEL, TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

Q: Describe the atmosphere at AT&T Williams after the Singapore Grand Prix.
SM: The whole team, including the staff at the factory, were really happy with the on-track performance of the FW31 throughout the entire weekend. We knew from our high fuel, long runs on Friday that the car was competitive and that carried through Saturday and Sunday. It was a good demonstration that the design team are developing the 2009 car as fast as any of the other teams.

Q: Even with his drive-through penalty, where could Nico have finished the race had there not been a Safety Car period?
SM: Most likely, third behind Vettel, but he then would have inherited second place following Vettel’s penalty which came later on in the race. On pure pace, Lewis, Nico and Sebastian had the podium sewn up before the Safety Cars.

Q: Relative to the opposition, the pace of the FW31 improved significantly on Saturday. What did you change on the car?
SM: Because it’s a street circuit, the track was fairly green at the start of the session. Once some cars had gone out and laid some rubber, the circuit improved significantly which helped. We also fine tuned the aero and mechanical parts of the set-up, both of which helped improve our performance.

Q: Had you expected the car to be so competitive around the Marina Bay circuit?
SM: I expected Nico to be in the top five, so getting into the top three in qualifying was a bonus. Although his performance in Q2 was great, I was personally much more impressed by his strong lap times during the race.

Q: Yet again Kazuki just missed out on a points finish. Was this one of his stronger races of the season?
SM: Yes, it was certainly and it was a shame that he missed out on a points finish when the car was so strong.

Q: Tyre wear proved critical all weekend. How did the super-soft rubber hold up on the FW31?
SM: We didn’t have any issues with tyre wear. We did have some small graining on the rear tyre with the super-soft, but only for a few laps before it started to clean up again.

Q: Do you expect the team to be as competitive at Suzuka next weekend?
SM: I expect us to be competitive, but I’m not sure if we will be as strong as we were in Singapore. We’re bringing some more upgrades to the FW31 for the race and our target will definitely be points having missed out on them this weekend.

Toyota – Singapore Grand Prix Debrief – Q+A with Timo Glock

Congratulations on second place. How did it feel?
It was a fantastic result and in particular it was great for the whole team who have worked so hard all year. We have fought as hard as possible and the guys have given everything so I was really happy for them to get back on the podium.

Tell us about your start…
I was a bit disappointed actually because my target was to get past Fernando (Alonso) at the start and I didn’t quite manage. We knew for our strategy to work that we had to be in front of him. But then I saw he was fighting with Mark (Webber); they both ran wide and then at the next corner I saw a small gap and just went for it. I had to be careful not to hit Mark in front but I held it together and got ahead of Fernando. That was a crucial moment for our race because after that we could really make our strategy work and it got us on the podium.

How did the rest of the race go?
I was just concentrating really hard on maintaining my lap times and not making any mistakes. On a street circuit like this it is easy to make mistakes but I kept focused and stuck to our strategy. At the first pit stops it was clear a podium was a real possibility and the pit crew did a great job at my stops; we lost no time. The race was pretty tough because of the humidity but it went smoothly and it was a great feeling to cross the line in second place.

How tough was it to drive in such heat and humidity?
It’s really tough on a driver and that’s why you need to do so much fitness work throughout the season to make sure you are able to cope with situations like that. The humidity is more of a problem than the heat because it just feels like you are constantly sweating so you need to drink a lot of fluids and try to cool down whenever you get the chance otherwise you overheat. In the race it was just unbelievable; my gloves were completely wet! I think everyone could see when the drivers are getting out of their cars how draining it is to push to the limit in conditions like that. But when you are behind the wheel you don’t really think about it; you just focus on pushing as hard as possible.

How do you assess the updates to the TF109?
I was happy with the new package and I have to say thanks to everyone back in Cologne who worked so hard to get them on the car for this weekend. It’s really important, particularly nowadays in Formula 1, to be developing all the time and it’s nice we could bring some new parts for this race. As soon as we put them on the car for first practice they were working fine which was already a good sign considering it’s no longer possible to test new parts on the track before a race weekend. I think we got some extra performance from the new package and now I am interested to see how it will work for Suzuka.

How was qualifying?
I have to say in a way it was a bit strange because in Q1 I was only 15th even though the car felt pretty good; the lap time just wasn’t there. But in Q2 when I had another set of new options I was immediately a second faster and the car felt really good. I was fifth fastest in that session so you can see the difference! I don’t know why that happened but obviously it gave me confidence for Q3 to be already in the top six. In the end Q3 was frustrating because I didn’t get the chance to do a final lap on new options after the red flag in the final minute. My previous lap was on used options so they were past their best and I know I had more potential in terms of lap time. Still, it was great to be back in the top 10 and also starting in the top six.

How did the track evolve during the weekend?
At the start of the weekend, in first practice in particular, it was incredibly dusty. There was very little grip and that caused problems in terms of traction. You expect this at a street circuit so it was no surprise and, as expected, it improved a lot as more rubber went on the racing line. Already in second practice it was much better and this trend continued all through the weekend, even if it was still very dusty off line.

Did you cope well with the unusual timetable?
It was absolutely fine for me. The whole team stayed on European time and the only time this was a little tricky was when I first arrived. After a long flight you are tired anyway so it’s not easy to stay awake all through the day and late into the night on your first day but you have to do your best otherwise you don’t adjust. After that it was fine; my whole schedule is focused on what happens on the track so even though it seems a bit strange, you get used to it.

FIA – Singapore GP Press Conference – Sunday

POST-RACE PRESS CONFERENCE – September 27, 2009

1. Lewis HAMILTON (McLaren Mercedes), 1h56m06.337s
2. Timo GLOCK (Toyota), 1h56m15.971s
3. Fernando ALONSO (Renault), 1h56m22.961s

TV UNILATERALS

Q: Lewis, winning from pole. What an evening for you.
Lewis HAMILTON: It was a very, very tough race. I think I can speak for all of us. The conditions made it very tough, but generally the race was pretty straightforward for me. I got a good start and I just managed to bridge a big enough gap. I knew I was longer than the guys behind me, so I was never really under serious pressure. When (Sebastian) Vettel was behind me I knew that I was five laps longer than him, so all I had to do was keep him behind. I was looking after the tyres. I felt myself that I nicely controlled the race and have to say a big thank to all my team for as always doing a fantastic job and to my family for supporting me. I want to say hi to my brother and everyone back home. It was a great weekend.

Q: We heard on the radio early on that perhaps you had a bit of trouble with the KERS unit. Talk about that and that early phase of the race and Nico Rosberg putting a bit of pressure on you in that early phase.
LH: Yeah, well I don’t know what lap it was. I had no problems in the car with the KERS but the team came across the radio and said there was possibly a fault. It was still working at that point and I had to disable it and re-engage it and it worked after that. There were quite a few switch changes. I did have a little bit of pressure from Nico and the cars behind at the beginning. They just seemed to be very quick through the first sector but I was just looking after my tyres and I think it paid dividends in the end.

Q: As you said, a very demanding circuit. Did it feel like a long, physically exhausting race and talk about racing at night.
LH: It is a tough race. It is not easy, that’s for sure. It is just the temperatures. But also it is corner after corner after corner. There is never a real break and it is very bumpy. The focus you probably need here is as much as you can possibly get. But the track is fantastic. The fans here are amazing. There was a huge crowd here and they put on a great show here in Singapore again. I came here hoping to have a good result, hoping to kind of redeem myself after the last race and we did it and we are very, very happy.

Q: Timo, a great result for the team. The best result of the year so far. This time you could do it from the right end of the grid after a very strong qualifying performance.
Timo GLOCK: It was a really good race for me. The start was a bit of a mess up in the first corner. I had to attack quite a lot but then I had a good first stint. But I knew I could not go the pace of the first two or three guys, so I just settled down for me and concentrated on it and saw what I can do with my car, keep it on 100 per cent. Before I came to Singapore I knew that last year we were good here. The driver can make a difference here and I just pushed as hard as possible. I had a lot of ups and downs over the weekend. Friday’s first free practice I said ‘ok, we are not looking really strong’ and then suddenly we just picked up and really concentrated with my car crew and did everything right. In qualifying again I thought we would get easily into Q3 and then struggled in Q1, but suddenly we just got better and better in qualifying. A bit of a shame to not use the last set of tyres. But during the race it was really good. I lost a bit with the view where the other guys were, so after that I changed to the option tyres and I pushed quite a lot. My team did not say where I am and then suddenly they said you are safe for P2 and I was really surprised and just brought it home at the weekend.

Q: On that first lap Mark Webber ran wide, there was a bit of an incident with Fernando, but you managed to get inside him. Talk us through that and you should know that Mark was surprised that he had to let you pass again.
TG: Definitely. I saw that they were battling quite a lot and the chance could be there if they did a mistake. I just took it and I knew from the free practice than Fernando and Renault struggle a bit over the race distance and we were quite okay. I just saw that I have to get in front of him to make the strategy work. That worked out really well and at the end with the safety car coming out I just crossed the safety car line in front of Fernando and that was important. Just a perfect weekend and a podium at the right moment for us.

Q: Fernando, what a fantastic result for Renault after all that has happened in the build-up to this race. That first lap for you was an interesting one, for you with Mark. But let’s get your take on Timo coming down inside you. Was that related to the previous corner?
Fernando ALONSO: Yeah, it was fantastic obviously and the result is great for us to be in the first podium of the season. The first lap was a little bit stressful arriving to turn seven side-by-side with Mark. We both ran wide and over the kerb and then Timo took the benefit there and overtook me into turn eight. Because of the battle with Webber I think I lost the position with Timo and I think we finished the race behind him, but no real complaints. To be fair it is fantastic for us. We did not have the pace all weekend to be on the podium and we have the podium, so much better than we expected.

Q: There was a lot of mechanical attrition but for Renault another aspect of this great weekend.
FA: The team have been fantastic. All season I think we have had a fantastic team. The mechanics, engineers, everybody in the factory, did their maximum. Sometimes we did get some good results, sometimes we have been a little bit unlucky. But finally this podium in this particular moment after what happened from Monza to here with the team. It has been a difficult time for the team. Now we put that behind us and we concentrate on the remaining races. I dedicate this podium to Flavio (Briatore) at home as he is part of the success we had today.

Q: Lewis, going to Suzuka now for the Japanese Grand Prix which a lot of the drivers say is their favourite circuit. You have never raced there but you do so with the team within three points of Ferrari for third place in the Constructors’ Championship. It is a weekend no doubt that you are very much looking forward to.
LH: Yeah, I am sure Martin (Whitmarsh) and the rest of the team will be happy to hear that. I am not sure where Heikki (Kovalainen) came but clearly he did a good job today, possibly. I have never been to Suzuka but I have heard that it is, apart from Monaco, the best circuit. Just growing up watching television with Ayrton (Senna) and Alain (Prost) and Fernando and Kimi (Räikkönen) racing there. I always wanted to go there. I am very excited to go. I am sure it will be a very tough weekend and undoubtedly it will be very tough to learn that circuit and master it in one weekend but I will do all I can. Going with the momentum we have from this race hopefully we will have a competitive car there.

PRESS CONFERENCE

Q: Lewis, you said you wanted to win this but what a weekend it has been for you.
LH: It has been an incredible weekend in terms of the whole show, the build-up. It has been the busiest weekend probably of my life. I have had more appearances this week than I can remember. Obviously not a perfect Friday but Saturday was great. I have my Dad and my step-mum, Linda, here. I have my girlfriend here and I have got a friend of mine here. I got to meet Beyonce here, so it has been overall an incredible weekend. A great experience. I am very, very happy and I look forward to the celebration tonight.

Q: You never had a huge gap. Was that because you were managing tyres?
LH: Yeah, through our practice sessions our tyres never really lasted very long. I had to try and do all I could to look after them today. I also knew that the strategy I was on was very strong and I didn’t particularly need a huge gap to the people behind me. I kept a two-to-three second gap over Nico and it was good enough. Then with Vettel he was very competitive but he was again five laps shorter than me, so it had to be accepted that he was going to be on my tail, but it was never really a problem, so I just kept cruising and at the end there was a decent gap to Timo. He was putting in some good times but I was able to answer back, so I was able to keep the gap. I was very happy with it.

Q: There were quite a few drivers with brake problems here. How much attention did you pay to the brakes?
LH: I try to treat my car as good as I can. We don’t have any problems with the brakes. It has never been a problem for us, so fortunately we did a great job with the cooling and everything, so it was never an issue here.

Q: Timo, what made the difference in qualifying, because that’s been important in the races we’ve had so far?
TG: I think that for the first time since, I would say, Australia, Malaysia, Bahrain, I could just set the car up more for my driving. The car has slightly changed a bit over the year, it’s a bit more aggressive and it didn’t suit my driving style a lot for one lap, especially in qualifying. I knew from last year that you can make a difference here as a driver and you can just fight a bit more with the car. We could set the car up much, much better and we did a really good job over the weekend, we just never lost the way. We struggled in first free practice and just made our way up and just went better and better. In Q2 I just got in a really good lap and got through to Q3 and the top ten. When you see the last races when we’ve had to start out of the top ten and we made it into the top ten, I was really looking forward to the race. I just knew that we couldn’t go at the same pace as the top two or three guys, so I just said ‘OK, just find your own way, just push as hard as possible with what you have and just get the best out of it’, and at the end, we pushed at the right moment, we got into P2. The first lap was really important, when I overtook Fernando as well as under the safety car when he came out of the pits and I just stayed in front of him. That was really important for our strategy and at the end, I lost where I was really and then suddenly my engineer said ‘you are safe in P2’ and that was really surprising. I was happy with that. I think it’s been a perfect weekend for me and for the team, really important for us, a really important podium at just the right moment for us.

Q: What is the significance of this podium; why is it just at the right moment?
TG: We had goals from the beginning of the year. We started really well and got two or three podiums into the season and just had the pace at the beginning and then we had a couple of difficult weekends where we struggled and the team came down a bit. We pushed as hard as possible and then recovered over the weekend quite quickly, because we knew we had the chance to be in the top five. When you start a season as we did this year and you fall down and you fight back again, it’s just really important for the team and for us.

Q: And what are your thoughts about next weekend in Japan?
TG: It’s good to go to Japan with a podium and P2. I don’t know how our car will be in Suzuka but I think the high speed corners suit our car, so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully we can be on the podium again in Suzuka. That would be great.

Q: Fernando, I’m sure it’s also important timing for you and your team.
FA: Yeah, no doubt. It was a very important podium for Renault and they deserve this podium after all the difficulties the team had over the last two weeks, plus they have had some unlucky moments in some races when we’ve lost the possibility of podiums. I think this weekend everything came to us and we took the benefit of some circumstances like yesterday in qualifying when I think the lap was good and fifth position was better than expected. Today, running fifth, with the two penalties for Rosberg and Vettel we recovered these two positions. We made no mistakes, we kept the concentration to one hundred per cent all through the race and we knew that we were not super fast here in Singapore this weekend but if we didn’t make any mistakes we could be on the podium and we did it.

Q: All three of you were in the top four last year here; how important is it to have that experience here?
FA: It’s very important. I think it’s one of those circuits which you either like or don’t like. There’s no halfway. The people who don’t like it never find the right way, they lack confidence in some corners, it’s difficult to attack in qualifying and we know how important qualifying is on a street circuit where it’s difficult to overtake. I didn’t know that all of us were in the top four last year but I’m happy to repeat those positions.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Fernando, the hard times that you’ve had these last few weeks, did they give you extra motivation for this race and this weekend?
FA: Not really. I think we arrive very motivated to every race, so it was no different this time. Obviously now that we have this podium, I would like to dedicate it to Flavio, who watched the race at home, for sure. Part of the success this season is due to him, to the great job that the team did. I think the whole team deserved this podium because it has a been difficult for everybody, for the mechanics, the engineers, stressful weeks for them and now everything is clear, everything is behind us and we look forward with this initial podium.

Q: (Sudhir Chandran – Chequered Flag) Lewis, when my mother was in hospital some years ago, I spoke to the doctor and he said that you get just three chances to revive. This is 61 laps here, demanding clinical precision and you still come out strong, so whom do you give the credit to: your father for keeping a stoic face but then smiling at the end of it? To Nicole (Scherzinger) for being very subdued this year but smiling big time at the end? Or to the team for sweating it out and saying ‘hey man, we did this?’
LH: I always think it’s a job done by a lot of people. We wouldn’t have had the pace here if it wasn’t for the guys back at the factory who don’t always get the acknowledgement but they’re always there for me. But they are the guys that are working non-stop, really trying to get these components out, making sure that we compete for wins. But for me, the one person for me is God. He’s the one who has given me the opportunity to be here, he’s the one that keeps me healthy, has blessed me with a great family and great people around me. I think that answers it.
Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, is third place in the Constructors’ Championship your goal at the moment?
LH: Definitely, definitely. I think the team would be very happy with that. It doesn’t really have too much importance exactly where I finish in the championship. If you’re not first, then it doesn’t matter where you are really. First is where you want to be, but for the team, after the hard work they’ve put in, they’ve had a couple of tough years but they’ve done a great job this year and they deserve to first make a step forward and hopefully at least get third, that would be great for them.

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Fernando, how do you rate this third place? Is it the maximum opportunity that you took? Or do you think you can get on the podium again before the end of the year?
FA: Obviously you never know, but I think here was the best chance for us to get a podium. Knowing that there are some very demanding circuits to come in terms of aerodynamics like Suzuka and we would not have improvements on the car and there are some other teams that keep producing new pieces, so we know that every race is going to be more and more difficult for us. So I think we were quite confident here in Singapore and we take this podium back home to all the guys back at the factory and from now on we will obviously try, starting from Suzuka next weekend but I think it will be more difficult, for sure, than it has been here.

Q: (Michael Schmidt – Auto Motor und Sport) Lewis, according to people who listen to television, you had some conversation with your team in the early stages of the race about KERS. Did you have to switch it off?
LH: No, no. It was working the whole time, as far as I was concerned, but they came across on the radio saying that there was possibly a problem with it, but I wasn’t seeing that. I just had to make some switch changes. I believe I had to disengage it and re-engage it or something like that, restart it, reboot it. Like I don’t have enough things to think about in the car, pressing all these buttons, but it was good fun!

Q: (Paolo Ianieri – La Gazzetta dello Sport) Lewis, looking at the championship today, Jenson (Button) got the most out of it, even if he started in the worst position. Do you think that at this point it’s almost finished for him? I mean, he has 17 points over Rubens with three races to go.
LH: I don’t know where he finished today, but if he’s done a good job, that’s good for him and his team. But let’s not forget, I was leading by 17 points with two races to go and I lost it. It’s very, very, very tough, right up until the last moment, so I just suggest that they all keep pushing and we will see over the next few races but he’s done a fantastic job up until now, so I wish him all the best.

Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Fernando, given that you seem to be the key to the drivers’ market for 2010, does this podium help you make the decision as to which team you might drive for next year, including it could possibly be Ferrari?
FA: No, this podium doesn’t change anything. I took the decision already, so soon we will know.
Q: (Don Kennedy – Hawke’s Bay Today) Are you going to tell us?
FA: If you pay a good amount.
LH: I’ll give you a tenner, ten euros.
FA: Not enough. At least twenty!

Q: (Frederic Ferret – L’Equipe) Timo, you said you now have the car you had at the beginning of the season. Do you think you could win a race before the end of the year?
TG: It’s difficult to say. Singapore is a completely different race track. As I said, a driver can make a difference here. I think that as the teams are really, really close together, it becomes more and more difficult for us to win a race, but I would say that I will fight as long as possible and I will never give up. There will be a time when we have the chance to win a race and it will come and if we work as we have this weekend and really concentrate with little steps, little improvements on the car, then I think something is possible. When conditions are changing, maybe a wet race or whatever, there is another chance again, but at the moment I think we have to be realistic. The top two teams are still a step ahead of us, so it will be difficult.

Hands Up Who’s First

Lewis Hamilton takes a dominant victory at Singapore today. The McLaren scampered away with the lead from the very start and even a safety car period – brought about by a collision between Sutil and Heidfeld – couldn’t halt his progress. He was joined on the podium by Glock and Alonso.

Credit: www.mclaren.com

27-Sep-09: Lewis Hamilton Wins Singapore Grand Prix

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Welcome to F1 Minute, it’s September 26th.

Lewis Hamilton took his pole position and turned it into a victory today, winning the Singapore Grand Prix in style. His nearest rival for the race was Vettel who had all kinds of problems, including his wing mirror falling off, debris flying everywhere after hitting the kerbs, and getting a drive through penalty for speeding in the pitlane. Elsewhere, Rosberg also faced a drive through for completely missing the white line upon exiting the pits. whilst Sutil and Heidfeld came together causing a safety car. This incident forced the BMW to retire which ends Heidfeld’s record of consecutive finishes.

Glock and Alonso kept their wits about them to join Hamilton on the podium, with the Spaniard dedicating his position to Flavio Briatore. Meanwhile, teammate Grosjean retired on the third lap, whilst other retirees included both Toro Rossos and Mark Webber, who spun off into the barriers.

Finally, Button finished ahead of Barrichello, extending his championship lead.

That’s all for today, I’ll be back tomorrow with another F1 Minute.

Williams – Singapore Grand Prix – Race

Having secured P3 on the starting grid and wrestling another position off the start line at the beginning of the race, Nico Rosberg was well set for a repeat of his second place finish at last year’s Singapore Grand Prix when a transgression relegated him to the rear of the field. Jumping the kerb at the pitlane exit, he was unable to recover the car into the pitlane before the white line that drivers must observe before rejoining the race. That unfortunately earned him a mandatory drive-through penalty, which coincided with a safety car period. This sequence of events consigned him to an unrecoverable position towards the rear of the field. Despite the disappointment, Nico’s pace in Q2 as well as in the race itself was encouragement for the team to take forward to next weekend’s race in Japan.

Kazuki Nakajima:
It was a difficult race and I think I did the best job I could, but it was disappointing not to be able to claim any points. There seemed to be a possibility in the last stint as the car in front of me was struggling with its tyres but as much as focus on the car ahead, I also had to defend from behind, so it was tough to find the balance. The car has been good here and hopefully we can carry this with us to Japan.

Nico Rosberg:
Today’s outcome was hugely disappointing. I made an unnecessary mistake by braking too late and running over the white line on the pitlane exit. Then the safety car came out at the worst possible moment. It left me with a really horrible feeling, also for the team, knowing that I wouldn’t be second when I have served my drive-through penalty and I would have to spend the rest of the race at the back. The team gave me such a good car this weekend having put more effort into development than anyone else, and I am now determined to use this to best advantage in Japan.

Sam Michael, Technical Director:
Nico had a really good start and showed strong pace all the way to the first pit stop. He had a good strategy for the remainder of the race which was going to put him solidly into P2, but unfortunately he had a problem at the end of the pitlane which cost him a drive-through penalty. It was a real shame because he had done everything right in practice, qualifying and the race, and then had a small mistake that was very costly. We then called him in early for his second stop to vary the strategy in case of another safety car. Kazuki had an uneventful race, but the car pace here has been good all weekend, our upgrades are delivering and we have some more to add to the car for the races ahead.

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