After the end of the European leg, the Formula One circus are back to Asia for 5 out of the last seven races in 2013. After Sebastian Vettel's dominant victory in Monza, he extends his lead in the Championship by 53 points over Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso. The German is almost certain to claim his 4th title this year unless something major happens. Vettel will begin his final charge at this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Track Check:
The Marina Bay Street circuit consists of 23 Turns and runs for 5.065 km around the Marina Bay area of Singapore. The best part about the race is that it is run at night and starts at 8 PM local time. The lights reflecting off the drivers helmets and cars is a delight to watch.
One major change in the track will be at Turn 10. The Singapore Sling or the quick left-right apex, which is known to throw drivers off line, will be replaced by a single left hand turn. This in turn increases the speed through the corner which is around 1 second faster than last year.
Instead of one DRS zone that we saw last year, there will be two this year. The first one will be from Turn 5 through the quick right hander at Turn 6 up till Turn 7. The second shorter DRS zone will be on the main straight between Turns 23 and 1, which will bring drivers closer to each other rather than making passes.
The track has also been relaid in many sections including the pitlane. This will make those sections green and slippery at the beginning of the weekend.
Mercedes and Lotus look to regain momentum
Mercedes will be looking to regain their lost form. After disappointing at the low downforce Monza circuit, the team are optimistic about the race this weekend. Their Executive Director Toto Wolff said: "We are all focused on regaining some of the momentum we lost at the past two races. We expect the return to maximum downforce configuration to suit our car and we may see another shift in the competitive order between the teams.”
Their driver Raikkonen is hopeful of a podium at Singapore with their car better suited to the tight and twisty Marina Bay Circuit. After two non scoring races, Raikkonen said: "After these two weekends with zero points it’s nice to get back to a circuit we expect to be more suited to our car. We seem to go better at high downforce circuits that’s for sure. Obviously, the podium is a target again. We’ve had two races without scoring any points so we need to score as many as we can in the remaining races this season,”
Track Check:
The Marina Bay Street circuit consists of 23 Turns and runs for 5.065 km around the Marina Bay area of Singapore. The best part about the race is that it is run at night and starts at 8 PM local time. The lights reflecting off the drivers helmets and cars is a delight to watch.
One major change in the track will be at Turn 10. The Singapore Sling or the quick left-right apex, which is known to throw drivers off line, will be replaced by a single left hand turn. This in turn increases the speed through the corner which is around 1 second faster than last year.Instead of one DRS zone that we saw last year, there will be two this year. The first one will be from Turn 5 through the quick right hander at Turn 6 up till Turn 7. The second shorter DRS zone will be on the main straight between Turns 23 and 1, which will bring drivers closer to each other rather than making passes.
The track has also been relaid in many sections including the pitlane. This will make those sections green and slippery at the beginning of the weekend.
Mercedes and Lotus look to regain momentum
Mercedes will be looking to regain their lost form. After disappointing at the low downforce Monza circuit, the team are optimistic about the race this weekend. Their Executive Director Toto Wolff said: "We are all focused on regaining some of the momentum we lost at the past two races. We expect the return to maximum downforce configuration to suit our car and we may see another shift in the competitive order between the teams.”
“We will bring new developments to the car once again for this race and we are all focused on maximising the opportunities for both Lewis and Nico, in order to re-establish ourselves in second position in the constructors’ standings.” he added.
Their driver Lewis Hamilton, who is in 3rd place in the Championship, will be looking to go back to his pole setting ways after qualifying down in 12th at Monza. He said: "We’ve had a tough couple of weekends in Belgium and Italy but I know that everyone at the team is determined to bounce back and make the most of the opportunities over the last seven races of the season.”
After the race in Monza, Mercedes lost out to Ferrari for 2nd place in the Championship. They trail Ferrari by 3 points.
Meanwhile, Lotus too haven't had a good month. After scoring only 8 points in the last two races, they have lost their star driver Kimi Raikkonen to Ferrari, along with Aerodynamicist Dirk De Beer. They will look to give Kimi a good send off by giving him a car he win races with rather than just finishing the race.
Their driver Raikkonen is hopeful of a podium at Singapore with their car better suited to the tight and twisty Marina Bay Circuit. After two non scoring races, Raikkonen said: "After these two weekends with zero points it’s nice to get back to a circuit we expect to be more suited to our car. We seem to go better at high downforce circuits that’s for sure. Obviously, the podium is a target again. We’ve had two races without scoring any points so we need to score as many as we can in the remaining races this season,”
Just three drivers have won over 5 years in Singapore. Vettel will look to win in Singapore for the third time in succession, while Alonso too will be looking for his third victory at the circuit. Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton has won the race once.
Singapore will give a clearer picture about the Championship and will tell us if either Alonso or Lewis can go ahead and challenge Vettel or will the German cruise to yet another Championship.
The Weather looks like it will stay dry even though there are predictions for rain during the day. Sunday's race will start at 8 PM local time and will run for 61 laps. We can expect fireworks both on and off the track. We are in for a treat this weekend!
