Red Bull’s pace key to championship outcome (Singapore Grand Prix preview)

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Any one of five different drivers could be leading the championship after this weekend’s race in Singapore.

But while none of them can win the title this weekend a poor result could fatally compromise their chances with opportunities to score points running out.

The high-downforce track should reveal which of the top three teams is in the strongest position heading into the championship end game.

The key question this weekend is how much of an effect the revised floor tests introduced at Monza have on the performance of the Red Bulls.

At the last high-downforce track, the Hungaroring, the RB6s were 1.2 seconds per lap faster than anything else in qualifying.

On paper, Singapore was made for the RB6 with lots of slow corners and little in the way of straights. If they still have a significant performance advantage it will not only serve them well here, but at several other forthcoming tracks.

If it turns out that Red Bull’s wings have been clipped, it will be good news for Ferrari. They have the momentum at present.

Fernando Alonso has scored more points than any other driver in the last four races (although, had it not been for their change of positions at Hockenheim, Felipe Massa would be doing even better).

Singapore should also be a good track for the F10, which ran well in high-downforce trim at Monaco. Brakes take a pounding around the 5.073km street track and that is another of their car’s strengths.

Alonso, third in the championship, has always gone well here. No-one needs reminding about the circumstances behind his 2008 win but the fact remains he was very quick that weekend.

The same was true in 2009 when he dragged the uncompetitive R29 to a podium finish, setting the circuit’s lap record on the way.

McLaren, meanwhile, must expect Singapore won’t be an ideal circuit for their MP4-25: too many slow corners, too few long straights and too many bumps. Although the re-surfacing of the track since the last race may help with the latter problem.

Robert Kubica has played down Renault’s chances this weekend. But after their excellent result in Monaco, and knowing Kubica’s affinity with street circuits, expect him to have a good weekend.

This is the third F1 race under floodlights on the streets of Singapore. While few people seem to have anything positive to say about 2008’s other addition to the calendar, Valencia, Singapore has marked itself out as a distinctive and popular Grand Prix.

None of the fears about night racing raised before that first event have been realised so far. But it remains to be seen how good visibility under lights would be if it rained heavily.

If it does rain, or if the safety car is deployed, it could push the race duration up to the two-hour maximum time limit. Last year’s race with one safety car interruption took an hour and 56 minutes, and with refuelling banned the race pace will probably be slower this year.

Nick Heidfeld returns to race action this week and there’ll be a new name in practice as Jerome d’Ambrosio appears for Virgin. Fairuz Fauzy will also be driving in the first practice session for Lotus but Paul di Resta will skip this one for Force India.

Drivers to watch

Four driver to keep an eye on this weekend. Name your top picks in the comments.

Lewis Hamilton – Monza was a serious blow to his championship hopes leaving him with a lot of work to do on circuits where the MP4-25 won’t be at its strongest. But he’s gone well here in the past, third in 2008 and winning last year.

Robert Kubica – Was spectacular to watch around the streets of Monaco. A good outside bet for a podium, possibly even a win.

Nico Rosberg – Another driver who’s gone well here in the past: second in 2008 and on course for a great result last year until he fluffed his pit lane exit.

Nick Heidfeld – How will he fare on his return for Sauber alongside Kamui Kobayashi?

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    Keith Collantine
    Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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    102 comments on “Red Bull’s pace key to championship outcome (Singapore Grand Prix preview)”

    1. This is the big one for me, the picture will becomes much clearer after this, although after anything is possible but not so probable.

      1. I dunno, I just have a feeling that this season is going to keep us guessing right down to the wire, the only driver in danger of falling out of contention is Vettel which means he will probably win in Singapore.

        1. He is so close to Alonso and Button, that it doesn’t mean much.

        2. The driver most likely to fall out of contention is Button, not Vettel.

          The 3 times Button has finished ahead of Hamilton when both finished the race are Australia, China and Monza, and in all 3, Lewis made strategic mistakes which Jenson didn’t.
          Whether rain or not, Lewis can simply copy his team-mate’s every move in the remaining races and finish the race and championship ahead of him.

          I think the race is more important for Alonso, Vettel and Button than Lewis and Mark because they are still 20 points behind Webber and if they fail to finish the race, it will take a near miracle for them to win the WDC overtaking 4 other drivers in 4 races for the WDC

          1. I think if either Webber or Hamilton win, then their respective teammate (and Alonso) will almost have to concede defeat and play second fiddle for the rest of the year as otherwise they’d need to win, in all probability, at least 3 of the last four races to even have a chance of overturning the deficit; a tall task indeed.

          2. Ahh but the difference is that Button doesn’t make mistakes (or does so extremely rarely) on race day, where as Vettel has made any number.

            The driver who makes the fewest mistakes is always going to be in a good position and this season that has been Jenson, which is why I think its foolish to write him off.

            1. I wouldn’t count engine failure, brake failure, brake failure, broken chassis, broken gearbox, being punctured by Hamilton’s front wing as mistakes though. Right?

            2. No but I would count turning into the side of your team mate when he is along side you on a straight, rapid changed of direction when trying to brake on the tail of the car in front and all of the other botched overtaking moves Vettel has attempted this season.

            3. you mean trying to make space in a normal fashion while the other guy drives like a kamikaze and trying to block from behind? I just don’t get how you block from behind without excepting an accident.. Just doesn’t work that way. But yeah, Button on spa was a misstake, yes.

        3. Well there are 5 rounds left, so that’s 125 points. At the moment everyone down to Rosberg in 7th and Kubica in 8th is mathematically in contention. Rosberg has 114 points and Kubica has 108 points to Webber’s 187.

          After this round there will be 100 points available. If Webber scores a win here and Kubica and Rosberg get nothing then Webber will be on 212, more than 100 points ahead of Kubica and less than 100 points ahead of Rosberg.

          In other words Kubica is THE ONLY driver who can fall out of contention this weekend.

      2. It is looking very likely to rain and if it does we wont learn anything about relative performance.

        1. Andy W, I don’t think his move on Button at Spa was intentional, that is turning bit of it. He clearly lost control of the car. His move on Webber though was totally his fault.

    2. prediction is heavy rain for this weekend……in f1.com…i hope a 6th different winner in singapore gp…..and sure some clue about will be the WC…

      1. sorry by mistake…..clue about who will be the wc

    3. I was just looking at the photo that accompanies the headline and I remembered how dusty it was last year. Considering the track has just been resurfaced in some areas, I am thinking it could be even dustier this year. If it rains, we will not only be set for the first ever wet night race, but we could be set for the first F1 race held on a mud track!

      1. I suppose those thunderstorms in the past days have wiped most of the dirt off the reserfaced track by now.

        But a bit of wet running would be nice to see in Singapore this year.

        1. I agree, even if it was in practice or something. I want to see if they allow sessions to be completed in wet conditions and how the visibility is.

          1. But I just read that there will be a track cleaning machine in Singapore. So no mud… :)

            1. I’ll bet they just got one of the regular road sweeping machines to divert onto the track!

            2. Did that not have one last year? the start was quite incredible, made the dirty side of the track a living nightmare. Literally everyone lost a place.

              Still a wet race is what i’m praying for both as a fan and as Mclarener. Problem is as a street circuit the race would have to be stopped if aquaplanning started, you couldn’t have a race were cars where just crashing because of the constant SC’s. An it’s a damn good track for the SC even in the dry.

            3. Bernie and Todt turn into the track having stolen the road cleaning vehicle and are overheard speaking…..

              Bernie “Be quite Jean, no one will notice, Just keep driving! We will just give her a good scrub an…….. Dam…..”
              Todt “What?”
              Bernie “We have to move over!”
              Todt “But why?”
              Bernie “Because Alonso is faster than you”.

              I couldn’t resist….. :D

    4. MATEUSZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
      22nd September 2010, 9:46

      That’s right Keith! take a look at Robert on Singapore race guys. I think he can win!
      But it’s one more thing… Monsun time! So lottery can be as well

    5. I saw we will also have some one off sponsorship deals for this race (7-eleven repeats their deal from last year with Red Bull and Virgin will have Antler – a suitcase marque).

      And we will probably have Lotus announce their package for next year (team name, major sponsors, and possibly driver confirmation as well).

      Let’s just hope it won’t be “Air Asia Renault F1” :-O

    6. As I type this, it’s raining in dark gloomy Singapore at 5pm local time. I’m predicting the race to begin on a damp but drying track

      1. I really was hoping the rain would keep away until the weekend :/ Today’s weather would have been perfect for raceday. Actually, maybe not, since perfect raceday weather would be for it to be good until about when the race starts, but what are the odds of that?

        I’m not getting my hopes up for there to be rain at the right moments, but I sure hope so!

    7. Red Bull remains a very good car though I dont want it to be.
      Ferrari has contrasting performance difference in Monaco and hungary. It was very fast in Monaco but could not challange Red BUll in Hungary.
      It remains to be seen how much ground did Red Bull lose if any. Williams could be very strong this weekend.

    8. Not that the bbc weather is always acurate but looking at this

      http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/forecast/5015

      It look like at least one session is going to be wet – if i remember we have never had a wet session under the lights?

      1. if i remember we have never had a wet session under the lights?

        No – I did say in the article!

        1. Whoops – sorry keith!

      2. I stopped using the BBC weather links they are so bad you might as well flip a coin or hang some sea-weed from a fence. :-)

      3. You guys should use the Meteo France website, it has a tendency to be the most accurate, it also the radar the FIA uses I believe.

        But you’ll need to learn French to search the site I’m afraid.

        http://www.meteo.fr
        go to the bottom and under “monde” click on “Climat”, type in “Singapour”, French 101 with Sush Le Meerkat!

        http://monde.meteofrance.com/monde/previsions?MONDE_PORTLET.path=previsionsvilleMonde/48698

        1. Fri through Sun heavy Rain?

          AWESOME!

          A rainy Singapore would rock my socks, no other way of putting that.

    9. It’ll be interesting to see how young Koby compares against Never Say Die Nick. No disrespect to De La Rosa, but he was hardly the best of racers and now that he’s gone we’ll get a comparison against a known quantity.

    10. Fun Facts

      Ferrari has yet to score a single championship point in the previous two Singapore GPs

      Alonso and Hamilton have each finished in 1st and 3rd positions in the previous two Singapore GPs

      With the refuelling ban, this spells the end of pit-lane refuelling mistakes for Ferrari (2008), Red Bull (2008) and Torro Rosso (2009)

      The last time Alonso had a Brazilian as his teammate on this track, he won the race. ;)

      1. Red Bull hadn’t scored at the first two Valencia races, and they won this year – so maybe it is an omen for Ferrari…

        There are also some very contrasting memories for their drivers at this track, so it will be interesting to see how they go.

      2. Alonso and Hamilton have each finished in 1st and 3rd positions in the previous two Singapore GPs

        With a Toyota engined car finishing 2nd.

    11. Ooooh, it’s getting exciting. Can’t wait till the weekend.

    12. Reading about all Ferraris updates it could be a Ferrari race. 1 – 2 anyone?

      Although Ferrari have tended to be a bit ‘Hero to Zero’ this season.

      1. Nah, read about Ferrari and McLaren updates ya think ooh, well. Both apparently have them.

        Read about Redbull updates this season and you think half a second, at least. RB have updates too.

    13. Very excited for this race!

      Ideally, in terms of the Championship, the result should be thus:
      1) Button
      2) Vettel
      3) Alonso
      4) Hamilton
      5) Webber

      That would tighten up the championship nicely :)

      1. The best result in terms of tightening the championship would be a Vettel, Button, Alonso podium in that order, with Webber and Hamilton retiring or out of the points. That would put the top 5 all within 7 points of one another, looking like this:

        1) Vettel – 188
        2) Webber – 187
        3) Button – 183
        4) Hamilton – 182
        5) Alonso – 181

        Not likely that it’ll unfold that way, but stranger things have happened. Based on looking at that, it looks like Hamilton and Webber could both still afford a non-scoring finish at this point, but none of the other three could.

        1. I think what you’ve said but Button Hamilton and Alonso comming 567 or 678 etc would make it close.

    14. To be honest I just want my driver to win and take a firm 1st place. It’s a bit too tense for me watching top 5 swap places every GP.

      1. I agree as a fan of my team and disagree as a fan of the sport.

        What team do you support?

      2. and who might that be Ivan ?

    15. I have my first child due next week.

      Please don’t come at the weekend baby, I really want to watch the GP! Do they have wireless at NHS hospitals? $:)

      1. Probably not. Some hospitals have pay TV for patients, but not in maternity units.

        My daughter was born just under a year ago. Her first GP was Brazil at just nine days old and she seemed to enjoy it. She certainly gets quite excited now.

      2. If it’s your wife/partner’s first then chances are that the baby will be late, and it will be a longish delivery. RSCH (Guildford) have TV’s/phone/web units in maternity, or you could take in a radio.

        I have my eldest sons 4th birthday party on Sunday so will watch it delayed.

        1. Thanks for the suggestions Tim & Gav.

          Good idea – Radio packed in the hospital bag… I think that’s the best I’m going to get away with! Perhaps the soothing tones of Karunepedia will be of use.

          1. Haha Karunepedia, like it!

            Good luck with the birth of your child John, hope it all goes smoothly.

            Nathan

        2. Yeh ! wimmen are so inconsiderate hey !

      3. Oy! Get your priorities straight!

        Ha ha… I remember my son’s birth, I don’t think that anything else happened during that day in June. ;)

        Congrats and I hope that you get to watch the race… if you don’t, I don’t think you’ll miss too much. You’ll have much more important things on your mind.

        Maybe you can name him or her after something that has to do with the race?

        I’ll leave the rest to Keith and a poll on what to name your baby.

        Oh yes… please ignore your wifes input… this is serious business!

        Cheers, Alex ;)

        1. Thanks Alex & Nathan.

          Name wise, I seem to remember young karting driver ‘Thanassi Barnicoat’ being polled during the Monza live chat as not just the greatest name in racing, but the greatest name of all time… perhaps there’s inspiration to be had there?!

          1. I think your best bet is a media blackout and the iplayer. S’what I tend to do whn I know imma miss a race.

            Congrats and good luck on your kid by the way.

      4. John your dedication to F1 is damn impressive! Hope the birth goes very well and smoothly. Any F1 related names planned?

      5. Good luck John! Hope it all goes smoothly for you.

      6. Good luck with the baby John H.

        In case you miss the race, you can always go to http://www.f1zone.net, sign up for free and then download the entire qualifying and race for free and watch it with leisure later. Just make sure you click as many google ads on the website.

        As for F1 baby names, don’t got for Michael, Fernando or Lewis, they have too many fans and anti-fans.
        Go for someone everyone likes like Robert, Adrian or Kamui. If it a girl, then Danica is the only slightly F1-related name I can think of.

        1. Thanks to you all for the kind words.

          I’m afraid I just cannot ever do the media blackout thing… I will have to know in real-time (speed of light ignored)!

          Liking the Kamui & Danica suggestions sumedh. I’ll run them pass mum tonight.

          Now I just need to start saving for that Kart :)

    16. I bet in a Hamilton dominant race under wet conditions.

    17. You just cant avoid Hockenheim in your comments can you Keith?!?!

      1. I would have been rather disingenuous of me to ignore it given the point I was making.

        1. It’s completely relevant to the discussion of most points. When I saw it too I thought “really?” but where you went made perfect sense.

          1. It’s actually damn interesting the swap Massa is highest scorer.

        2. Any talk of the drivers championship needs to make mention of Hockenheim. That’s why it’s called a team order “affecting the championship”.

    18. starsports is showing friday practice for the firattime i m happy

      1. But they won’t show the qualifying live, nice to see that they are at least caring for F1 practice.

    19. Should be a good race, looking forward to it.
      I Think that hamilton will get 4th or 3rd
      Also Alonzo should get a good result.

      I hope torro rosso do well.

      1. That’s not entirely correct spelling.

    20. I will like to ask you experts about the tires: super softs/medium for this race.

      If I am not wrong, the option tires was graining badly and most of the front runners used the primes during the start.

      Will such a combination mean more pit stops?

    21. How about Alonso & Hamilton on the podium AGAIN (They were first and third in 2008 and 2009)?

    22. I think its time to let go of Hockenheim now. Look at the points tally of the 2 Ferrari drivers in the 3 races since then, 3 races where there haven’t been any team orders whatsoever. Alonso = 43 (with 1 retirement) Massa = 39 (without any retirement).

      This stat alone clearly tells you that Fernando has indeed been leagues apart from his team-mate. I think this super-performance from Alonso over his team-mate vindicates Ferrari’s decision to swap drivers in Hockenheim.

      1. This stat alone clearly tells you that Fernando has indeed been leagues apart from his team-mate.

        It also tells you Alonso would be doing rather better if he didn’t keep making mistakes.

        Granted, he was unlucky with Barrichello in Spa – but he wouldn’t have been near him if he’d qualified better. Like Massa did. And he would have scored points if he’d kept the car on the road at the end of the race. Like Massa did.

        I’m not saying Ferrari should throw their championship effort behind Massa – Alonso has clearly been the quicker of the two. But just being quick isn’t enough to win the world championship. The same is true for Vettel.

        The odd thing is, avoiding mistakes like that used to be Alonso’s forte. He was damn near bulletproof in ’05 and ’06.

        1. The reason Alonso made so many mistakes this year becauseof being a Ferrari driver and moreover he wasted 2 years driving the trucks named R28 and R29 .
          He is driving a very good F10 and he wants to compensate for the missed opportunities in 2007,08 and 09 (he wud hav been in Mclaren for 08 and 09) and could have won.
          He had no pressure in 2005 coz he was not in contention for the champiioship before the start of the 2005 season. Its the same like Hamilton in 2007, he had no pressure and showed his full potential.
          Alonso made full use of the very good R25 and won. This year, he had to prove that him being chosen over Kimi by ferrari is not a wrong decision.
          He looked good in the last few races but he wasnt in his elements at the start of the season. He should win this year provided he doesnt feel pressurized. FINGERS CROSSED.

          PS: I am an Alonso fan.

        2. Alonso took a huge gamble on the Spa weekend by running a high-downforce package. None of the other top 5 drivers did that. Alonso went for an all-or-nothing result at Spa, and got nothing. It was a perfectly legitimate risk considering that Ferrari weren’t so strong that weekend, behind the top 4 and F-duct enabled Kubica.

          I agree about Alonso’s mistakes. Far too many this season. I think he made most mistakes when he was made to be an equal driver to his team-mate. The risk he took at Spa, he would not have taken had he been equal to Massa. He only took it knowing that even if Massa managed a handsome haul of points, he was still no.1

      2. If Alonso wins the title by less than those Seven points, it’ll make that move eternally relavant. It’ll cheapen the title as well as the race and further lower the integrity of the sport, you can have titles even if you blatantly break the rules.

        1. You have to let go of what happened Scribe, if he does win with less than 7 points, it means Ferrari were the smart ones and made the right desition at the right time.
          Massa has been out of contention fot the title for a while.

          1. With you on this Regis.

            Massa was 8th over 3 race wins behind the WDC leader then. It was too much to expect him to overtake 7 drivers in the standings in 7 races.

            Personally, I want Alonso to win this by LESS than 7 points, which means that it will vindicate their decision at Germnay. If he wins by more than 7 points, then, well, all Ferrari have gained out of that episode is bad publicity!!

            1. I can understand why a dedicated Ferrari fan might see it as a “vindication”.

              But I think more people would consider that while the McLaren and Red Bull drivers had to race against and beat their team mates, Alonso didn’t.

              It would be dreadful for F1 if, after the brilliant season we’ve had, we end up with a situation where the world champion is derided for having had an advantage not available to his competitors. Imagine videos on news programmes of “how Alonso won the world championship” followed by a footage of Massa pulling over. F1 needs to be better than that.

    23. I am surprised you didn’t include Vettel on the drivers-to-watch list. I think Vettel is THE driver to watch here, and in fact I think he will win here. He has to.

    24. I think it’s a good idea to include in the Predictions who’s gonna lead the Driver’s Championship after the race. Give it bonus points or something. What do you guys think?

    25. A strategic dare may win this race. Given the likely SC period(s), a driver that opts to pit way early for the hard tire may seal the win, given how hard it is to pass. So we will have to observe in practice if, like last race, the tires available make a mockery of the mandatory-change rule because the soft can run the whole race. Any team qualifying in rows 6 and below should probably send one driver into the pits on lap 1. This might be something Alonso may try if he is not on the first two rows. I have a feeling this race is going to be a total circus, even if it doesnt rain, and that none of these performance notes will really matter to the outcome, however astutely conceived.

    26. Kubica was fast in Monaco, but not so much in Hungary.

      1. I dont think Monaco, Valencia, Hungary and Singapore quite line up. Singapore has basically one area you might consider on-throttle, mid-speed: the final double-apex corner. Everything else is an acute angle corner or very very slow. Hungary is primarily mid speed bends, with a tiny straight, perfect for the car that maximizes aero downforce. Monaco has some areas where on-throttle downforce really matter, such as at the top the hill and from the chicane to Rascasse, but not nearly like Hungary. So I don’t think Singapore should really read for those Hungary and Monaco. Valencia is more similar, though it is much less sharply cut than Singapore, and the top cars were more equal there than the other places. And I expect things to be close among the top 3 teams again.

    27. Webber needs a slip up to make the WDC fight more interesting. I hope Alonso, Kubica and Vettel finish on the podium. That would definitely spice the last 4 races up.

      I think after this race Jenson becomes the number 2 driver at Mclaren. He had a good run for the WDC, but its hard to take a tortoise seriously.

      1. Button can’t be ruled out so easily. No matter how wise he is, a “tortoise” wouldn’t still be 17 points off Lewis Hamilton or 22 off the championship lead.

        1. I think hes had a good run. No matter how wise and strategically competent he is, at the end of the day, you have to be able to push 110% and maximise on the car’s pace. Lewis, Fernando and the RB drivers are capable of doing exactly that.

          Lets face it, Mclaren aren’t the quickest car currently. And when was the last time you saw a not so quick driver win a championship in a car that wasn’t the quickest in the field?

    28. I imagine most of the drivers will use their engine from Monza as singapore is the lightest on the engine, I think it is the only circuit on the callender where the throttle is at full for less than 50% of the time (can’t remember where I saw that prbably on this site).

    29. HounslowBusGarage
      22nd September 2010, 22:47

      I could not find anywhere more relevant (less irrelelvant?) to post this, so it’s going here. I’ve just watched two of the Grand Prix Classics on the BBC web site – Detrot 1982 and Imola 1985. Detroit showed me the stupidity of trying to carve a grand prix track through a ‘grid-iron’ plan city, whereas Imola was just magnificent. The circuit in ’85 was as flowing and elegant as a river. It simply worked, with high speed section flowing down into low speed hairpin naturally and fluidly – in exactly the way that the average Tilke track doesn’t!
      Imola these days is a pale ghost of its former self though. And I think that post Ratzenberger and Senna, racing has lost a tremendous venue. Maybe it was necessary, maybe it was an over-reaction, but racing is the loser.

    30. Drivers to watch: Lewis Hamilton? how bout Alonso, Webber, Massa, Vettel? why did you pick him? i believe the other top guys will have to be watched more than him.

      1. Maybe because, just a hunch, he’ll need a big result after failing to score at the last round?

        1. But so does Vettel

          1. Vettel got good points at the last round.

    31. Fun fact to add spice to the championship predictions: Mark Webber has never finished the Singapore GP.

      1. There’s always a first time ;)

        1. Yeah, I have to agree with Alexi, both the time it was the car that let him down.

    32. from Mike
      ————–
      Bernie and Todt turn into the track having stolen the road cleaning vehicle and are overheard speaking…..
      Bernie “Be quite Jean, no one will notice, Just keep driving! We will just give her a good scrub an…….. Dam…..”
      Todt “What?”
      Bernie “We have to move over!”
      Todt “But why?”
      Bernie “Because Alonso is faster than you”.

      —————–

      definitely comment of the Day :D

    33. Red Bull will be the strongest with Webber my bet for the win. Hamilton needs to get a strong result this weekend or else he may need to feed Button for winning the WC.Same goes for Vettel he needs to beat his team-mate this weekend.

    34. It looks like rain is forecast for the whole of the meeting.If this is the case,anything could happen.
      3 of the 4 drivers mentioned,Hamilton,Kubica and Rosberg could have good races and Webber will probably have another poor start to the race.
      I would predict a Vettel win but who knows.

    35. I predict that the Yam will make a wrong turn somewhere and end up at the downtown McDonald’s.

    36. Hi Keith,

      Not necessary a reflection upon you as it has been written pretty much everywhere else but I am getting a bit tired of the whole “Fernando Alonso has scored more points than any other driver in the last four races” – it is hardly a solid argument considering go back 7 races and Hamilton has scored more points, 6 races and Vettel has scored more, 5 and its Webber, 4 Alonso, 3 Webber, 2 Webber and 1 Alonso (of the 5 WDC protagonists).

      Also quick question – I notice you are a guest contributor to ITV’s F1 page from time to time – do you know who is responsible for the Form Cards and predicting the winner? So far this year they have been correct once – as a Webber fan I take heart everytime I see Hamilton or Vettel predicted as the winner!!

      1. Fair point!

        do you know who is responsible for the Form Cards and predicting the winner?

        All I know is it’s not me.

    37. Just to add some comments:

      for fans who only enjoy races with lots of overtaking, sorry, Singapore GP is not your cup of team.

      Even if it’s exciting, it will probably be due to weather, safety cars or if we are lucky, tire degradation.

      The track is narrow, bumpy with only 1 or 2 corners with potential for overtaking – to put it simply, rather than a speed or overtaking fest, this track tests the drivers’ concentration, bravery and ability. Any wrong move will probably put the car into the wall.

      The reasons why Singapore GP is my favourite race:

      1) it’s my home race :)
      2) it has potential for change in climatic conditions (unlike the Middle East tracks)
      3) the locals and organizers are genuinely soaking in the F1 atmosphere
      4) it’s a spectacular bonanza

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