Sunset and a splash of rain made for some dramatic pictures as practice got under way at Singapore.
See below for a selection of photographs from the track today including some of the upgrades teams have brought this weekend including McLaren’s new front wing.
2010 Singapore Grand Prix
Images © Ferrari spa,www.mclaren.com, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team, BMW Sauber F1 Team, Renault / LAT, Virgin Racing, Singapore GP
Steph (@)
24th September 2010, 17:03
Best layout and looking modern circuit in ages and probably since Malaysia I think.
Scribe (@scribe)
24th September 2010, 18:54
As a track that produces boring racing, I’m going to have to diasagree with you, especially since Turkey came out post Sepang.
It does indeed look absolutley incredible.
Scribe (@scribe)
24th September 2010, 19:03
You know I think the circuits at it’s best looking in the day/twighlight. With the sun low in the sky it just looks beautiful.
Steph (@)
24th September 2010, 19:08
Agree with daylight/twilight. I’ve decided I like this track better than Turkey but Turkey produces better racing
BasCB
24th September 2010, 19:10
Best street circuit layout, and great looks. But i am not sure about the best layout perse.
Still i like the mix of track, bumps and view offered here.
Scribe (@scribe)
24th September 2010, 22:12
You know, Canada is technically a street circuit, as is Melbourne. Singapore doesn’t compare to either of those tracks.
dj
24th September 2010, 23:38
More like closed park racing,not what most of us call another boring street race. eg. IRL
Lee
25th September 2010, 9:35
Its the Indycar series not the IRL. Andif you watched it you would see that the racing was closer and created more overtaking than any of the street tracks in F1.
BasCB
25th September 2010, 11:11
Agree.
I ment best street circuit of the Tilke tracks, even though the atmosphere is starting to get into the same range of Melbourne or Montreal already, the track is pretty far from that.
dj
25th September 2010, 18:31
This is a reply to Lee,yes i have one of those so called street races in my city (Toronto)and yes it’s very boring. The real race fans go to Mosport,love to see F1 back there some day. Yes they changed the name of the series,but the cars are the same until 2012, if the series is still around by then…they really need to change it back to the CART format.
daykind (@)
24th September 2010, 17:21
I think it’s certainly the best looking circuit.
Tiomkin
25th September 2010, 11:47
Agreed, if only twilight lasted longer. This track would be magical. It is real but it looks like a video game. This is the best looking track in F1 at present.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
24th September 2010, 18:07
Wow, that 2nd to last of Webber under the lights is really cool. Nice desktop background.
Prisoner Monkeys (@prisoner-monkeys)
25th September 2010, 1:47
I have the front-on one of Lucas di Grassi. But I also really like the ones of Petrov in front of the ferris wheel and city hall.
sumedh
24th September 2010, 18:25
The visual effects of night racing are second to none!!
US_Peter (@us_peter)
25th September 2010, 0:51
I agree. It would be nice if maybe one of the European races could be a night race. If it were a Saturday night that would put it in a time slot that fans worldwide could catch live too…
BasCB
25th September 2010, 11:14
Maybe a one off Monaco night race? Light up all the hotels and boats and it might be a very nice view as well.
Or do Valencia, it might give a bit of a novelty feeling, some of the buildings might give great foto-shots and get some people to visit. It certainly wont hurt that track.
Antonio
24th September 2010, 18:26
Have you seen this picture?? Sutil launching his car off the cerbs!!!! EPIC! http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/image/29220.html?page=1
Scribe (@scribe)
24th September 2010, 18:58
Thats an amazing shot! Best F1 picture i’ve seen this year. I’ve made it my desktop, (it’s not a keeper but wow!)
Xibi
24th September 2010, 20:24
You beat me to it! :D
It just shows how ridiculous that chicane is. Lewis criticised it as well, and during his final lap today, one could have seen him shaking his head in disbelieve at that corner.
As a circuit, it’s not that great either. One thing I can’t understand is why deliberately slowed down some corners of it, and in the process ruined the flow. As much as people hate Valencia, it is technically much better. If only Valencia had the novelty of being held at night, it’s ratings would be higher. At least that circuit has some good fast corners, like in the last sector.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
25th September 2010, 0:56
I just posted above that it would be cool if there were a Euro night race, and right after posting it I started thinking Valencia would be the best candidate. It could be spectacular looking, and it would put it in a good time slot…
Antonio
25th September 2010, 7:20
I totally agree with you Xibi! What a complete waist of a corner that is!! It’s a left turn with a chicane drawing along the way! Everyone is trying to get through in a straight line and hitting the kerb like that is inevitable! In my opinion that is the worst and most worthless chicane I’ve ever seen :)
BBQ2
25th September 2010, 7:02
Nice one there! The launching was successful ;-)
nomeg1
24th September 2010, 19:03
Superb photos, thank you Keith :)
Naomi
24th September 2010, 22:09
Beautiful photos – the cars do look great going round this circuit.
Only, I thought Yamamoto was ill this weekend. So I’m slightly surprised to see him driving for Sauber! That team certainly likes pinching drivers off others ;)
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
24th September 2010, 22:17
Fixed the incorrect caption.
SamS
24th September 2010, 22:17
great pictures, i love the difference of front wings of the Mclaren, they look so different, it is great how it shows how development moves in F1
Antonio, that picture of Sutil is epic, i watch the practice when it happened, i couldnt believe that just bouncing over the curbs like he did could cause so much damage to a car
Fer no.65 (@fer-no65)
24th September 2010, 23:23
that Pic of Trulli is superb!
John H
25th September 2010, 0:08
Just about to comment the same. It’s one of the best F1 photos I’ve seen in a while.
The track looks so much better this year because the rain has washed all the dust away.
US_Peter (@us_peter)
25th September 2010, 0:57
Yeah, last year it looked really filthy.
iceshiel
25th September 2010, 4:16
It is because of the dust from the massive construction going on just opposite the bay. Nothing much they can do about that though.
BBQ2
25th September 2010, 7:09
Not only the rain but they did hire a 1.6m USD vacuum cleaner to help them do the job. I must say I am impressed by that investment just to remove the dust (if you think how cheap home-helps are these-days {cough, cough}). Why can’t they do the same at Abu Dhabi or Bahrain?
US_Peter (@us_peter)
25th September 2010, 0:59
What’s up with that Button pic? It looks like the beekeeper is smoking him out to slow him down and get all his honey. That or they’re getting him ready to have a one man rave in his cockpit. I’d believe it if it were Alguersuari.
Michael
25th September 2010, 2:16
Althought the Singapore circuit has its limitation as a street circuit compared to the permanent circuits specifically designed to produce great racing, I would say that the circuit and the Singapore organizers are the most in tune with the F1 spirit.
They started in 2008 with the bar placed very high, and year after year they tried very hard to keep improving, and even thought of redesigning the circuit (probably include a hairpin straights going in between the new monsterous Marina Bay Sands IR).
Sadly, I don’t see that kind of spirit in other circuits or organizers. Bernie always have to step in to give them a wake up call.
The Singapore organiser even thought of removing the coconut from the trees which are outside the fence. It would take a typhoon to blow one of those onto the circuit. see below
http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/image/29026.html?page=3
Anagh
25th September 2010, 10:43
https://www.racefans.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/hami_mcla_sing_2010-3.jpg that’s Jenson Button…