Vettel overshadows the opposition with superior victory at Singapore
Sebastian Vettel completely overshadowed the opposition on his way to a dominant victory at the Singapore Grand Prix, taking the checkered flag over 30 seconds ahead of the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso. The German was joined on the podium by the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen, who braved a bad back and rose from 13th on the grid to 3rd.
At the start Sebastian Vettel momentarily lost the lead to the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg, however the German was unable to make the move stick as he ran wide on the exit of Turn 1. This allowed Sebastian Vettel to regain the lead of the race through Turn 2, which ultimately set the tone for what was a superior display of pace from the reigning Champion. Lewis Hamilton was also unable to hit the apex of the opening corner, as the Briton ran wide during the melee at the start.
As the field jostled for position through Turn 7 Lewis Hamilton continued to endure a tough start to the race, as the 2008 World Champion ran wide at Turn 7 yet managed to overtake the Ferrari of Felipe Massa. This in turn saw the race stewards instruct the Briton to hand the position back, which ultimately left him down in 7th after the opening few laps. After the opening lap of the race Sebastian Vettel managed to open up a competitive +4.1 second lead to Nico Rosberg in 2nd, a gap which only increased as the opening laps ticked away to +7.2 by Lap 10.
Whilst Sebastian Vettel simply cruised into the distance at the front, Kimi Raikkonen began clawing his way through the field after overtaking both Paul di Resta and Esteban Gutierrez to 11th. The Finn soon became the first driver to make a scheduled pit-stop on Lap 10, as Fernando Alonso managed to produce the fastest lap of the race. Kimi Raikkonen was soon followed by Esteban Gutierrez and Jean-Eric Vergne in the pit-lane, as the first of the suspected three-stoppers began pitting. Throughout the next few laps both Felipe Massa, Mark Webber, Nico Hulkenberg and Jenson Button also dove into the pit-lane, as the gap at the front only increased between Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel.
On Lap 14 Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez elected to pit, before the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were called in for an impressive double-stop a lap later. Whilst the opening pit-stops of the race ensued up and down the order, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Pastor Maldonado became locked in a grueling battle for 12th, 13th and 14th position. The trio were engaged in extremely close racing, and amazingly avoided any major collision. Nico Hulkenberg managed to overtake Sergio Perez, however the stewards deemed his pass illegal for leaving the track and gaining an advantage, which therefore forced the German to hand the position back.
After a stunning opening stint for the race leader, Sebastian Vettel finally elected to pit on Lap 17. The Red Bull mechanics once again carried out a flawless stop for the German, who unsurprisingly managed to rejoin the action with a comfortable lead over the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg. Despite qualifying way down in 17th position, Paul di Resta managed to silently rise through the order to 3rd during the opening pit-stops. The Scotsman continued to circulate behind the race leaders for several laps before pitting, holding up Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber in the process.
Daniel Ricciardo created the first and only safety car period of the race on Lap 25, after the Australian driver simply ran into the retaining barriers at Turn 18. The front-right suspension of the Toro Rosso was utterly destroyed, as the marshals began clearing the stricken machine. Only moments after the safety car was deployed, many drivers including Fernando Alonso, Romain Grosjean, Felipe Massa, Jenson Button, Kimi Raikkonen, Sergio Perez, Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez all pitted for fresh tyres. After five laps behind the safety car, the race was resumed on Lap 30 allowing Sebastian Vettel to once again open up a considerable lead at the front ahead of Nico Rosberg.
After a competitive performance during qualifying and a relatively decent start to the race, Romain Grosjean’s evening was destroyed on Lap 33 when the Frenchman was informed of an air consumption issue on his Lotus. This saw him return to the pits for a painstaking 40 seconds for a refill from a Renault mechanic. Although he managed to return to the action plum last, Romain Grosjean was eventually forced into a disappointing retirement several laps later,
As the race progressed, Sebastian Vettel began opening up a considerable lead once again. Further down the order Esteban Gutierrez was lucky to avoid a heavy impact with the barrier at Turns 22 and 23, after the Mexican driver ran extensively wide on the amounting marbles off of the racing line. Meanwhile Nico Rosberg was informed that he was loosing pace due to rubber lodged in his front-wing, accounting for Mark Webber who was beginning to close the gap to the German.
Several laps later more pit-stops began occurring up and down the field, as Mark Webber and Adrian Sutil pitted on Lap 40. Nico Rosberg did so a lap later, and was understandably frustrated to find Mark Webber ahead of him when he rejoined the action. Sebastian Vettel eventually pitted from the lead on Lap 44, switching back to the super-soft tyre compound and once again rejoining the action in the lead of the race.
Due largely the earlier safety car deployment, many drivers elected not to pit for a third time. This created an utterly thrilling conclusion to the Singapore Grand Prix, as the likes of Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton were forced to battle their way around the likes of Esteban Gutierrez, Nico Hulkenberg, Jenson Button and Sergio Perez. Due to stopping during the safety car period, both Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen soon found themselves in 2nd and 3rd position respectively.
As the race entered its closing stages the trio of Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton gradually began carving their way through the likes of Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg. In the process, Felipe Massa began joining them in what was a frenetic final few laps around the Marina Bay Street Circuit. Whilst many jostled for the final points-paying position, Paul di Resta ran straight on at Turn 7 and into a highly embarrassing retirement. Luckily the stricken Force India machine was cleared under double-waved yellow flags, as the Mercedes duo became locked in a ferociously tight battle for 7th.
Whilst one Red Bull cruised around to secure his 33rd victory, the other in the form of Mark Webber endured a frustrating conclusion as he was first instructed to short-shift all of his gears before then being instructed to maintain low revs due to a mechanical issue. The saw the Australian driver plummet through the order, eventually retiring with flames flicking out of the rear of his car at Turn 7 on the final lap. Meanwhile Sebastian Vettel stormed to a commanding victory over Fernando Alonso in the Ferrari, with Kimi Raikkonen securing an impressive 3rd despite serious back issues.
As the Formula 1 paddock prepares to pack up and head to Korea in several weeks time, Sebastian Vettel now sits a proud 60 points ahead of Fernando Alonso in the Drivers’ Championship on 247 points. With the German notorious for stepping up a gear during the latter half of the season, it would be a very uneducated gamble to bet against Sebastian Vettel on securing his fourth successive Drivers’ Crown.
PROVISIONAL RACE RESULTS The Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore; 61 laps; 309.316km; Weather: Dry. Classified: Pos Driver Team Time 1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 2. Alonso Ferrari 3. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 4. Rosberg Mercedes 5. Hamilton Mercedes 6. Massa Ferrari 7. Button McLaren-Mercedes 8. Perez McLaren-Mercedes 9. Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 10. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 11. Maldonado Williams-Renault 12. Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 13. Bottas Williams-Renault 14. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 15. Webber Red Bull-Renault 16. van der Garde Caterham-Renault 17. Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 18. Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 19. Pic Caterham-Renault DNF Di Resta Force India-Mercedes DNF Grosjean Lotus-Renault DNF Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
Sam Bird cruises to dominant sprint race victory at Singapore
Sam Bird has cruised to his fifth victory of the season after a dominant display during the GP2 sprint race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, keeping his Championship chances alive with only one race weekend remaining. The Briton finished ahead of Marcus Ericsson and fellow Championship rival Fabio Leimer.
Once again the GP2 fraternity negotiated the opening few corners relatively incident-free, as Sam Bird scampered into the lead ahead of Marcus Ericsson. Fabio Leimer rose from 4th to 3rd into Turn 1, as Tom Dillmann struggled off of the line with his super-soft Pirelli tyres. As the field jostled for position Stefano Coletti ran straight into the side of Mitch Evans at Turn 8, resulting in a momentary car-park as the likes of Simon Trummer, Alexander Rossi and Julian Leal all became involved in the incident. Luckily a safety car delay was not required, as all of the drivers managed to continue circulating.
After the opening lap Alexander Rossi was forced to return to the pits for a new front-wing after the earlier collision, as Stefano Coletti was struck with a drive-thru penalty for causing the initial incident. Further shenanigans ensued throughout the next lap, as Sergio Canamasas literally ran out of road on the exit of Turn 8 and tapped the retaining wall. This saw the Spaniard’s suspension crumble upon impact, as he became the first retirement of the race. Amazingly a safety car delay was still not required, as the efficient marshals managed to clear the stricken Caterham machine under double-waved yellow flags.
Unfortunately for Daniel Abt he failed to adhere to the many yellow flags being waved during the recovery of Canamasas’ Caterham, resulting in the German driver being struck with a drive-thru penalty. As his ART Grand Prix mechanics awaited his imminent arrival in the pit-lane, both Tom Dillmann and Felipe Nasr began to plummet through the order after starting the race on the super-soft tyre compound. Meanwhile Stefano Coletti’s sprint race failed to improve after his opening lap incident, as the Monegasque driver’s front-wing was seen flailing around after his collision with Mitch Evans. The marshals immediately displayed the black and orange flag to the Rapax driver, forcing him to return to the pits for a new one.
As the race progressed Sam Bird maintained his lead at the front ahead of Marcus Ericsson, whereas further down the order Felipe Nasr elected to pit for a fresh set of super-soft tyres after continuing to plummet through the pack. Whilst the Brazilian ace rejoined the action with gearbox woes beginning to materialise on his Carlin machine, Daniel Abt finally pitted to serve his drive-thru penalty. However, the German had exceeded the three lap requirement to serve his penalty and was therefore disqualified from proceedings.
On Lap 10 Tom Dillmann also elected to pit for a fresh set of super-soft tyres, before Jolyon Palmer did likewise as a frenetic battle between 9th and 17th ensued between the likes of Dani Clos, Simon Trummer, Julian Leal and Mitch Evans. Amazingly the majority of the racing was clean, as tyre wear began to effect many drivers up and down the order. As the race entered its closing stages, Marcus Ericsson began to gradually reel in race leader Sam Bird, however the Briton soon responded with several blistering lap times to further extend his lead at the front. Meanwhile the battle within the incredibly competitive midfield raged on, with the final points-paying positions changing each lap.
Despite the ever-changing positions within the midfield, the top three remained the same as Sam Bird stormed across the line to secure his fifth victory of the season ahead of Marcus Ericsson and Fabio Leimer. After the race a bizarre scenario ensued, as Alexander Rossi suddenly changed direction to enter a side-road on the cool-down lap, only to get T-boned by the Racing Engineering of Fabio Leimer. Sam Bird now sits only seven points behind Championship leader Fabio Leimer, with one race weekend remaining in early November around the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. The season has been one of pure unpredictability, and the trend will surely create a mouth-watering finale in several months time when the new GP2 Champion is eventually crowned.
Results - 20 laps:
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap
1. Sam Bird Russian Time 40m36.444s
2. Marcus Ericsson DAMS +5.787s
3. Fabio Leimer Racing Engineering +7.745s
4. Stephane Richelmi DAMS +9.311s
5. Jon Lancaster Hilmer +17.885s
6. Johnny Cecotto Jr Arden +34.140s
7. Daniel de Jong MP +56.282s
8. Adrian Quaife-Hobbs Hilmer +57.159s
9. Rene Binder Lazarus +1m07.397s
10. Nathanael Berthon Trident +1m07.997s
11. Rio Haryanto Addax +1m08.302s
12. Julian Leal Racing Engineering +1m09.052s
13. Simon Trummer Rapax +1m09.248s
14. Tom Dillmann Russian Time +1m11.366s
15. Mitch Evans Arden +1m15.458s
16. Felipe Nasr Carlin +1m15.990s
17. Jolyon Palmer Carlin +1m16.415s
18. Jake Rosenzweig Addax +1m22.004s
19. James Calado ART +1m28.898s
20. Vittorio Ghirelli Lazarus +1m37.714s
21. Dani Clos MP +1m49.482s
22. Gianmarco Raimondo Trident +2m02.960s
23. Alexander Rossi Caterham +1 lap
24. Stefano Coletti Rapax +1 lap
Retirements:
Daniel Abt ART 9 laps
Sergio Canamasas Caterham 2 laps
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Sebastian Vettel eases to Singapore pole after dominant qualifying performance
Sebastian Vettel has eased himself to his 41st career pole around the illuminated Marina Bay Street Circuit for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix, and will start the race alongside fellow countryman Nico Rosberg. The second row will consist of Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber.
After three intriguing practice sessions throughout the weekend, the teams and drivers returned to the glorious street circuit for the all-important qualifying hour. With Sebastian Vettel looking once again unstoppable in his Red Bull, many were entering the qualifying session keen on reeling in the reigning Champion. The opening segment of the session began with no immediate rush onto the circuit, before Pastor Maldonado opened the floodgates and finally took to the circuit.
The Venezuelan ace produced the first timed lap of the session for Williams with a 01:48.458, which was almost instantly thwarted by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean and then the Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton, with the latter setting a 01:47.087 at the front. Despite many drivers opting for Pirelli’s medium tyre compound to begin with, the Marussias and Caterhams unsurprisingly became the first four drivers to switch to the super-soft tyre, in a bid to improve towards the rear of the order.
As the opening segment of the qualifying hour progressed, the times at the top tumbled as the likes of Nico Rosberg, Nico Hulkenberg and Mark Webber rose to the top with the latter managing to string together a 01:45.271 behind the wheel of his Renault-powered Red Bull. It wasn’t long before the remainder of the field gradually began to switch to Pirelli’s super-soft tyre compound, with Nico Rosberg and then Sergio Perez rising to the top with the latter producing a 01:45.164 on the softer rubber. The benchmark was lowered even further as the session drew to a conclusion, as Jenson Button and then Lewis Hamilton rose to the top.
Further down the order saw Felipe Massa only narrowly avoid elimination in his Ferrari, as the Brazilian driver only just managed to rise up the order as the checkered flag emerged. This saw Paul di Resta and Pastor Maldonado join the usual suspects in elimination towards the rear of the pack, with the Caterhams’ out-qualifying the Marussias’
After only several minutes recuperation for the teams and drivers lucky enough to progress to the next segment, the track returned to green flag conditions as Kimi Raikkonen eventually left the confines of the pit-lane despite reports of back pains for the 2007 World Champion. This naturally saw the Lotus ace produce the first timed lap of the segment with a 01:44.794, which was eventually bettered by the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg with a 01:43.892. After several minutes the Red Bull duo took to the circuit, resulting in Sebastian Vettel asserting his authority over proceedings with a dominant 01:42.905. Mark Webber slotted neatly into 2nd position behind his team-mate, creating a Red Bull 1-2 at the front.
As the second segment drew to a conclusion Esteban Gutierrez shot to an impressive 7th for Sauber, rising himself out of the drop zone which eventually saw the likes of Nico Hulkenberg and Kimi Raikkonen get eliminated along with the likes of Jean-Eric Vergne, Sergio Perez, Adrian Sutil and Valtteri Bottas. Jenson Button was also lucky to rise into the all-important top ten shootout, after the Briton saved his one and only lap until the final stages of the segment.
As the remaining ten drivers prepared for the all-important top ten shootout, many were predicting Sebastian Vettel to secure his 41st pole position around the illuminated Marina Bay Street Circuit. As soon as the track turned green, five drivers including Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel streamed out onto the track to begin battling for pole position. However, Sebastian Vettel immediately silenced the opposition with a 01:42.841, which remained unbeaten as the final ten minutes drew to a conclusion. The German trundled back to the pits and then climbed out of his Red Bull machine, evidently content that his time would remain unchallenged.
Although the remaining nine drivers proceeded to complete another timed lap, they were unable to question Sebastian Vettel’s authority. Both Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Romain Grosjean managed to produce purple sectors, but were ultimately unable to string together a faster lap than the reigning World Champion. Nico Rosberg will join his fellow countryman on the front-row of the grid for the 61-lap race, with the second row consisting of Romain Grosjean and Mark Webber.
Sebastian Vettel has won the last two Singapore Grands Prix for Red Bull, and is a clear favorite to secure a hat-trick of victories around the Marina Bay Street Circuit during tomorrow’s 61-lap race. However, the intense heat, high rate of attrition and high safety car probabilities means a Sebastian Vettel victory is by far a foregone conclusion.
Pos Driver Team/Car Time Gap 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m42.841s 2. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m42.932s +0.091s 3. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m43.058s +0.217s 4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m43.152s +0.311s 5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m43.254s +0.413s 6. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m43.890s +1.049s 7. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m43.938s +1.097s 8. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m44.282s +1.441s 9. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m44.439s +1.598s 10. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari No time set Q2 cut-off time: 1m44.555s Gap ** 11. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m44.555s +1.650s 12. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m44.588s +1.683s 13. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m44.658s +1.753s 14. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m44.752s +1.847s 15. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m45.185s +2.280s 16. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m45.388s +2.483s Q1 cut-off time: 1m45.982s Gap * 17. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m46.121s +1.925s 18. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m46.619s +2.423s 19. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m48.111s +3.915s 20. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m48.320s +4.124s 21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m48.830s +4.634s 22. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m48.930s +4.734s 107% time: 1m51.489s
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
Sebastian Vettel reigns supreme after final practice at Singapore
Sebastian Vettel has ended the third and final practice session of the Singapore Grand Prix fastest overall, continuing his dominance at the front of the grid. The German sensation was closely followed by the Frenchman of Romain Grosjean, with the Mercedes of Nico Rosberg 3rd fastest for the German marque.
After an intriguing opening day to the Singapore Grand Prix weekend, the teams and drivers returned to the Marina Bay Street Circuit late in the afternoon for the third and final practice session to begin finalising their preparations for the weekend ahead. With the sun beginning to set over the glorious street circuit, Esteban Gutierrez, Kimi Raikkonen and Daniel Ricciardo eventually became the first three drivers to take to the track once the session got underway.
The trio were quickly followed by the entire field, who once again completed installation laps to begin with. Charles Pic soon became the first driver to produce a timed lap during the early stages of the session, with the Frenchman setting a 01:52.954 as the initial benchmark. The other Caterham of Giedo van der Garde quickly thwarted his team-mate with a 01:52.134, before the Force India of Adrian Sutil stormed to the top with an even quicker 01:51.402. Charles Pic managed to match the German’s pace with an identical lap time, before Giedo van der Garde continued to lower the benchmark with a 01:50.792.
After their initial installation laps more drivers began returning to the Marina Bay Street Circuit, as the Force India duo of Adrian Sutil and then Paul di Resta ended Caterham’s reign with the latter producing a 01:49.572. The Scotsman managed to secure his best result of his career around the illuminated streets last season, with 4th behind Sebastian Vettel, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. The times continued to tumble as the session continued, as both Valtteri Bottas, Pastor Maldonado and Daniel Ricciardo all rose to the top with the latter producing a 01:48.001 despite suffering from brake issues earlier in the session.
Whilst preparations for the all-important qualifying hour ensued up and down the paddock, Paul di Resta was lucky to avoid contact with the barrier after a minor spin. Mexican rookie Esteban Gutierrez was also seen struggling as the session progressed, with the Sauber driver extensively locking-up his brakes during the final sector. Meanwhile Nico Rosberg and then Romain Grosjean managed to rise to the top, with the Frenchman producing a 01:46.883 for Lotus. Although the 27-year-old managed to improve, Lewis Hamilton soon asserted his authority over proceedings with a competitive 01:46.514.
Mark Webber soon brought Lewis Hamilton’s reign to an end, with the Australian ace rising to the top after producing a 01:46.220 behind the wheel of his Renault-powered Red Bull. After Mark Webber’s rise to the top the track gradually began to fall silent, as many of the drivers returned to the pits before opting for Pirelli’s super-soft tyre compound. Eventually it was Romain Grosjean who became the first driver to elect for the softer rubber, and was almost instantly joined by the remainder of the field as the qualifying simulations got into full swing.
As the entire field returned to the track sporting Pirelli’s super-soft tyre compound, Romain Grosjean unsurprisingly became the first driver to improve with the Frenchman producing a 01:44.364. However, the 27-year-old’s pace was soon obliterated by reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel, who set a 01:44.173 to reassert his authority over proceedings at the top for Red Bull. The German ace remained fastest as the session drew to a conclusion, only just ahead of Romain Grosjean who will be striving to repeat his impressive pace in qualifying later in the evening.
Sebastian Vettel has won the last two Singapore Grands Prix, and will unquestionably be aiming to secure his 41st pole position when the paddock reconvenes for the all-important qualifying hour later in the evening around the illuminated Marina Bay Street Circuit.
Pos Driver Team Time Gap Laps 1. Sebastian Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1m44.173s 15 2. Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 1m44.364s + 0.191s 16 3. Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1m44.741s + 0.568s 18 4. Mark Webber Red Bull-Renault 1m44.906s + 0.733s 14 5. Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1m44.921s + 0.748s 14 6. Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1m44.257s + 0.084s 13 7. Sergio Perez McLaren-Mercedes 1m45.500s + 1.327s 12 8. Nico Hulkenberg Sauber-Ferrari 1m45.876s + 1.703s 19 9. Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 1m45.890s + 1.717s 13 10. Felipe Massa Ferrari 1m45.935s + 1.762s 13 11. Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m46.084s + 1.911s 15 12. Kimi Raikkonen Lotus-Renault 1m46.147s + 1.974s 13 13. Pastor Maldonado Williams-Renault 1m46.338s + 2.165s 17 14. Daniel Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1m46.358s + 2.185s 16 15. Valtteri Bottas Williams-Renault 1m46.660s + 2.487s 17 16. Paul di Resta Force India-Mercedes 1m46.879s + 2.706s 16 17. Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 1m46.893s + 2.720s 13 18. Adrian Sutil Force India-Mercedes 1m47.249s + 3.076s 19 19. Giedo van der Garde Caterham-Renault 1m48.931s + 4.758s 17 20. Charles Pic Caterham-Renault 1m49.037s + 4.864s 18 21. Jules Bianchi Marussia-Cosworth 1m49.182s + 5.009s 21 22. Max Chilton Marussia-Cosworth 1m49.982s + 5.809s 20
Picture Copyright © Pirelli
Palmer heads a Carlin 1-2 after thrilling GP2 feature race at Singapore
Jolyon Palmer has continued his dominance around the streets of Singapore, after storming to a sensational victory during the GP2 feature race ahead of team-mate Felipe Nasr, despite enduring a torrid start off of the line. The Carlin duo were followed by the ART Grand Prix of James Calado, who just managed to remain ahead of Stephane Richelmi.
At the start poleman Jolyon Palmer endured a slow getaway off of the line, as team-mate Felipe Nasr and Championship leader Fabio Leimer stormed around the Briton on the run down to Turns 1 and 2. Despite the tight and twisty confines of the Marina Bay Street Circuit the 26-car field negotiated the opening lap without major incident, as various drivers jostled for position. After his poor start Palmer found himself down in 4th, however the Carlin driver soon managed to begin his resurgence with a passing maneuver around James Calado for 3rd.
Whilst Fabio Leimer set his sights on race leader Felipe Nasr, fellow Championship rival Sam Bird found himself way down in 13th position after starting only 10th. After the opening lap of the race, Felipe Nasr managed to open up a strong lead ahead of Fabio Leimer and team-mate Jolyon Palmer which consisted of a continuous string of fastest laps at the front. Despite the Brazilian ace’s strong pace at the front, Jolyon Palmer was soon up to 2nd position after overtaking Fabio Leimer, with his sights firmly set on catching his Carlin team-mate.
As the 22-year-old Briton began producing fastest laps of the race, fellow countryman and Championship contender Sam Bird gradually started his rise through the order after an overtaking maneuver on the Caterham of Sergio Canamasas and then Stefano Coletti soon afterwards at Turn 7. As soon as the pit-stop window opened on Lap 6, many drivers immediately stormed into the pits to switch from the super-soft to the soft tyre compound, including Stefano Coletti, Sergio Canamasas, Julian Leal, Adrian Quaife-Hobbs, Rio Haryanto and Nathaniel Berthon.
A lap later further drivers elected to pit, including Fabio Leimer and Stephane Richelmi. Marcus Ericsson, Dani Clos and Sam Bird pitted on Lap 8, with the latter struggling with a slow rear-right tyre change which only added to his miserable feature race. Julian Leal and Nathaniel Berthon became the first retirements of the race on Lap 8, as the duo collided on the run down to Turn 13. Berthon failed to offer the Columbian sufficient room on the inside of the hairpin, which resulted in their race-ending collision.
Whilst the Singapore marshals immediately began clearing away the stricken Racing Engineering and Trident Racing machines, race leader Felipe Nasr pitted for Carlin along with James Calado and Alexander Rossi. This allowed Jolyon Palmer to assume the lead of the race, as Nasr endured a frustratingly slow stop due to a delay on the rear-left tyre. As Jolyon Palmer opened up a considerable lead at the front, Vittorio Ghirelli became the next retirement after returning to the pits. On Lap 11 Jolyon Palmer finally pitted from the lead of the race, changing only his rear tyres in a slick pit-stop from the Carlin mechanics as Tom Dillmann took the lead of the race for Russian Time. The Frenchman had yet to pit for fresh tyres, and was therefore an easy target for Felipe Nasr who quickly retook the lead at Turn 7.
As Felipe Nasr strove to open up yet another gap at the front, Tom Dillmann eventually made his mandatory pit-stop on Lap 15 and therefore released the now hard-charging Jolyon Palmer into 2nd position. Further down the order Johnny Cecotto was once again at the centre of attention, with the Venezuelan driver proving a to be a tricky target to overtake. Eventually James Calado managed to do so, however his German team-mate Daniel Abt struggled and lost part of his front-wing during the nail-biting process. Eventually both Daniel Abt and Fabio Leimer managed to muscle their way around Johnny Cecotto, although the Championship leader in particular had already lost valuable time to James Calado in 3rd.
After enduring a tough start to the race, Jolyon Palmer’s true pace became apparent as the Briton began reeling in team-mate and race leader Felipe Nasr at a phenomenal rate, over a second faster than the Brazilian. Under the pressure of his charging team-mate, Felipe Nasr began making several errors under braking around the circuit, only allowing Jolyon Palmer the luxury of closing the gap even more. Whilst the Carlin duo became locked in a grueling battle for the lead of the race, Alexander Rossi’s feature race drew to a miserable conclusion as the American star ran straight on at Turn 18. Although the Caterham driver was able to continue circulating he soon returned to the pits, and eventually into retirement.
On Lap 24 Jolyon Palmer finally mastered an overtaking maneuver on Felipe Nasr for the lead of the feature race at Turn 7, as the 21-year-old Brazilian suffered a massive lock-up in his desperate attempt at keeping his team-mate at bay. As the last laps ticked away, Felipe Nasr’s front-right tyre continued to prove troublesome, as Jolyon Palmer simply scampered into the distance. Further down the order Sam Bird managed to produce an important overtaking maneuver on Dani Clos for 8th and the reverse grid pole for Sunday’s sprint race, as James Calado, Fabio Leimer and Stephane Richelmi all battled for the final podium position.
Eventually it was ART Grand Prix’s James Calado who joined the Carlin duo on the podium as the checkered flag was unfurled, with Jolyon Palmer victorious 13 seconds ahead of Felipe Nasr. Despite only finishing 4th, Fabio Leimer has managed to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship, with only three races remaining in what has become a highly unpredictable GP2 season.
Picture Copyright © Alastair Staley/GP2 Series Media Service
Stefano Coletti To Race For Rapax In 2013
Stefano Coletti has been confirmed at Rapax for the 2013 GP2 season, after racing for the Italian outfit in the final two rounds of the 2012 season. The Monaco-based driver competed in his first full season of GP2 racing in 2011, and has already won two races throughout his career in the feeder series.
After two highly successful rounds towards the end of the season with Rapax, Coletti will unquestionably be striving for further successes once the new season begins next year. The Monegasque driver raced for Trident Racing throughout his debut season in 2011, before progressing to Scuderia Coloni for the 2012 season. However, after continued unrest within Coloni, Coletti found himself at Rapax for the final two rounds of the season at Monza and Singapore, and will continue to work with the team for the foreseeable future.
“This is really a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to starting the next season.” Enthused Stefano Coletti, after a tough 2012 season. “To continue the work done together since the next test in October, after two races with them in the last part of 2012, would represent a fantastic platform to prepare the new season. I am strongly committed to get the best out of this opportunity while doing the best possible job for the team. Rapax has shown that it is an excellent place for a young driver to work and I intend to make the most of this opportunity.”
Stefano Coletti will continue his preparations for the new season towards the end of the month at a test session around Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya, before another test in November at Jerez. The 23-year-old Monegasque driver will unquestionably be striving for further victories next season, and possibly even the Championship crown.
Picture Copyright © Daniel Kalisz/GP2 Series Media Service
Lotus Decide Against Using Their “DDRS Device” At Suzuka
After testing the device extensively during the first practice session for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix, Lotus have once again decided against running their highly talked about “DDRS Device” for the remainder of the weekend. As usual, the device was tested on Raikkonen’s car, but due to insufficient data, this device has been dropped.
The mysterious device has been tested by Kimi Raikkonen extensively in recent practice sessions, but each time Lotus have failed to collect enough valuable data to be able to run the device efficiently throughout qualifying and the race. As well as testing the device on Raikkonen’s car, both drivers tested an updated front wing as well as continued evaluation on the Singapore-spec floor.
“We evaluated ‘The Device’ in the morning but were unable to make it switch effectively so we won’t be using it for the rest of the weekend.” Confirmed the team’s technical director, James Allison. “Romain suffered from understeer in the morning and by the time we had put this right he had already used up the best performance from his tyres. In the afternoon, with a better set up, he showed that there’s still a reasonable turn of speed in the E20. We look in OK shape on both the hard and soft rubber as well as on high fuel, and we feel there is more to come from the car tomorrow ahead of Qualifying.”
Kimi Raikkonen suffered a KERS issue throughout the second practice session, which hindered his progress on the track. The Finn was forced to return to the pits, with the mechanics taking no chances and sporting rubber gloves to avoid being electrocuted by the car. The issue turned out to be a coolant-leak on the KERS pack, and forced the mechanics to busy themselves around the car throughout the remainder of the second session.
Lotus will unquestionably be hoping any such gremlins fail to return, as they strive to gain valuable mileage in practice three prior to the all-important qualifying session. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean are confident, as they both search for their first victory of the season.
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HRT Looking To Further Evaluate Updates At Suzuka
HRT are confident ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix next weekend, as the Spanish outfit aim to further evaluate their updates which were introduced last time out at Singapore. Due to the fast-flowing and high-speed nature of the Suzuka circuit, Pedro de la Rosa believes the difference between the old and the new floor will become apparent.
Along with many teams up and down the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix, HRT introduced several new upgrades to their F112 car in an attempt to close in on their nearest competitors in the closing stages of the season. First impressions were that the new floor on the car worked well, however the Suzuka circuit is expected to allow the team to further evaluate the upgrades, especially the new floor.
“Suzuka is a beautiful and spectacular circuit; I would say it’s my favorite track.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “It’s very quick, you hardly touch the brake, and we’ll be able to make a better evaluation of the difference between the new floor and the old one. I’ve got great memories of it because my first victories in Formula 3 and Formula 3000 came there and it’s one of the tracks which has brought me most luck in my career because by winning there the doors to Formula 1 opened. I hope to also have a good performance next weekend.”
Whereas Pedro de la Rosa has finished the last seven races, Narain Karthikeyan has struggled slightly, retiring from three of the last seven races. The Indian driver crashed out of the Singapore Grand Prix last time out, however he is hopeful of redeeming himself next weekend on what he believes is a physically demanding track.
“I’m really looking forward to Japan after not being able to finish in Singapore.” Said Narain Karthikeyan, who is returning to Suzuka in an F1 car for the first time since 2005. “From a physical point of view it’s also tough as it’s very quick. I think we’ll take a step forward with the car with regards to Singapore and we’ll be able to better evaluate how the new floor works. We’ve been pretty fast in the last few races but we’ve been missing a bit of luck. But we have to continue working to maintain this positive momentum through to the end of the season.”
HRT have continued to improve throughout yet another tough season for the Spanish outfit, and have begun to reel in the likes of Marussia in recent races. With only a quarter of the Championship remaining, it seems HRT are aiming to continue improving at each of the remaining race weekends.
Picture Copyright © HRT F1 Team
Mark Gillan: “It Was A Character Building Weekend”
Although Pastor Maldonado started the Singapore Grand Prix on the front row of the grid alongside the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton, Williams ultimately suffered a frustrating weekend around the streets of Singapore. Both Maldonado and Senna failed to finish the 61-lap race, after eventually retiring due to mechanical issues.
However, the team’s Chief Operations Engineer, Mark Gillan, believes the Singapore Grand Prix weekend was a “character building” weekend, one which the Grove-based outfit are looking to bounce back from next time out at the Japanese Grand Prix. Pastor Maldonado, who looked on course to scoring his first World Championship points since his illustrious victory at the Spanish Grand Prix in May, retired shortly after Lewis Hamilton’s gearbox issue with a hydraulic issue on the car.
“In brief it was an extremely frustrating weekend.” Explained Mark Gillan, “It was what I would call a character building weekend, with the high expectations following a front row qualification and fast race pace ultimately dashed due to a double DNF and a risky strategy call. It [the pace of the FW34] gives us a tremendous amount of confidence. We saw that the car was capable of qualifying on the front row and that the race pace was equally impressive.”
Prior to the Singapore Grand Prix, the Williams duo had only suffered from two retirements due to mechanical issues all season. This tremendous track record was brought to a sudden end during the 61-lap race, when both drivers were struck with two separate mechanical issues. Although Williams are confident the Singapore heat did not contribute to the issues, the team are currently investigating the causes of the issues so they do not reappear in the remaining six races.
“We are currently investigating the failures and have full confidence in getting to the root cause quickly and implementing the required fixes as soon as possible.” Said Mark Gillan, “At this stage we do not believe that the heat played a part in the failures.”
Bruno Senna’s retirement came in the closing stages of the race, after the Brazilian driver had impressed many by clawing his way up through the field after starting a lowly 22nd on the grid. However, once the 28-year-old emerged from his car after retiring, Senna complained of burns on his back. The team are currently investigating as to what might have caused these mysterious burns to their driver.
“We have a good idea [what caused them] but are still investigating just to make sure that we have covered all potential cause.” Explained Mark Gillan, as the team prepare to head to Suzuka for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Williams haven’t won at the circuit since 1996, when Damon Hill became the World Champion for the team after a season-long battle with team-mate Jacques Villeneuve. The Grove-based outfit expect another strong performance in Japan, and are striving to score further valuable World Championship points.
Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team
Stefano Domenicali: “We Cannot Rely Purely On The Misfortune Of Others”
Ferrari team principal, Stefano Domenicali, has stipulated that the Scuderia cannot rely purely on the misfortune of others, as they strive to clinch both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Over recent races, Alonso and Ferrari have been highly lucky with the likes of Hamilton and Vettel retiring over the last two races.
Although Fernando Alonso retired at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix due to the incident started by the Lotus of Romain Grosjean, the silver lining was that Lewis Hamilton also retired in the same incident. Next time out at the Italian Grand Prix around the Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, Fernando Alonso could only manage 3rd whereas title contender Lewis Hamilton took victory. Once again the positives for Ferrari was the double-DNF of the Red Bull duo, which made Hamilton’s victory all the more bearable for the Scuderia.
However, Stefano Domenicali believes Ferrari cannot continue relying on this kind of misfortune for others, which was once again evident at the Singapore Grand Prix when Lewis Hamilton suffered a gearbox issue a ceded victory to Sebastian Vettel with Fernando Alonso a close 3rd. Due to Alonso’s unyielding luck, the Spaniard’s Championship lead was reduced by only eight points after Singapore.
“It was a very difficult weekend, but the final outcome can be regarded as positive.” Explained Stefano Domenicali, after the 61-lap Singapore Grand Prix last weekend. “It’s true that Fernando’s lead over the next man has been reduced, but it’s also true the Spaniard has made up points on three of his four closest rivals. As for the Constructors’, the situation is pretty much the same as before: the leader is a bit further away but second place is a tiny bit nearer. There are six Grands Prix to go to the end of the season and clearly, we need to make a step forward in terms of performance, because we cannot rely purely on the misfortune of others. Where we need to improve a lot is on circuits that require maximum aerodynamic downforce.”
The next race on the calendar is the Japanese Grand Prix around Suzuka, and could well be a race which finally confirms the true Championship contenders for the remaining few races. Lewis Hamilton will be striving for a competitive result, as will the Finn of Kimi Raikkonen. However, with Fernando Alonso having only retired once so far this season, it’s unquestionable that consistency will remain the key to success in the closing stages of the season.
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