Singapore Grand Prix - selected preview quotes
Already it is being billed by
many in the sport as the most exciting premiere in Formula One history - a
night race through the spectacular Singapore metropolis, on an all-new
anticlockwise street circuit that will see drivers speed past historic
landmarks such as the Anderson Bridge, St Andrews Road and Raffles Boulevard.
It’s a mouth-watering prospect for spectators and participants alike…
Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren
"The Race of Champions was in the evening, in the stadium with the lights,
but the races weren’t long or serious so it’s going to be all new. It will
be interesting to see how it feels; how it’s different, whether it’s good
or bad. Coming from Finland where we have 24 hours of darkness in the winter,
I don’t think I will have any problems, I am used to that! The circuit looks
fantastic, there seem to be a few overtaking opportunities, so hopefully it
will be a good race. Races in cities always have a great atmosphere, so I am
looking forward to it.
"The main thing to consider is that we remain sharp at a later time in the
day. We need to keep the rhythm correct and sleep well. This is all taken
care of by the team, but it’s still a big challenge. The team is taking
every measure possible to ensure the timings of the weekend have no impact on
our performance, to make sure we are physically ready. For example, the hotel
rooms will be blacked out so we can sleep late into the day, special
arrangements will be put in place to make sure the cleaners don’t come into
the room, as they would not expect people to be sleeping until early
afternoon. The telephones will not ring, all those kind of things. We will
essentially be isolated from the normal workings of the hotel. It is a much
more demanding task to make sure you don’t switch to the local time, because
your body automatically wants to change, external factors such as light,
temperature, humidity are all encouraging it. As with any flyaway race, the
process will start from when we land in Singapore, we will stay up until
early morning on the day we land."
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren
"I’m looking forward to visiting the country, trying the food, seeing what
the track is like, seeing what it will be like to race on. It is going to be
an exciting weekend. The race will be quite a fun challenge, and I like a
challenge! I’ve never raced at night before, but I don’t think it is going
to be a problem. It doesn’t seem to be a problem in other sports and there
have been huge preparations for this, so I think it will be great. We are
racing on another street circuit, which are a particular favourite of mine.
From what I understand it is wide and fairly flowing in nature, which is not
what you usually expect from a street circuit, but it sounds like it will be
pretty spectacular.
"Singapore is going to be a unique challenge for every member of the team.
Our doctor has prepared a very precise schedule for the drivers to stick to
because all the sessions are so late in the day. Essentially we must not
acclimatise to the local time, which is totally different to how we normally
operate. Our training programmes ensure that over a race weekend we are at
peak performance during the afternoons and as a result we are going to be
staying in European time so this doesn’t get disrupted. Apparently not
acclimatising is much harder than adapting, because your body naturally wants
to change. For the drivers, our meal, waking and sleeping rhythms will all be
in European time, for example we will get up early afternoon for breakfast,
have supper at 1am and go to bed at around 3am. It will be very different
preparation to any other race but we’ll try and do the best job we can."
Martin Whitmarsh, McLaren Formula One CEO
"Inevitably, ensuring all the team personnel have the opportunity to get
enough sleep will be the main (logistical) challenge over the course of the
weekend. For example, the mechanics won’t be going to bed until 4 - 5am,
because we finish running late in the evening and there is a programme of
work to complete prior to the next day. There is a clear plan, because we
know the timings of the sessions and how much work needs to take place after
each of the sessions. The reality is, it will be hard work for the mechanics,
engineers, support crew, marketing operation and we will take measures to
support this, but I don’t believe it will have a massive impact on the cars
and the drivers, with the programme for Lewis and Heikki being very carefully
planned and monitored.
"Ordinarily, the garage is lit for work at night anyway so that won’t be a
new phenomenon. There will be some functional lighting on the pitwall which
we don’t currently have, that will be the only addition. In the car the
cockpit display is illuminated so that won’t be a problem, and there is an
assumption that there will be sufficient ambient luminosity that you can see
knobs and buttons in a way you ordinarily could. We are going with a variety
of visors with high-contrast, different colourations, as with artificial
light you will not have natural shadow and depth perception can be reduced.
However, we are expecting the quality of light is so good that we wouldn’t
have to do anything, the purpose of floodlighting is to be operating as
though it was daylight.
"There is the potential for the temperature to drop, but I suspect it will
still be warmer at 21:00 in Singapore than during Friday practice at Monza!
We expect the ambient will be around 30 degrees centigrade, the track
temperature will cool down for the evening but will still be close to 40
degrees centigrade, unless there is rain. If it rains, there is the unknown
of whether there will be a problem with glare or the sparkle of light from
droplets of rain that is greater than you would ordinarily get. To manage
this potential, we are using coatings for the visors that won’t allow
droplets to collect."
Norbert Haug, Vice President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport
"The Singapore Grand Prix will be the fifth street race on the calendar after
Melbourne, Monte Carlo, Montreal and Valencia and the first ever Grand Prix
be held at night. Foremost, we look forward to the atmosphere of this first
night race. About 1,500 extremely powerful light projectors have been
installed four metres apart around the about five-kilometre long track, and
they are said to illuminate the track brightly. In this unusual environment,
the drivers have to focus on 23 corners per lap, six of them with speeds
lower than 100 km/h. Once per lap, on the 700-metre full-throttle part along
the Raffles Boulevard, the cars reach almost 300 km/h. This premiere will
certainly be the most exciting in Formula One history -in the middle of the
night, in the middle of the metropolis."
Nick Heidfeld, BMW Sauber
"Everyone is really looking forward to the Singapore Grand Prix. Firstly
because it's a new track, secondly because it's a street circuit and thirdly,
of course, because we'll be driving at night. The floodlights should ensure
it is actually as bright as during the day, but nobody has yet experienced
how these light conditions will feel at Formula One speeds. I would have
welcomed the chance to test on the track, especially in the rain. Rain
combined with the artificial light is the great unknown for me with this
race. The climate should be similar to that in nearby Kuala Lumpur, and -
from experience - it rains frequently there, especially in the early evening.
"In principle, I think it's a great idea to hold a race at night. I'm more of
a night person - I like to go to bed late, but am not a great early-riser.
For that reason, the rhythm of this weekend should suit me. It's a question
of adjustment. It's important to eat and sleep at the right times in order to
ensure you're really on the button when you need to be. I doubt we'll have
much free time, but as the race is taking place in the middle of the city I
imagine we'll be able to absorb a fair amount and sense the atmosphere. I've
never been to Singapore, apart from sitting in the airport, and am expecting
it to be a vibrant and interesting Asian metropolis."
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber
"I am looking forward to Singapore, as the grand prix will be the second new
race of the season. Racing on new tracks is always interesting - I enjoy it
very much and I am very excited. Beyond that, I am extremely happy to race on
another street circuit as I am a big fan of street circuits. Lots of people
consider it interesting that the race will start at night. But from a
driver's perspective I think it does not make a big difference whether we
race in the daylight or at night. There are still some question-marks
regarding weather conditions and - related to the chance of rain - the light
situation. I am sure the FIA have done everything to make it a safe race."
Mario Theissen, BMW Motorsport Director:
"Singapore is the second unknown quantity on the calendar this year after
Valencia. Both are city races, but in Singapore the action will also be
taking place at night - and that in an Asian metropolis and against an
amazing backdrop. This will give the event even more appeal and excitement.
You only need to think of the special atmosphere you get at a football match
under floodlights: the surroundings melt into the background, the action
itself takes centre stage. I'm expecting this premiere in Singapore to be the
highlight of the season.
"We had a look around the circuit at a meeting of team managers in Singapore
and were given a demonstration of the lighting system. We were left very much
with the impression that, although the race would be at night, it would
actually be as bright as day. The only question remaining is whether the
light will reflect from the track surface if it rains. That's something we'll
only find out if we get a wet race.
"We're very much looking forward to another race in a booming region. I think
the wide variety of circuits in the top category of motor racing this year
makes sense and is the right approach. And, above all, it makes F1 extremely
attractive for the spectators. The overall package represents probably the
most spectacular mix of circuits there's ever been in Formula One.”
Willy Rampf, BMW Sauber technical director
"From the spectators' point of view, the Singapore Grand Prix - the first
night race in the history of Formula One - will be a highlight in the truest
sense of the word. The circuit has a large number of 90-degree corners in the
100 km/h speed band, which means that traction will take top priority. The
downforce level is high, comparable to Monaco. As things stand, the biggest
unknown is the track surface. Its lack of exposure to the sun is a factor
that should not be underestimated, as the asphalt temperatures will be lower
than at other races in this part of the world. That is something we'll need
to take into account with the car set-up.
"Because this is a new circuit for all of us, we'll be relying one hundred
percent on our simulation, which has proved to be very good in the past. The
unusual working times will certainly demand a fair amount of all involved,
but will also be an interesting experience. In Jerez we tested several new
aerodynamic components which we'll be using in Singapore. I'm confident that
we'll be able to continue our positive recent run of results and am looking
forward to this new challenge."
Hirohide Hamashima, Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development
"The layout looks challenging and we have not seen any races on the circuit
so teams will be relying solely on their simulations before cars take to the
track. As with any street course, we expect finding grip to be the focus for
many and the grip level to change over the weekend. The circuit layout looks
interesting and this will be a very exciting, unique race track.
"We have looked at many different aspects regarding a race taking place at
night and we have no specific concerns. Bridgestone have good experience in
endurance motor races which run at night so this has been useful. The
temperatures will be cooler than during the day and there will be no heat
generated from the sun's radiation, but we predict an ambient and track
temperature of around 27 degrees Celsius, which is warmer than some tracks we
visit during the day. Ultimately, the way the tyre works at night will be the
same as it works during the day."
More to follow.
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/9/8406.html
--
※ 發信站: 批踢踢實業坊(ptt.cc)
◆ From: 220.134.51.75