SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 23 - 25 September
The Track
Circuit Length: 5.073Km
Number of Laps: 61
Race Distance:309.45Km
Pitlane: 404m
Pitlane loss: 30sec
Altitude: 10m
Maximum speed: 302kph
Average Speed:172kph
Average corner speed: 105kph
Downforce Level: High
Aero efficiency ratio: Low
Full throttle:46%
Engine severity: Low
Fuel effect: 0.3sec/10Kg
Fuel consumption: 2.6kg/Lap
Braking events: Heavy
Brake Wear: Medium
Tyre Compounds: Soft / Super Soft
DRS Zone: The FIA will return to a single-DRS zone for the Singapore Grand Prix, despite successfully trialling two independent zones in Monza a week ago.
The nature of the Marina Bay circuit, which features 23 corners, the second highest on the calendar after Valencia, and very little in the way of long straights, means a single-zone was the only option.
The detection point will be after turn three, just before turn four.
Drivers can then activate their drag-reducing rear-wing as they exit the apex of turn five, giving them a speed advantage through the gentle kink which is turn six, before braking into turn seven.
History
First organised in 1961, the race was initially known as the Orient Year Grand Prix. The following year, the race was renamed the Malaysian Grand Prix. After Singapore attained its independence in 1965, the race at the Thomson Road circuit was renamed to the Singapore Grand Prix. The event was discontinued after 1973 and a variety of reasons have been suggested, including an increase in traffic, the inconvenience of having to close roads for the event and fatal accidents during the 1972 and 1973 races. It is also thought that a surge of oil prices stemming from the Suez Crisis might have been to blame (although the 1973 oil crisis would probably be a more plausible reason than the 1956 Suez Crisis).
An agreement for a five-year deal was signed by Singapore GP Pte Ltd, the Singapore Tourism Board and Bernie Ecclestone. In November 2007 it was announced that the telecommunications company Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) would sponsor the event. The official name of the event will be the FORMULA 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix. The race was co-funded by the Government of Singapore, footing 60% of the total bill, or $90 million SGD, out of a total tab of $150 million SGD.
Around 110,000 tickets were made available for the country's first Formula One race. Corporate hospitality suites and packages went on sale at the end November 2007, three-day passes to the public went on sale in February 2008. Single-day passes went on sale a month later. The event went on to achieve a full sell-out for all of its tickets.
The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event in Formula One history. The timing of the night event meant that it could be broadcast live at a convenient time for European TV audiences. The track was also illuminated by a series of projectors which adapt their output to match the shape of the course. The race was won by Fernando Alonso driving for the Renault team, however that result has since been tarnished by controversy.
For the 2009 race, the circuit was reprofiled slightly, including modifications to turns 1, 2 and 3 to aid overtaking, and also at turn 10 where high kerbs caused many accidents in 2008.
Past Winners:Year Driver Constructor 2010 Fernando Alonso Ferrari
2009 Lewis Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
2008 Fernando Alonso Renault
The Technology
Tyres:Pirelli’s motorsport director says: Paul Hembery: “Singapore is a race that adds a unique and truly spectacular new dimension to the Formula One calendar. Because it is such a specific event, this makes it quite hard forteams to arrive at the best set-up and you often see some quite different solutions. Our tyres have to work equally effectively within a wide range of parameters, and this is one of the biggest challenges for us over the course of the year. A lot is made of the heat in Singapore, but what people tend to feel is actually the humidity, which means that our tyres should be comfortably within their working range when it comes to ambient and track temperature. The tyres will be working as hard as the drivers this weekend:many of the drivers say that this street circuit is even more demanding than Monaco. As we’ve seen in the past, particularly in Canada, the combination of soft and supersoft tyres provides plenty of opportunities for the teams to put in place some interesting strategies, with the supersoft in particular expected to provide an appreciable performance advantage. The free practice sessions in Singapore will be crucial, as the teams assess the effect of each of our tyres on their set-ups and overall speed.â€
Aero:Car setups favour the slow corners with good traction, mechanical grip and high downforce, similar to Monaco and Valencia.
Engine/Drivetrain: The high temperatures, and humidity, even at night will affect engine performance. Only 48% of the lap is run on full throttle with the longest section of just 9s / 650m. The circuit is described as 'very hard' on brakes and due to the number of turns and gear changes, drive systems and gearboxes will also be under increased stress. There are 17 braking moments on every lap and 21% of the lap time is spent braking.
The Schedule
Fri 23 September 2011Practice 1 18:00 - 19:30
Practice 2 21:30 - 23:00
Sat 24 September 2011Practice 3 19:00 - 20:00
Qualifying 22:00
Sun 25 September 2011Race 20:00
All times Singapore localOn the Internet
[url=http://formula1.com]Live Timing (Registration required)[/size][/url]
SINGAPORE GP OFFICIAL SITELOCAL WEATHER FORECASTInformation sourced from here, there and everywhere. Enjoy!
Topic: SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX 23 - 25 September (Read 475 times)
