Williams ready for Singapore action
Formula One travels east this week for the first of three races to be held in Asia before the season finale in Brazil in just over a month’s time. The eagerly anticipated Singapore Grand Prix is the second of two new tracks to make their debut on the calendar this year and takes the tally of Formula One street circuits to four.
Round 15 of the 2008 season heralds a new era in the sport as, for the first time ever, a Grand Prix, together with its qualifying and practice sessions, will all be contested at night under a floodlit track. AT&T Williams partner, Philips, is the official supplier of the 1,500 lighting projectors that will illuminate the complete length of the 5.067km circuit, which has been built through the vibrant Marina Bay area of the city. A new venue, a new format and just four point-scoring opportunities remaining this season can only culminate in this weekend’s race being a dramatic spectacle for all concerned.
Nico Rosberg: "It should be a good race for us as the track looks like it should suit our car pretty well and personally I always really enjoy racing on street circuits. New tracks are often quite demanding and take a bit of time during practice to get used to. Racing at night will add to that challenge, but the whole concept of night racing is fantastic. It will be a great show for the fans, and an interesting experience for all the teams. Singapore itself is a great new venue for Formula One and for all of our partners as well. I’m flying out quite late this week and will stay on European time while there. This weekend gives us another opportunity to claim some points which is certainly our aim."
Kazuki Nakajima: "I’m quite looking forward to the race in Singapore. It’s going to be very interesting as it’s the first time at a new destination for everybody. We’ve been doing quite a bit of work in our simulator in preparation for this race and it looks like Singapore could be quite a complex circuit with lots of corners, but it should still suit our car. I don’t think driving at night will be a problem if it’s dry but, if it’s wet which it looks like it will be, it could be quite difficult with the reflection. I’ll be staying on European time which will be a real challenge as we’ll be staying awake until the early hours of the morning but then sleeping until the middle of the afternoon! Let’s hope all the extra effort is worth it!"
Sam Michael, Technical Director, Williams F1: "Singapore is a new circuit on the Formula One calendar that promises lots of action, even if only for the fact that it’s our first ever night race. Running at night will bring new challenges for all the teams, from the driver having to adjust himself to different levels of visibility to team personnel having unusual sleeping and eating patterns!
"The circuit itself has over 20 corners within its layout, only two of which will be taken at speeds in excess of 100mph, so lap times will be dictated by the grip achieved during the slow speed sections. Because of this, we’ll run a similar rear wing level to Monaco, i.e. the maximum available. Bridgestone will bring the soft and super soft Potenza tyres to this race which will give the maximum amount of grip available on what we expect to be a slippery street surface.
"To add to the excitement of the night race, there is also a strong possibility of rain during the evening, which is normal in such a humid climate. At this stage, a likely strategy scenario is unknown. Although we have some data from our work on the simulator, we will have to wait until we get circuit data for tyre degradation and pitlane loss time."
