[SPOILER] 2008 Singapore GP
 

Round 15: Singtel Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore City, Singapore

Revised chicane:
http://www.autosport.com/images/upload/1222419527.jpg
Due to the raised concerns of some drivers, the chicane on turn 10 was revised and lowered because of the potential danger when hit by the cars.

Some drivers also say that overtaking in this track will even be harder compared to Valencia. If that's the case, then I really hope for rain. Thunderstorms are predicted throughout the entire weekend so that's a good sign. I just hope visibility won't be too much of a problem.

Free Practice 1:
http://img527.imageshack.us/img527/6...ngaporeac5.jpg

looks pretty bumpy and it was pretty dirty slippery at first looks like it started to take rubber. if any suspension/tires give out it will be a bad accident,the cars and the city at night look amazing under the lights. if it does rain i hope it has proper drainage

http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/4322/7191dbf5ln3.jpg
It did look very slippery especially the final turn going into the start/finish straight.

neat pic is that light or heat, timo glock has been fun to watch as usual his sideways antics

^Light. That's how the track looks from above. It's almost like daytime

Free Practice 2:
http://img403.imageshack.us/img403/7...ngaporece0.jpg

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli has been reprimanded and fined 10,000 euros by Singapore Grand Prix stewards for driving the wrong way around the circuit during Friday evening’s opening practice session.

Trulli spun coming out of the final corner. Rather than continuing down the start-finish straight, the Italian then drove a short distance in the wrong direction in order to access the pit lane, illegally crossing the white line at the pit entry in the process.

Some nice pics:
http://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/S...iCExZ2nu7l.jpghttp://www3.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/S...EYputSyNYl.jpghttp://www1.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/S...yLg8gSyIAl.jpghttp://www4.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/S...N4lPerrWql.jpghttp://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/S...PPNgtieHil.jpg

The F2008 looks amazing under the lights!!! The pictures can't justify it! :love:

Driver quotes on their track experience:
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/2008/9/8435.html

Bottom line: Visibility is not a problem but the track is incredibly bumpy

Wow, looks great. Street circuits are usually very bumpy, and this track has a large variety of turns. It seems to be quite a demanding technical challenge.

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6...ng20082sw1.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6...ng20083fk3.jpg
http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6...ing2008zc6.jpg
http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/wp-conten...gapore0421.jpg
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/8...ng20082pa1.jpg
http://img221.imageshack.us/img221/6...ing2008cs8.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/4...ing2008dt8.jpg

Full Gallery...

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2008/09/2...tice-pictures/

Im hoping for high res McLaren pics @ the race day.

Given the high curbs, the Mclaren might have an edge over Ferrari.

They might have light up the track a ted too well, it's no different from running in during day.

Good point. Keep in mind though that apparently, the Ferrari looks after its tyres better, and that this will be a long race - 61 laps @ 1m 45s per lap. So after an hour and three quarters, tyres may be making an essential appearance in this race! :-)
Not quite sure if that situation is the same in the wet?

^Of course they need to light up the track really well! Safety! F1 cars don't have headlights.

ferrari claims it has resolved its wet weather set and its not keeping the heat up in the tyres but heat in the breaks which transfers to keeping the heat up in the tyres, so well see if it rains if this is true

In a rainy day, F1 cars don't have headlights either ;-) (I don't recall there's that much light during a rainy day)

If it rains, bumpy track, street circuit with little to no margin for error, bright lights maybe glaring in your face off the rain.

If it rains it will be exciting.

Not working amigo.

Some drivers say that although the track is very well lit, there are some parts which are still quite dark. With rain, that would be very dangerous... yet I still want a wet race :mrgreen:

Thanks for the pics DeMoN! Here are more:
http://www.f1grandprix.it/css/foto.a...37;A0SINGAPORE
http://www.f1grandprix.it/css/wallpa...8/GP_SINGAPORE

try this one

http://www.soccer-live.pl/ITVF1/f1player.php

That's the one i normally use, but its down atm.

Any others?! :crying:

Try channelsurfing.net
http://www.soccer-live.pl/ITVF1/simulcastPlayer_02.swf

hmmm...

works fine here:?:

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/1...ngaporeem1.jpg
After setting the fastest laps on practice 2 and 3, Alonso's engine fails him in Q2. Massa's pole lap was brilliant, purple in all sectors.

I hope he's not going light.

Heidfeld hit with grid penalty
 

pretty dramatic qualifying with hamilton/massa and kimi dont know wat happend to heikki

Heikki hit the wall on the last lap, that cost him some tenths.

any guesses on the first corner ?

HAM fightin' with MAS - both out :laugh::laugh:
KUB in front of RAI :thumbup::thumbup:

Sounds great! :twisted:

Wow.

As much as it sucks that Barrichello was impeded I really don't think punishing Heidfeld for a mistake made by the track designers/officials is the solution. A silly decision even if it is one that will have very little effect on the race.

I'm a massive Heidfeld fan.. It sucks :(
But you made a good point re the track designers / officials mistake affecting drivers!

The weather remains settled, which means an ambient temperature high of 32 degrees Celsius during the day and around 30 for the race, with humidity to match. Conditions are expected to be much as yesterday, which means a low chance of thunderstorms interrupting proceedings.

Don't know what to say yet... Was one of the most scattered, backwards races i've seen yet.
I'll comment later when my opinion not so ambiguous.

Great drive Alonso / Rosberg though. :-)

Wow, that was a great race. Congratualtions to Alonso on a brilliant drive and making Renault the fifth constructor to win a race this year.What was the last time five constructors, and for that matter seven drivers won a race in one season? Has it even happened before?

Really tough luck for Massa, he really looked great during the first part of the race, and I don't think he was fueled much lighter than Hamilton (though we will never know). Ferrari really need to do something about their lights system.

Also, I am quite astonished that Rosberg, despite getting a stop and go penalty actually was one of the big gainers from the safety car situation. Why did the stewards wait for so long with giving him his penalty? Normally he would have gotten it during/right after the safety car and only been able to drive a few laps before pitting. Now he actually gained from breaking the rules. Not that he had any choice about it though, and he still drove a great race.

Does anyone know what happened to Hamilton at the first pit stop? I saw his time tick quite a bit longer than a normal pit stop would have been, but the broadcast understandably focused on Massa.

And lastly, Räikkönen really needs to pull his act together, he's been out of two of three last GP's with driver errors, and hasn't scored for the last four races.

just about the worst scenario that could happen....

bad deal for ferrari the automatic pit release system 2nd time it has caused them trouble lucky the first time the penalty wasnt worse hopefully the mechanic is ok. the safety car sure did make this race interesting, and the constructors championship some might think it is more important than the drivers (me for one). should be good last 3 races. shure did look like something broke on kimis car after the hitting the curb then goin straight on. heikkis car must of sustained some kind of damage after the first corner contact with idk who it was

Both Kimi and Felipe did not do themselves any favours today, Felipe was definitely very unlucky to have that mishap in the pits but his recovery drive was non-existent, if he could have parked the car and walked away with 20 laps to go, I think he would have done so.

A good race even if it was one decided by the safety car, after that ridiculously brave pass on Coulthard Hamilton cooled down a little and took his points, he looks alot more like a champion than he did this time last year. Ferrari are very much on the back foot now, they need to make their own luck in the last three races because Mclaren are not going to drop the ball two years in a row.

A disappointing race for me with Webber and Raikkonen both driving poorly before going out but a good result for the sport I think and the track looked very good, I loved watching sparks fly off the skid pads of the cars as they approached turn 7.

According to what he said in the press conference, there were too many cars passing by so he couldn't leave immediately.

I thought race was a success. There was excitement, unpredictability, eye-candy and even some overtaking!:-) Valencia had none of that :thumbdown:

As a Ferrari fan, I am massively disappointed but that's how it goes in F1. Ferrari should clean up their act big-time! They were pretty much invincible at the start of the season but now they're just doing poorly. Why does Raikkonen keep on making so much mistakes?!?! :angry:

Yeah, I think the race was a big success as an event, even if the safety car came on during the pit stop window, totally throwing strategies out the window. Nothing too bad for Rosberg, though, who came out in front, and was able to build a strong lead before the stop/go was assessed. Great work by Alonso and Renault, fortuitously staying out of the pit stop melee and having the stamina to finish it off. Disappointing for Massa (bad luck again), and Raikonnen, whose simple error proved deadly on an unforgiving street circuit.

It's times like this that make F1 the unpredictable sport so many people say it isn't, I thought it was a wrap for Alonso starting 15th on grid, but i guess he should kinda thank his team mate for his victory :mrgreen:.

Massa must be one of the unluckiest guys in F1, driving off with the fuel hose and a drive through penalty wtf :ohmy:.

Hamilton wasn't on fire like in other races, but a gr8 drive from him none the less, no dirty tricks like in the last race.

Oh and Rosberg did a great job too, i love how he outbraked Kubica (i can't remember 100% if it was Kubica) going into turn 7, i like seeing smoke pouring out of the tyres when braking hard, it shows determination.

I'm losing interest in Raikonen, he's a great driver but 2008 just isn't for him.

^Yes, Massa did get a bit of a double-whammy there. And it wasn't even his fault this time! Ferrari's semi-automated system failed. The ITV commentators surmised that the fuelling mechanic had accidentally flicked the switch for the green light before he was read. Ferrari had always had a well-drilled pit lane team. I don't think there is a need for this gadgetry. It has harmed them twice, with the same offence (although different penalty). I remember McLaren introducing their revolutionary, state-of-the-art launch control system back in 2001, and having their cars stall on the grid instead. A redesign is needed if Ferrari want to persist with the semi-automated system.

Did anyone else enjoy the length of the race too? A full two hours on a dry track with only a few laps behind the safety car. Alonso, a veteran driver, seemed absolutely wiped out after the race which is a testament to how truely hard it must have been on the drivers. It adds a great new dimension to the races that F1 rarely sees: driver fatigue not to mention giving the fans more racing (and less Mark Blundell) to enjoy . Hopefully the new Grands Prix they are introducing for the 10/11 seasons will lean in the same direction.

Yes I was glad we had 61 laps of racing! BTW, how do they determine the number of laps? I always thought that they had a minimum no. of km to cover. If I remember correctly, the track time at Spa is around 1:40+ so I assumed that like that track, Singapore would also have around 44 laps...:?:

Massa was really unfortunate this race but he is just 7 points behind Hamilton which isn't that bad. Although next race will be at Fuji so it will be very tough for him...

Where are all the conspiracy theorists? Alonso pits early, 3 laps later his team mate runs into the wall at a spot where it takes a while to be rescued? Comeon! someone must have a theory here?! :D

All in all, great race to watch. LOVED all the sparks and bumps, some great overtaking, breathtaking views.. my boss didnt like the fact I didnt do anything at work for 2 hours though!

No conspiracy here but some sour-grapes (in my opinion) from Planet F1 (I like their site but it is quite biased)

im so "depressed" with the results :-(

Without looking it up I believe the distance is 300 KM. Singapore is a bit over 5 KM, the formation lap is, I believe, not a racing lap but is counted in the total. So 60 racing laps at 5+ KM is the 300 KM minimum length.

After the race start all laps are racing laps, even if under SC.

There is also a 2 hour maximum time limit. Alonso finished in 1:57:15 so they were really close to the 2 hour maximum time limit.

This was definitely the best F1 race thus far this year.

I just downloaded it off mininova, I was guessing what misfortune was going to happen to massa next. First the fuel hose, then the drive through penalty, then he spins out!

Then Raikkonen crashes. I mean, if we peel of the Ferrari badges will we see Alfa symbols?

One of the commentators in the show said Louis could place 2nd in every race from now with Massa getting 1st and still win the drivers championship.

^Yes, Hamilton can afford to lose six points, so an average of two per race. Massa needs wins like never before.

This night race concept is really interesting. It's totally converted me. It's a whole new environment and I'm keen to see it expanded.