Held at the glamorous Marina Bay street circuit, the Singapore night race sees Formula One enter the final international leg of the season. The circuit is famous for being the first night race to ever be held, as well as the first street circuit in Asia to host an F1 race. Typically, the twisty layout of the track means it’s a great viewing opportunity for the fans with slower laps and the added likelihood of a safety car. The circuit has been adjusted several times since its opening to meet new safety regulations and create added thrill during the race; the last change occurring in 2015. Being 137 kilometres from the equator, the temperature within the cockpit can reach staggering highs of 60 °C, adding to the challenge within the tropical climate. The Williams team is ready for the challenge.
Williams technical chief Paddy Lowe:
“We head to Singapore this weekend, and into one of the most unique races on the calendar. This was the very first race to be held in the evening under floodlights and it creates a very special magic to the event that we see nowhere else. The Marina Bay street circuit itself requires high downforce and good mechanical grip. It is hard on brakes and with a lot of kerbs it is very tough on the cars. With a very slow characteristic speed, but still the full 300km race distance (unlike Monaco), we very often see the race reaching the two hour limit.”
“The heat and humidity is intense even without the sun. Putting this together is one of the most challenging races for the drivers and the cars, hence we see many incidents as cars break and drivers become fatigued. All this makes for an exciting and dramatic spectacle! From Williams’ perspective we look forward to continuing the good momentum we had in Monza into the final seven flyaway races of the season starting here.”
Felipe Massa:
“While we have three night races, Singapore is the only one in the middle of the city, in the middle of the night, and it’s great. I am looking forward to the race, although I know it will be very hot and humid, which makes it one of the most difficult tracks. As always, I am hoping we can have a good result.”
Lance Stroll:
“Singapore is new territory for me, but I don’t mind that at all. So far the only night race I have done was in Bahrain, but this will obviously be very different as it is on a street circuit. I like the looks of the track from what I have seen and certainly it appears to be very technical. While I am sure Singapore as a place to visit is really cool, the temperature when we race there will be the exact opposite and the conditions will be hot and humid. The race should be really demanding physically and we will do a bit of training in the heat before going there. However, really you just have to carry on with the normal training and then suffer through the conditions.”
Good afternoon from the @F1NightRace paddock! @MassaFelipe19 is already busy at work with media ? #SingaporeGP ?? pic.twitter.com/tTbKUcb4jE
— WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) September 14, 2017
