Racing the Hard Way

Personal commentary. (Singapore GP 2014 - Race)

Here we are, the second street and night race on the calendar. All of us know how street circuits have a reputation of producing predictable results. One just has to achieve a good placing in qualifying to secure the same spot to the end. It has been that way in 2/7 of the races held in Marina Bay. Today was no exception but the race turned out to be the best (behind 2008) Singapore GP. The Singapore GP has lived up to its name too by being the championship changing round.

This season's race seemed a tad different, in a good way. There were no major crashes or spins but the race had a great deal of overtakes, something so unusual in street circuits.

There was already so much buzz on track right from the formation lap. Two drivers were left stranded at their spots while 20 of the rest were whizzing past them. Kamui Kobayashi had a DNS. Nico Rosberg, on the other hand, was pushed back to the pit to get his car fixed but he was able to start the race just in time. Unfortunately for him, he was struggling to find his pace even after his car was "fixed", somewhat like how Lewis Hamilton had in the Belgian Grand Prix (just making references, don't judge). He came into the pits on lap 14 where he was given the longest pitstop ever. * inserts "Keep calm and DAMN IT" * The German's race came to a catastrophic end, leaving his teammate all to himself at the front. His retirement placed Lewis Hamilton at ease. It meant that he no longer had to fight with his teammate for crucial points in the drivers' championship. Without doubt, Rosberg lost the title lead in the process by three points. To all those who tweeted that his retirement was due to karma, SHAME ON YOU. He deserves the sympathy just like any other driver who retire due to car issues. It was the problem of the car and he was just having a mediocre week. Period.



Jean Eric Vergne was in his most aggressive mood today. He was so reckless and adroit at the same time. He may have exceeded track limits and received a five-second stop/go penalty but he was still able to push his way to sixth in that last few laps. Can someone tell me why he isn't given a F1 seat next year? Since he no longer has any relations to Red Bull after this season, I think he should go to Sauber and replace Adrian Sutil.

Sergio Perez continued his overtaking series 2.0 today. The clash between him and Adrian Sutil was the main cause to the only safety car. It had chipped off his front wing, leaving a pile of debris on the track. That took seven laps to clear everything. He started off beyond the point position but he earned six points by finishing seventh in the end.

The heat has always had a damaging effect on the drivers whenever they race in Singapore. This round affected the rookies the most. Kevin Magnussen was the first to complain and he had a reason to. His car was on fire (metaphorically) that it affected his drinking supply (the water burnt his mouth). Apparently, he is now treated with for burns on his backside. No reports on what had caused his car to burn up just of yet. At the mean time, get well soon, Magnussen! Your one point was definitely hard earned! Daniil Kvyat did not suffer the same fate but he did mention about dying if he would not have made a pitstop. With the haze reaching Singapore later this year and the inconsistent weather forecast, the drivers had to experience the weather like never before, affecting their physical endurance.

None of the Ferrari drivers were on podium today. Fernando Alonso, was in a comfortable position. There were several moments when I thought he had a chance to overtake Daniel Ricciardo but he failed. That being said, the drivers had squeezed the Italian cars to their maximum potential. It is what the F14T can only offer them this year.

Rosberg's retirement had given Sebastian Vettel a second place advantage. He was behind Hamilton throughout most parts of the race. There were a few minutes in which he was leading but it all came to an end when Hamilton used DRS to overtake him on lap 54. This was one of Vettel's finest races. Eddie Jordan labelled him as the "night raider". I can't agree more. He seems to have a thing for the Singapore GP.

Sadly, my home race has come to an end. It has been an exciting week for me even though I could not be in Singapore to join in the build-up. I hope you guys have enjoyed the race as much as I do. :) Next race will be in Suzuka, the Monza of the East, from 5th October. Rosberg will be back on Hamilton's heels. It also happens to be one of Red Bull's strong circuits. Now, that race shall be a delight to watch. :p

Been reading posts on drivers getting nauseous after the race. SHOUTOUT TO ALL THE DRIVERS. Hope you guys get well soon from the dehydration! 

Singapore Grand Prix Race: 

1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 60 2:00:04.795 1 25
2 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing-Renault 60 +13.5 secs 4 18
3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing-Renault 60 +14.2 secs 3 15
4 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 60 +15.3 secs 5 12
5 Felipe Massa Williams-Mercedes 60 +42.1 secs 6 10
6 Jean-Eric Vergne STR-Renault 60 +56.8 secs 12 8
7 Sergio Perez Force India-Mercedes 60 +59.0 secs 15 6
8 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 60 +60.6 secs 7 4
9 Nico Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 60 +61.6 secs 13 2
10 Kevin Magnussen McLaren-Mercedes 60 +62.2 secs 9 1
11 Valtteri Bottas Williams-Mercedes 60 +65.0 secs 8
12 Pastor Maldonado Lotus-Renault 60 +66.9 secs 18
13 Romain Grosjean Lotus-Renault 60 +68.0 secs 16
14 Daniil Kvyat STR-Renault 60 +72.0 secs 10
15 Marcus Ericsson Caterham-Renault 60 +94.1 secs 22
16 Jules Bianchi Marussia-Ferrari 60 +94.5 secs 19
17 Max Chilton Marussia-Ferrari 59 +1 Lap 21
Ret Jenson Button McLaren-Mercedes 52 +8 Laps 11
Ret Adrian Sutil Sauber-Ferrari 40 +20 Laps 17
Ret Esteban Gutierrez Sauber-Ferrari 17 +43 Laps 14
Ret Nico Rosberg Mercedes 13 +47 Laps 2
DNS Kamui Kobayashi Caterham-Renault 0 DNS 20

Singapore GP Practices and Qualifying like Never Before

Personal commentary. (Singapore GP 2014 - FP1, FP2, FP3, Qualifying)

 We head back to Asia, the first being tropical Singapore. Chances are, sweating is an instantaneous effect. I can assure you that staying out in the open for a few minutes will be enough to drive you mad. With a humidity that can go up to 95%, your body will turn into a running tap. Sweat clings to you like a leech. Trust me on this, I have lived there for the past seven years of my life. The humidity is a disease.

There have been so many tweets from teams posting pictures of fans. By fans, I mean those machines with blades, not people. They came up with a new fashion statement for the people of Singapore. Unfortunately for them, the humidity in Singapore is ever persistent. 

In spite of the weather, my home race has been a gem to most of the F1 fans. Singapore is surely the Monaco of the East. It has every ingredient to turn even a stone into gold. Everything about the city and the race is just spectacular. Do I really need to tell you the atmosphere? Well, it was raining hard and there were still 30 000 fans grooving to the music of Robbie Williams. Not to forget, the marshals deserve the praise for doing their job while the rain was pouring down on them. 

The Ferrari drivers were on fire in the four sessions, literally (Kimi Raikkonen) and metaphorically (overall). It has been a long time since we see both of them in the top ten slot in all sessions. Fernando Alonso was outstanding and consistent in all the sessions. He has an admirable record in the Singapore GP. He had the honour of winning the very first Singapore GP and ever since then, he has never failed to be on podium. Raikkonen too is a renowned name in the records. He is (still is) the fastest man, holding a lap record of 1:45.599. It took Raikkonen a while before he got attuned to the car on the track this week. That being said, the team aced it this week. I wish the team all the best in keeping up this way. They better not ruin Raikkonen's race like in Q3. Give the man's car more power! They better not ruin Alonso's race too with a car fault or whatsoever... P.S. Anyone saw Raikkonen's post qualifying interview? He was wearing shades... AT NIGHT! :p 

Williams was no where to be seen in the top ten until FP3, Felipe Massa being the one who did a better job than his teammate Valtteri Bottas. Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel had found the willpower to extract the maximum capability of his car even when his car was not giving him a smooth practice. 

Qualifying turned out to be an unprecedented session. There were several occasions when we got to see drivers (who are not from the top teams) topping the lap time for a considerable amount of time. Esteban Gutierrez was one of them. The session went on that way right to the end. The whole session was tense. The new team radio regulation made the matter worse. It was too quiet. It just felt so awkward to watch a race, with such low engine sounds and the lack of team radio conversations. It seemed like the commentators were the only ones producing noise loud enough to fill the void. Jenson Button was once again out of Q3. Sadly, this isn't his first time. I am afraid he will be replaced if this goes on for another qualifying session. I know I did mention previously that McLaren will benefit mostly from Button's experience but F1 has become rather objectionable these days. Teams are more into 1. money and 2. drivers who can win points and championships. McLaren's last drivers' championship was 2008 and its constructors' was ten years before that. Not winning for that long feels like being lost in the sea without anything. Well, you get the point. At the end of the night, it was still the usual three suspects: Lewis Hamilton, Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo. They were VERY CLOSE. If there was a choice, I would pick the result from Q1. That was a good mix of drivers to have in the start of tomorrow's race. 

There were plentiful of spins and near crashes this week, it being a night race and street circuit and all. Then, there was that torrential rain that happened right after qualifying, treating the drivers and teams for a well deserved shower. It might be a street circuit but I think it will be an exciting race. Qualifying has already proved us so. Bring out the safety cars (indeed a good friend of Singapore GP) and rain! Keep calm and DAMN IT!!! ;) 

Singapore GP Qualifying: 

1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 1:46.921 1:46.287 1:45.681 17
2 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 1:47.244 1:45.825 1:45.688 19
3 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull Racing 1:47.488 1:46.493 1:45.854 12
4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull Racing 1:47.476 1:46.586 1:45.902 15
5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 1:46.889 1:46.328 1:45.907 16
6 Felipe Massa Williams 1:47.615 1:46.472 1:46.000 20
7 Kimi Räikkönen Ferrari 1:46.685 1:46.359 1:46.170 14
8 Valtteri Bottas Williams 1:47.196 1:46.622 1:46.187 18
9 Kevin Magnussen McLaren 1:47.976 1:46.700 1:46.250 18
10 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso 1:47.656 1:46.926 1:47.362 21
11 Jenson Button McLaren 1:47.161 1:46.943 12
12 Jean-Eric Vergne Toro Rosso 1:47.407 1:46.989 14
13 Nico Hulkenberg Force India 1:47.370 1:47.308 13
14 Esteban Gutierrez Sauber 1:47.970 1:47.333 9
15 Sergio Perez Force India 1:48.143 1:47.575 13
16 Romain Grosjean Lotus 1:47.862 1:47.812 14
17 Adrian Sutil Sauber 1:48.324 6
18 Pastor Maldonado Lotus 1:49.063 8
19 Jules Bianchi Marussia 1:49.440 7
20 Kamui Kobayashi Caterham 1:50.405 8
21 Max Chilton Marussia 1:50.473 7
22 Marcus Ericsson Caterham 1:52.287 5

Eco Racing Comes to Live

Personal Commentary. (Beijing ePrix 2014) 

Well, I gotta admit this. I was rather enthusiastic over this inaugural Formula E (FE) race that happened earlier today in China. I have no idea where I got the enthusiasm from. I did not follow FE right from the beginning when the teams and drivers were announced or the cars were revealed. I did not even catch up on the pre-season testings to assess who has what it takes to be a potential Formula E star. 

I voted for my favourite driver in the fan boost two weeks ago only to find out that he, António Félix da Costa, won't be racing this weekend. I then went ahead to vote for Sébastien Buemi (go Red Bull family!) only to watch him retire from the race because he lost one part of his car's bodywork...

As we all know, the FE takes place in a single day. We have a total of two practices, a qualifying and a race to watch on Saturday. That is the reason why it starts super early, affecting many viewers' sleep. 

FE stands out partly because of how it operates and the formation of the circuits. All the cars are of the same model Spark-Renault SRT_01E working on a Williams F1 lithium-ion battery pack that lasts for a maximum of 30 minutes of hard driving. As such, drivers are required to make a mandatory pitstop to swap cars when the battery runs out. The policy of using the same car will, however, only be for its first season. All FE circuits are built around city-centre venues on the streets, making overtakings a challenge. 

I gave the practices and qualifying a miss for cellular data reasons. I tuned in earlier to watch the pre-race build up, catching up on what I had missed and finding out the winners of the fan boost: Bruno Senna, Lucas di Grassi and Katherine Legge. Before the formation lap started, I managed to make my final decision upon choosing Audi Sport ABT as my favoured FE team to win both championships. My pick certainly did not fail to impress me at all throughout the race today (yay Audi!). 

When the lights went green to signify the start of the formation lap, my eyes were on my tiny laptop screen. It was the first FE race, it was meant to be a special event that should never be missed. Alas, the beginning deflated my hopes. It was like watching a slow-mo movie. Everything was moving so slowly. I refreshed my page several times just to check if the the site was lagging but the achingly slow speed pursues. I did expect FE to be way slower than F1 but not to this extent. I think even Turbo, the snail from Dreamworks, could have done several laps in that one lap the FE cars covered. That formation lap really put me off. The sounds from the engines were so off, it felt like being in a pigsty, listening to pigs squeal. This made me appreciate F1's V6s more than ever. haha. 

The first lap had a different atmosphere as to the formation lap. Yes, the cars were a tad faster but I was genuinely surprised to see a flurry of activity all of a sudden. This was the lap in which we see Bruno Senna involved in a crash (just when I thought I was able to see a reenactment of the Senna-Prost battle) and see three drivers retire from the race in the process.   

There were some exceptional defences and overtakings here and there but otherwise the race went on pretty much the same. Well, the pitstop was an entertaining sight though. I am sure this doesn't just appeal to me. It is odd to see drivers swapping cars in mid race. We normally watch races whereby the pitstop crew would change parts of the car. In FE, we see the crew actually helping the drivers get out the car and fit them into another. It seemed like driver speed matters more than the pitstop crew in this context. 

Son of four time F1 world champion Nico Prost was the leader in most parts of the race. FE is all about conserving energy. The last two laps gave Nick Heidfeld an advantage. He was left with more energy in his battery pack as to Prost. So it began, all eyes were on those two in the final lap. Heidfeld gained speed and his car was eventually beside Prost's. Unfortunately for the German, both of their wheels made contact and it sent him flipping towards tyre barrier. It was a nasty crash, a terrifying sight which looked like he might need serious hospital treatment for. Thankfully he was able to crawl out of the car by himself unscathed and run towards Prost to confront him regarding the accident. Despite their on track duel, they cleared the air through their exchanges in tweets. I admire this form of sportsmanship. I hope we get to see more of this in all other motorsports. 

This unexpected ending gave former Virgin F1 racing driver Lucas di Grassi the first spot to win the very first FE race. His teammate Daniel Abt was meant to complete a full Audi podium only to be handed a time penalty for exceeding the battery consumption. His third spot was claimed by Sam Bird who had proven to us that he is the king of overtakes. 

It is pretty ironic to see that none of the legend's son/nephew managed to finish their debut race. Definitely not a pleasant start to have on the record. 

The next race will be on 22nd November, which coincidentally falls on the same week as the final F1 race! FE is definitely a good fill-in once the F1 season is over. Thank you for having such an unusual schedule! :D  

Beijing ePrix Race:

Race results
POS	NO	DRIVER		TEAM	LAPS	TIME	GAP	INT	KPH	BEST	ON LAP
01	11		Lucas di Grassi	Audi Sport ABT	25	52:23.413			127.5	1:46.718	19
02	27		Franck Montagny	Andretti Autosport	25	52:26.280	2.867		127.4	1:46.640	24
03	2		Sam Bird	Virgin Racing	25	52:29.972	6.559	3.692	127.2	1:46.563	21
04	28		Charles Pic	Andretti Autosport	25	52:42.714	19.301	12.742	126.7	1:46.730	23
05	5		Karun Chandhok	Mahindra Racing	25	52:47.365	23.952	4.651	126.5	1:45.892	20
06	7		Jerome d'Ambrosio	Dragon Racing	25	52:55.077	31.664	7.712	126.2	1:47.313	24
07	6		Oriol Servia	Dragon Racing	25	53:05.381	41.968	10.304	125.8	1:47.361	21
08	99		Nelson Piquet	China Racing	25	53:07.309	43.896	1.928	125.7	1:47.819	18
09	30		Stephane Sarrazin	Venturi	25	53:07.388	43.975	0.079	125.7	1:47.832	17
10	66		Daniel Abt	Audi Sport ABT	25	53:25.920	1:02.507		125.0	1:46.551	17
11	3		Jaime Alguersuari	Virgin Racing	25	54:24.026	2:00.613		122.8	1:47.914	7
12	8		Nicolas Prost (P)	e.dams-Renault	24	50:31.252	1 Lap		126.9	1:46.227	24
13	23		Nick Heidfeld	Venturi	24	50:31.881	1 Lap		126.9	1:46.214	24
14	18		Michela Cerruti	Trulli	24	52:41.375	1 Lap		121.7	1:49.469	15
15	77		Katherine Legge	Amlin Aguri	24	53:24.538	1 Lap		120.1	1:48.753	21
16	88		Ho-Pin Tung	China Racing	23	53:58.750	2 Laps		113.8	1:48.793	16
17	55		Takuma Sato (FL)	Amlin Aguri	21	50:52.279				1:45.101	21
18	9		Sébastien Buemi	e.dams-Renault	14	37:24.671				1:45.874	13
19	10		Jarno Trulli	Trulli	2	41:22.799				1:52.596	2
20	21		Bruno Senna	Mahindra Racing

Street Circuits - A Driver's Nightmare, A Fan's Love

Personal Commentary. (One week to the Singapore GP weekend!)  :)

It is that time of year once again. The only month in which I would skip evening classes. The only month in which I would hog the television screen. The only month I would be the number one promoter in school, on the internet and EVERYWHERE. Yes, you've probably guessed it. Welcome back to the month of the most electrifying F1 race in the 21st century - the Singapore GP.

No words can ever describe how proud I am to be a F1 fan in this tiny country of mine. The Marina Bay Street Circuit may be newer as compared to our neighbour's Sepang Circuit but Singapore has a longer history of the motorsport (Surprise! Surprise!).

I have learnt certain facts about Singapore's Grand Prix history and I thought I should share with you guys in anticipation of the race weekend from a local perspective.

As I was saying, the first southeast Asian Grand Prix was in fact held in Singapore way back in 1961. It was coincidentally organised in mid-September, just like the current F1 calendar. They are similar in a way (both are street circuits and therefore very tricky) but with a number of differences between the past and current track. Here is a chart I have created for easy comparison.

After watching a car ride video of the Thomson Road circuit (http://youtu.be/OKpyahvkE1E), I noticed that there is a long winding part of the circuit which starts from the Circus Hairpin all the way to the Devil's Bend. These sharp bends make this particular circuit one of the most dangerous in the world. Besides the tight turns, there were a lot of hindrances around Upper Thomson Road and Old Upper Thomson Road. Racers had to look out for huge monsoon drains, bus stop, ditches and even oil trails at the same time they drive along this track of tricks. In the span of 12 years, the track sees a death per year on average and this had involved the locals.

1973 was its final year. It wasn't till 2008 that we welcome motorsport back to our shores.

My very first F1 race was in 2011. To be honest, I was absolutely unprepared that year. I did not know what to bring and what to expect of watching a F1 race live. Although my dad may have watched a F1 race before this, it was also his first time attending a night race.

My parents treated me to a three day zone 4 walkabout ticket. That was the safest option as they were unsure which grandstand offers the best views. The walkabouts were good but it only covers 1/4 of the entire track. My height did not do good to me either. I was blocked from a good view most of the time. All I could see was a peek through someone's arm (it wasn't a pleasant spot to watch the race, trust me) while hearing the cars in the background. Thank goodness, the cars were still using the V8s then. To add on to my misery, I did not own a DSLR then. I only had an ordinary Sony camera that snaps fast objects in a blur, lights that are so unnatural, people who seemed to have turned into ghosts... #cameraproblem

2012 was the year of my GCE "O" levels and as a result, I had to skip that year. That did not stop me and my best F1 buddy (shoutout to Angie!) from sneaking out from my extra class to meet Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber at the meet and greet Casio event. It was definitely worth skipping a class for! I may not have been able to get any autographs or selfies with either of them but seeing them up close had already surpassed my expectations. I was beyond mad. My throat ached by the end of the day.


2013 was the most special Singapore GP year for me. We all know how expensive one ticket costs... My parents were not too keen on buying me tickets, knowing that they have to spend a bomb on my overseas education the following year (Here I am in Brisbane!). I had therefore put my mind off on attending the race and planned out perfectly on how I was going to spend the weekend.

It was somewhere in mid August. I had been faithfully listening to this particular radio show for the past few days, listening out for the F1 key word. The objective was to come up with an image that describes the key word as close as possible. I remember that day clearly. It was a Wednesday and the key word was circuit. I immediately stopped whatever I was doing. I cleared my study table and started running around the house to find as many cables (phones, cameras, USB) as I could. My mom thought I had gone psycho but I did not stop. I only had an hour before I had to submit a photo through Twitter. I opened up Google with an image of the Marina Bay Street Circuit and began to join them together before coming up with this.

I finished it within 20 minutes. The wait was treacherous. I was constantly checking my Twitter, stalking other people's pictures to see if they were able to beat mine. I waited for more than hour so when the direct message arrived from the DJs, I was jumping and squealing (apologies to the neighbours living below me). I HAD WON TWO PAIRS OF THREE DAY ZONE 4 WALKABOUTS! I decided to divide the tickets into three of my beloved people (Friday: Angie, Saturday: dad, Sunday: mom).

A month later, I was back at the track again. This time, I was way more prepared than my previous experience. Angie and I took our day off from college to do a track walk of our own, one week before the race. It was a smart move we have made as we were able to walk the entire track without any blocks. We covered the zones 3 and 4 like a boss, literally!

It was once again not the best tickets we could get but getting access to F1 for free at the last minute was what matters. It just felt different (I guess it's because you don't have to pay a single cent for it!). The concert line-ups were awesome, except for Rihanna's though. Rihanna's was a mega disappointment. I turned up super early every day just to soak up the race atmosphere (and get good standing spots). My shots were way better than 2011 (thank goodness) even though they were still not up to my standard. That week was that one week which I would not want to forget if I were to have amnesia in the future. It was too beautiful to let them slip through my fingers.

Despite how horrible the V6s sound to me right now (went to the Malaysian GP earlier this year), it seems to be an annual tradition to me to be exploring Singapore every September. It is the best month to look out for possible off track Singapore GP events towards the build up. There would normally be F1 cars around the city, giving clues on the venue possibilities for a meet and greet with the drivers or teams. Sadly, I have to give it a miss this year and perhaps two more until I return home... At least the Aussie local channels will be showing my home race live and clear! Thank you Channel Ten and One!

The Singapore GP has seen the same few drivers ruling the street. With Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso struggling, will we see another repeat from Lewis Hamilton? Perhaps Nico Rosberg's first win? He has consistently been in top ten in the past few races. What about Daniel Ricciardo or the Williams? What about the rookies? The rookies this season are an outstanding duo.

All I am hoping for is a sensational race. I am just asking for a different winner and podium finishers. A dramatic race (even if it is a street circuit). That is all.

Till tomorrow my fellow readers! I will be blogging on the Formula E so stay tuned! :D

I would like to thank my dear Indian friend, Sid, for helping me throughout this writing process. Couldn't have finished this without you! :) Go check his new blog out, from a marshal perspective. 

http://sidtifosi.blogspot.in/