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