4th DRS Zone for Singapore
Posted on September 18, 2024 Tags: Formula One
Desperate Times for Daniel
IF THERE WAS EVER A GOOD TIME for an impressive finish for Daniel Ricciardo, this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix is it!
The reality is only two cars remain vacant before the 2025 Formula One driver line-up is finalised.
One of them is Daniel’s RB. The only other – a single Sauber drive.
And the 35-year-old’s result around the superlative Azerbaijan street circuit was nothing short of dismal, given the current circumstances.
Mysteries of Tyre Graining
“It was a tough race. The start felt okay; the medium runners in front of me looked like they were struggling, and we were able to catch them,” Daniel said, after Baku.
“I was on the hard tyre and tried to use it where I could by going long, and finding the pace.
“After a few laps, we picked up a lot of graining, which got worse and worse over 10 laps, causing us to be a few seconds off the pace. The team could see some other cars were clearing the graining; however, it definitely took us a lot longer.
“When we did, we were able to come back and have a bit of pace again, but we had lost a lot of ground. I’ve never experienced graining like that, the swing of lap time was up to four seconds.
“We need to understand why we had more graining for longer. Looking ahead, I love Singapore’s Marina Bay Street Circuit, so hopefully we can have a stronger weekend there.”
RB team principal Laurent Mekies commented:
“This wasn’t the weekend we were hoping for. Everyone in Faenza and Bicester are working hard to improve in every single area and to introduce more developments soon. Let’s see if we can do better starting on the streets of Singapore in a few days’ time.”
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marco said recently Singapore was a defining moment in the Perth ace’s future.
While Daniel has never won here i Singapore, he invariably performs well around the steamy streets of Marina Bay. Last year he started 16th and finished fifth, behind winner Carlos Sainz, and Lando Norris, Lewis Hamilton and Charles LeClerc.
One thing is for sure and certain. Daniel Ricciardo will give it his very best shot!
Sky’s the Limit for Oscar
While rumours surrounding Daniel’s future were rife in Baku – and are bound to be front and centre in Singapore – fellow Australian Oscar Piastri was the toast of the Azerbaijan capital, scoring a monumental victory – a win for the ages!
It certainly was a defining moment for Melbourne’s current favourite son, with calls up and down the Paddock from some of the sport’s greats hailing a new world champion in the not-too-distant future.
And for mine – despite Daniel’s disappointment – Baku is up there up for the best F1 race of the 2024 season!
The spectacular divebomb appeared to catch Charles Leclerc totally by surprise, but it was judged and executed to perfection by Oscar. There was no panic or out-of-control moment. He didn’t lock up or run too wide, nor did he make contact with either his rival or the barriers.
“That’s what won me the race!”
Oscar and Andrea
As a defiant Oscar said, it was “what won me the race”.
He admitted he had ignored his race engineer Tom Stallard’s advice to bring his tyres in gently during the first stint by going for the overtake. The 23-year-old Aussie knew it was now or never, and his killer instinct took over.
“I felt a bit sorry for my race engineer because I basically tried to do that in the first stint and completely cooked my tyres,” Oscar said.
“So, my engineer came on the radio and said, ‘Let’s not do that again.‘ Basically, I completely ignored him the next lap and sent it down the inside.
Intelligent defending
“If I didn’t take that opportunity then I was never going to have another one.
“Credit to Charles, he was incredibly fair. I think maybe he thought I was going to sail on into the run-off, but I was pleasantly surprised that I actually made the corner!
“It was a high-risk, high commitment move. But that’s what I needed to do to try and win the race because I wasn’t really going to be that keen to finish second. So, I had to try.”
McLaren team principal Italian Andrea Stella admitted he had doubted whether Oscar would be able to pull off the manoeuvre from such a long way back.
“When I watched the move live and I saw him going to the inside, my instinct said he is going to go long,” Andrea, former race engineer for Michael Schumacher and Kimi Räikkönen, said.
“But that’s why I want to emphasise the precision Oscar showed in the execution on the inside apex kerb in corner one. I was surprised by the move, but Oscar is always surprising us with his talent and ability.”
For the record, Australia’s last F1 world champion was Alan Jones, who piloted his Williams to victory in 1980.
An Extraordinary logistical challenge
With some 7000 kilometres separating Baku and Singapore, the entire F1 circus has just tackled yet another logistical challenge of this very long season.
Moving personnel, cars and equipment in a matter of a couple of days from the shores of the Caspian Sea to the city-state where the Malacca Straights meet the South China Sea is a serious feat.
And this is the first time these two races have been run back-to-back.
Here on the Equator, the dry weather compounds chosen for the 15th running of the Singapore Grand Prix are the same as last year’s.
In fact, they’re the same as at the past two races – at Monza and Baku – on tracks each with very different characteristics: C3 as Hard, C4 as Medium and C5 as Soft.
Modified last year with the aim of making it flow better, the Marina Bay Circuit is still one of the twistiest of the season. Its length is now down to 4.940km, with the number of laps increasing to 62.
In the final sector, between what used to include turns 16 to 19, a 400m long straight has replaced them – with corners reduced from 23 to 19.
Much of the track has been resurfaced since last year, so the first free practice session is significant giving everyone an opportunity to acquire crucial tyre data.
Safety Cars a Common Sight
As with all street circuits, the slightest mistake in Singapore comes at a high price. With very few run-off areas, even running a fraction off-line can end up in the barriers.
So, the Safety Car is a common sight here, as it takes quite a while to remove a stricken car from the track.
The one-stop the only valid strategy for Singapore: the time lost for a tyre change pit stop is around 28 seconds, partly because the pit lane speed limit is reduced to 60 km/h.
A two-stop need only be considered in the event of the race being neutralised.
And overtaking here is very complex
Usually, the Soft is purely a qualifying tyre, with the race laps split between the Medium and the Hard. However, last year the C5 played its part on Sunday, especially in the first stint with drivers wanting to make the most of its extra grip at the start.
The Marina Bay circuit often sees the formation of a train of cars, all running nose to tail, unable to overtake because there is not enough of a performance difference.
In an effort to produce more on-track action, the FIA has introduced a fourth DRS zone for this weekend, between turns 14 and 16.
We’ll have to wait until Sunday to see if it produces the desired result.
Singapore – serious humidity!
Adding to the unpredictable nature of this race is the weather.
Sitting astride the Equator, Singapore’s climate does not vary, with high humidity – rarely below 70% – with the chance of rain showers, some very heavy, at any time of the day or night.
Despite that, it’s still among my favourite cities to visit.
Singapore is an absolute delight!
Marina Bay Street Circuit
SINGAPORE was the first ever Grand Prix to be run at night under floodlights and, visually, it has always provided a great show.
As usual on a tight track, qualifying is paramount when it comes to the race result, which explains why nine of the 14 races to date have been won from pole position.
The King of the Island State is Sebastian Vettel who won here five times, four from pole – while his total podium tally is eight.
The German quit the sport in 2022, so he could lose his crown to Lewis Hamilton who has the same number of poles and four wins to date, while he is also closing in on Seb’s record for top three finishes, with seven.
SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX
Perth Time
Marina Bay Street Circuit | 20 – 22 Sep
P1 Friday 20th September 17:30
P2 Friday 20th September 21:00
P3 Saturday 21st September 17:30
Qualifying
Saturday 21st September 21:00
RACE
Sunday 22nd September 20:00
EDITED by AC
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