2015 Singapore Grand Prix

[AndyL]

Session times for this weekend:

Friday 18 Sept
Free practice 1 starts: BST 11:00 AM, local 6:00 PM
Free practice 2 starts: BST 2:30 PM, local 9:30 PM
Saturday 19 Sept
Free practice 3 starts: BST 11:00 AM, local 6:00 PM
Qualifying starts: BST 2:00 PM, local 9:00 PM
Sunday 20 Sept
Race starts: BST 1:00 PM, local 8:00 PM

[Mia 01]

I´m excited for this race and Think that Kimi can be among the top scorer. Hope Vettel is there and about to.

[AndyL]

This seems like a make-or-break weekend for McLaren. If they don't manage to score points here they will be solidly on course for their worst ever season. A record that currently dates from when Bruce McLaren ran only his own car and didn't even enter half the races.

[Mia 01]

Yeah, MacLaren. When Everything falls apart its hard to put the heart in it, i Think the drivers agree.

[Bagwan]

Is your boy , Kimi , gonna be up there again tomorrow , Mia ?
He did great today .

[Mia 01]

Hope so Baggy, hope so.

[N. Jones]

Damn, I missed practice, Anything exciting?

[Tazio]

Nope! :stareup:

[Bagwan]

Damn, I missed practice, Anything exciting?

Only that the Mercs are slow , and the reds and bulls are fast .

Could end being a squirrely grid .

That's pretty exciting , isn't it , Taz ?

[raybak]

Button and Alonso into Q2

[truefan72]

I see the fIA have found a way to slow mercedes down artificially.
figure out what optimal psi mercedes run, then mandate it 2 psi higher (than the previous year)
ridiculous.

[AndyL]

Great qualifying performance by Vettel. Looks like we are in for an interesting race tomorrow. Do Mercedes have an answer in race trim?

Meanwhile Jenson is doing a great audition for the Top Gear job in his interview with Sky.

[Tazio]

Only that the Mercs are slow , and the reds and bulls are fast .

Could end being a squirrely grid .

That's pretty exciting , isn't it , Taz ?
Well yes it is now that quali has supported practice times. I can't really see Merc fighting for the win here. Seb is out of his mind with that q3 time. It looks like RB and the scuds will fight it out for the win. Great for a change IMO.

[Mia 01]

Very pleased with todays quali. Seb and Kimi one and third. Take good care at the start tomorrow Kimi!!!

[Bagwan]

I see the fIA have found a way to slow mercedes down artificially.
figure out what optimal psi mercedes run, then mandate it 2 psi higher (than the previous year)
ridiculous.

So , if Pirelli was mandating that pressures being run stayed above a certain number , but found that the pressures were dropping below that limit on the grid , does it not make sense that they up the starting pressure ?
After all , the most dangerous moments in any GP are at the start , so how could it be wrong to make sure the safest conditions exist at that point , in regard to the tires ?
Upping the pressure by 2 psi will ensure they stay in mandated operating temperatures for the whole race .


This particular loophole is now closed , and it remains to be seen how soon they will work out how to get around this issue , as it looks to me like more than just the lack of being able to let that engine stretch it's legs that's making them slow here .
Both Lewis and Nico had big trouble getting the skins working , and so , I think you're right that the pressure is getting to them .

I just don't see it as a bad thing .

[dj_bytedisaster]

I see the fIA have found a way to slow mercedes down artificially.
figure out what optimal psi mercedes run, then mandate it 2 psi higher (than the previous year)
ridiculous.

Maybe they just couldn't cheat on tyre pressures like they did at Monza...

[raybak]

Tom Clarkson just confirmed that VW group has bought Redbull and will run Ferrari engines for two years until 2018 Audi engines. Renault has bought Lotus as well.

[gm99]

That safety car period was a bit long...

[raybak]

The sweepers weren't quick enough.

[gm99]

The sweepers weren't quick enough.

Considering that Singapore is widely considered to be the cleanest city in the world, you'd think they have some experience in sweeping up :p

[Tazio]

Is the boss in trouble?

[longisland]

KERS not working. Team is telling him to hit the Cyril-Alt-Del keys

[Tazio]

Boss is dropping like a freakin' rock!

[AndyL]

KERS not working. Team is telling him to hit the Cyril-Alt-Del keys

I think that's the reset sequence on Renault engines, not Mercedes :)

[Tazio]

Boss is toast!

[Tazio]

Fred done!

[AndyL]

Boss is toast!

As are Felipe and Fernando... a whole rack of toast

Meanwhile Button reaches a short-lived 6th place.

[N4D13]

Some guys just can't wait until the end of the race for getting an autograph...

[veeten]

oh great... it's like Silverstone and the "Mad Monk" all over again. :p:

[Tazio]

Got some nut-case on the track!

[veeten]

As are Felipe and Fernando... a whole rack of toast

Meanwhile Button reaches a short-lived 6th place.

Hey, why not. It's morning here in the States, and I'm sure that it's 'tea time' there in the Isles.

Butter and jam, at the ready. :lips: :D ;)

[Tazio]

What the hell are we watching boyz? :p:

[Tazio]

And their goes Buttons wing :dork:

[AndyL]

And their goes Buttons wing :dork:

Along with a good chance of a few points. Careless. Seems like in his mind, he's retired already.

[Tazio]

Along with a good chance of a few points. Careless. Seems like in his mind, he's retired already.
Careless is a good choice of words, not your usual JB mistake.

[N4D13]

Careless is a good choice of words, not your usual JB mistake.
Actually I think that's a very usual JB mistake, as in drunk driving.

[N4D13]

By the way, that's two retirements from Macca out of a possible two and these shouldn't be Honda's fault, as the issue lies in the gearbox.

[Mia 01]

I´m pleased with my boys, both on the podium, yes, yes, yes!! Next week it´s Kimis turn I imagine.

[zako85]

Even though none of Mercedes cars were no the podium, it was still a processional race. The top three finished where they started. I haven't seen a real battle for positions. 6/10 at best.

[The Black Knight]

Maldonado for race donkey again.

Massa and Hulk as well. I can't understand Hiuk getting a penalty for that manoeuvre & Felipe not getting any. I think both drivers were at fault. I think Felipe could have backed out of it and Hulk could have given more room.

I enjoyed to race and, even though I'm a Hammy fan, it was good to see someone else winning. Sublime by Vettel all race too and Danny keeping ze German honest too.

[N. Jones]

Felipe had nowhere to go.
Race was ok, 7/10.

[dj_bytedisaster]

Donkey of the race goes to the promoter. Denying Vettel to take the Ferrari flag to the podium and the altercation with Ferrari mechanics. Did the wrong team win or what is that shyte all about?

[Mekola]

I also give 7/10 to the race. More amazed by Vettel performance, was about Ricciardo's, considering the current situation at Red Bull Racing. This result came perfect to that team.

[Zico]

Donkey of the race goes to the promoter. Denying Vettel to take the Ferrari flag to the podium and the altercation with Ferrari mechanics. Did the wrong team win or what is that shyte all about?

I missed that, its a bit crap, maybe they have a strict protocol for podium cermonies?


Never thought I'd say this... but its actually great to see Ferrari back at the front again, hope it continues... well... as long as they don't completely dominate again like Merc, and Red bull have. :)

[henners88]

Good race and even as a fan of Lewis it is nice to see someone else win for a change. I really don't know how Vettel fans enjoyed dominance for so many seasons! Well done Vettel today though he took control of the weekend.

Verstappen impressed me today, what a cool driver for the future.

Great to see Hamilton upbeat despite a difficult day with his car. Hopefully the humidity played a part in many of the problems today.

[Duncan]

Donkey of the race goes to the promoter. Denying Vettel to take the Ferrari flag to the podium and the altercation with Ferrari mechanics. Did the wrong team win or what is that shyte all about?

No idea what was going on there. Definitely pretty daft, but eclipsed in donkey-ness by the spectator making his way onto the track. I think that one qualifies for a lifetime burro achievement award

[Duncan]

Did you see the NBC interview with Lewis after the race? I've never seen anybody looking so cheerful right after a mechanical retirement when he was positioned with a decent shot at the podium.

I have a theory: Lewis is cheerful because he's just realized that Vettel is now only trailing Nico by 8 points in the WDC. On the current development trajectory of Ferrari relative to Mercedes, even with the new Merc engine there's a pretty decent chance that Nico will get overhauled. Lewis' commitment to the team notwithstanding, that would make him very happy; every time a driver wins the WDC with a car seen as dominant, the charge will be thrown at them that they didn't "really" win on their own merit and "anybody would have won with that car". It's been thrown at Lewis before, Vettel many times in the RB days and at Jenson. If Nico doesn't take second place, though, that argument kind of comes off the table...

[The Black Knight]

Did you see the NBC interview with Lewis after the race? I've never seen anybody looking so cheerful right after a mechanical retirement when he was positioned with a decent shot at the podium.

I have a theory: Lewis is cheerful because he's just realized that Vettel is now only trailing Nico by 8 points in the WDC. On the current development trajectory of Ferrari relative to Mercedes, even with the new Merc engine there's a pretty decent chance that Nico will get overhauled. Lewis' commitment to the team notwithstanding, that would make him very happy; every time a driver wins the WDC with a car seen as dominant, the charge will be thrown at them that they didn't "really" win on their own merit and "anybody would have won with that car". It's been thrown at Lewis before, Vettel many times in the RB days and at Jenson. If Nico doesn't take second place, though, that argument kind of comes off the table...

I really doubt that is why Hamilton is so cheerful. If there was a weekend that he could have chosen to retire throughout the season then I'm pretty sure he would have picked this one. By retiring this race, it means that Nico only gains 12 points versus the almost certain 25 at another track and now Vettel is in close proximity. What it does mean, should Vettel get even closer, is that Mercedes will probably have to back Lewis for the championship vs Nico otherwise they risk a 2010 scenario where Vettel may steal it again.

Honestly, I wouldn't be too concerned if I were the Mercedes. We'll know more in Suzuka and if this was a one of for the event and tires or if it is going to continue. I suspect it will not continue in Japan and they will be back on top, but it's no harm if Ferrari are a lot closer :)

[onemanband]

It's been thrown at Lewis before, Vettel many times in the RB days and at Jenson. If Nico doesn't take second place, though, that argument kind of comes off the table...

But Webber never finished 2nd to Vettel and the "anybody would have won with that car" people were still at it and one of them was Hamilton himself.

[AndyL]

Lewis has seemed pretty chilled generally since his summer holiday. But as per BK's post, no doubt he would have been much less happy if Nico had scored 25 points.

[Nitrodaze]

Honestly, I wouldn't be too concerned if I were the Mercedes. We'll know more in Suzuka and if this was a one of for the event and tires or if it is going to continue. I suspect it will not continue in Japan and they will be back on top, but it's no harm if Ferrari are a lot closer :)

I am not so sure about Singapore being a blip in performance. All the facts point to the higher tyre pressure being a source of their lack of form. This will certainly continue at other tracks if they do not find a solution to running the cars on the higher pressure effectively. It is quite possible for this issue to throw the championship wide open, especially with 150 points on the table.

[rjbetty]

Right, well honestly I don't watch the races anymore, but that's cos I don't have a telly licence. I follow on bbc site and Radio 5 Live. And I fell asleep partway through the race. That's not a criticism, I was wrecked after many long night hours. :)

So from what I could see:

Congrats and fair play to Vettel. Outqualifying Kimi by over half a second(?) and just really looking totally on it all weekend. This is one thing I respect about him, his hunger and passion. He realises he may suddenly have a sniff of the title after all and is seeking it with no thought of giving up. If Mercedes problems continue, who knows, he could even go all the way 2010 style, which would be an astonishing thought pre-season.

Shocked as everyone else about Merc. Just baffling. You'd have to think it has something to do with the pressures cos nothing else has changed. What's worse is that unreliability is creeping in. Stranger things have happened than them ending up losing the title.

I noticed Ricciardo finished right behind Vettel. I don't know how much was safety cars etc but could he have actually done an even better job than the driver in 1st?

Honda absolutely terrible. I have less faith in them now than before the season. This was supposed to be the big one. I recently even suggested a surprise podium could be on the cards if they all fell right. I have to suggest that the much vaunted recent engine upgrade, much hoped and looked forward to, has actually done a Renault and gotten even worse! I still wouldn't mind that much but I am starting to wonder if Honda, with their policies and methods, which seem very... detached/exclusive and insular, may actually be delusional, to use a strong word. This is very worrying if it's the case.

Now it looks like Jenson's leaving, seemingly having had one too many seasons at the back of the grid in his career. As has been said, this would be a pretty massive vote of no-confidence in McLaren, or rather their weak link, and doesn't bode well for 2016.

Team orders! A tricky issue, as for me, context plays a huge part in it. A very grey area for me. Max Verstappen's "NO!" was equivalent to Massa and Bottas in Malaysia 2014 for me so I don't feel much issue with this. I really doubt Sainz could have passed Perez so no points were lost imo.

Silly season looked to be extremely dull this year, especially with Kimi retained, meaning status quo in many seats remained. Of course it was never going to live up to the last 3 years, in which the top 3 drivers all fell out of love with the teams they seemed married to. But now it's been blown open a bit over the weekend. Apparently we have Jenson retiring, Grosjean signing for Haas, Renault taking over Lotus as a works team, retaining Maldonado, and reportedly signing Perez, leaving at least 2 other seats open; then Manor about to get Merc engines to boot!

[The Black Knight]

I am not so sure about Singapore being a blip in performance. All the facts point to the higher tyre pressure being a source of their lack of form. This will certainly continue at other tracks if they do not find a solution to running the cars on the higher pressure effectively. It is quite possible for this issue to throw the championship wide open, especially with 150 points on the table.

Tire pressures have nothing to do with it. This was something spouted around by journalists, including Brundle, at the weekend but the tire pressures were back to normal for the Signapore GP. The recommended PSI was 16 or 17 (can't remember which) whereas it was 19 in Monza which they won comfortably. It was just the nature of the track and them not being able to get the tires into the correct operating temperature but that was down to the car than tire pressures.

[rjbetty]

So anyway, Perez is expectd to be confirmed at Force India after all. Don't know who started that Renault rumour. Jean-Eric Vergne seems to be the favourite to drive alongside Brambillla, er I mean Maldonado.

[Nitrodaze]

Tire pressures have nothing to do with it. This was something spouted around by journalists, including Brundle, at the weekend but the tire pressures were back to normal for the Signapore GP. The recommended PSI was 16 or 17 (can't remember which) whereas it was 19 in Monza which they won comfortably. It was just the nature of the track and them not being able to get the tires into the correct operating temperature but that was down to the car than tire pressures.


So let’s clarify what the minimum tyre pressures has been over the past few races:

Belgium: Front tyres – 18.5 psi; Rear tyres – 20 psi

Italy: Front tyres -19.5 psi; Rear tyres – 21 psi

Singapore: Front tyres – 18 psi; Rear tyres – 17 psi

Last year the front tyre limits were set by Pirelli at 16 Psi on the front. This has been raised by two Psi to 18 and the rear tyres must be at least 17 Psi.

Pirelli raised the tyre pressures at Monza by 3 Psi when compared to 2014.

sources:-
http://thejudge13.com/2015/09/17/pirelli-raise-tyre-pressures-for-f1-singapore-gp/

http://thewptformula.com/2015/09/19/analysis-why-are-mercedes-off-the-pace-in-singapore/

[Nitrodaze]

So anyway, Perez is expectd to be confirmed at Force India after all. Don't know who started that Renault rumour. Jean-Eric Vergne seems to be the favourite to drive alongside Brambillla, er I mean Maldonado.

Don't forget Audi join F1 in 2018 with Redbull. Big news this. At least they would have 2 years to develop a competitive engine. I could see them ruffling a few feathers.

[henners88]

Don't forget Audi join F1 in 2018 with Redbull. Big news this. At least they would have 2 years to develop a competitive engine. I could see them ruffling a few feathers.

Unless the VW Group are forced into liquidation over the emissions scandal. Doubtful but we don't know how much money they are going to lose. Motorsports might be relegated to the back of their list of priorities.

[The Black Knight]

So let’s clarify what the minimum tyre pressures has been over the past few races:

Belgium: Front tyres – 18.5 psi; Rear tyres – 20 psi

Italy: Front tyres -19.5 psi; Rear tyres – 21 psi

Singapore: Front tyres – 18 psi; Rear tyres – 17 psi

Last year the front tyre limits were set by Pirelli at 16 Psi on the front. This has been raised by two Psi to 18 and the rear tyres must be at least 17 Psi.

Pirelli raised the tyre pressures at Monza by 3 Psi when compared to 2014.

sources:-
http://thejudge13.com/2015/09/17/pirelli-raise-tyre-pressures-for-f1-singapore-gp/

http://thewptformula.com/2015/09/19/analysis-why-are-mercedes-off-the-pace-in-singapore/

Great so that puts the tire pressure argument to bed then as the PSI was larger in the previous two events which they won.

[jens]

Personally I think Singapore is a one-off for Mercedes. Street circuits can sometimes throw in outliers, which don't apply elsewhere. Alonso was 5th in Hungary, but he is hardly going to repeat it elsewhere. Williams is struggling at Monaco, Hungary (lesser extent at Singapore), but is good elsewhere.

I remember in 2002 and 2004, when Ferrari utterly dominated, they could not win at Monaco and could not even qualify on the front row on either occasion.

Of course it came completely out of the blue that Mercedes could not manage tyres there and was absolutely nowhere by their standards, reminding 2013, when they had big tyre management issues despite having an inherently fast car.