SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Mercedes looking for Singapore sling

After failing to deliver on the promise of the team's first GP win in China, Mercedes is hopeful that it can make a performance jump in the Singapore GP, the Marina Bay circuit having its own particullat set of demands.

After failing to deliver on the promise of the team's first GP win in China, Mercedes is hopeful that it can make a performance jump in the Singapore GP, the Marina Bay circuit having its own particular set of demands.

The track has nine corners taken at below 100kph -- more than Monaco -- with low-speed traction and drivability key factors. The team has been hard at worlk with its new exhaust system, run by Sam Bird and Brendon Hartley at the recent Magny Cours young driver test, and it is felt that the developments could be particularly beneficial in Singapore.

The teams also have to be tactically aware in what is a demanding race -- the drivers change gear some 80 times a lap, some 50% higher than average and double that of Monza, for example. The Safety Car has been deployed in all four Singapore Gps run to date, most famously of course in the inaugural event in 2008, won by Fernando Alonso's Renault after team mate Nelson Piquet Jr crashed deliberately...

Then there are the demands of F1's only night start to contend with.

"The reality is that you have to stay on European time and in the right bio-rhythms because it's unusual to be competing at that time of day," says Michael Schumacher. After a reasonably encouraging weekend at Monza we have good expectations of another promising performance."