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Going to a
new race venue always causes some excitement in the
Formula 1 paddock, but there was definitely an extra
special feeling to today's first practice session for
the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, for the obvious
reason that it took place at night under artificial
lighting. None of the drivers reported any problems with
this, but in terms of spectacle, against the neon lit
skyscrapers of the city, it really was something special
and on the television screens, the clarity of the car
designs stood out far more clearly than usual, giving
the impression of watching a high quality computer game.
Adding to the special nature of this weekend, the
Singapore race also represents another landmark in the
history of the sport - it is the eight hundredth grand
prix to be held since the World Championship began in
1950.
However, when the first session got underway at the very
unusual time of 19h00 (local time) it was very much a
case of business as usual for the ten teams and twenty
drivers. The new track provided some pleasant surprises,
like a good level of grip despite the dirty surface and
some not so pleasant, such as the rather bumpy nature of
some sections, which required some set-up changes to
deal with this inconvenience. The two Scuderia Ferrari
Marlboro drivers were generally happy with the handling
of the F2008, although Kimi Raikkonen, seventh fastest
at the end of the day, found that a switch to settings
tried last week in Mugello, did not bring any
improvement. Felipe Massa did not try these changes and
ended the day in third place. Fastest was Fernando
Alonso in the Renault, followed by series leader Lewis
Hamilton in the McLaren-Mercedes, with his team-mate,
Heikki Kovalainen fourth. Nico Rosberg was fifth for
Williams-Toyota and Robert Kubica rounded off the top
six in his BMW-Sauber. In the early hours of Friday
morning, there was a very heavy storm in the city, but
so far all track activity has taken place in the dry.
However, there are rumours of a possible rain shower
around the time of tomorrow's Qualifying session.
"Definitely a different Friday
to usual: the timetable and the on track action taking
place under artificial lighting gave it a really special
atmosphere," commented the Team Principal of the Gestione Sportiva, Stefano Domenicali. "Overall, this
has been a positive day. We acquired a lot of data which
we must analyse to be as well prepared as possible for
qualifying and the race. From what we saw today, and
taking into account the usual unknowns on a Friday, we
should be competitive compared to our closest rivals."
Felipe Massa: "A positive day. This is only the
start of the weekend and there is still a lot of work to
do, but we have got off on the right foot. The car is
handling well, especially on the harder tyres, but we
know track conditions will improve so it is too early to
draw conclusions. Visibility is not a problem. The entry
and exit to the pit lane could turn out to be a bit
critical in the race. In general, the track surface has
a lot of grip but in some points there are some bumps
that are a bit of a pain. I think we will be
competitive: whether we will be more or less so than our
rivals, I cannot yet say. It is a street circuit which
means you have to concentrate all the time as there is
no margin for error."
Kimi Raikkonen: "The visibility is great and you
don't really feel you are driving at night with all the
lights on the track. In general I like the track
although some parts are too bumpy. The entry and exit to
the pit lane are pretty difficult and we will have to be
very careful. At the start of the day, we had a well
balanced car and then, in the afternoon, we tried a
modification to the front end that we had tried at the
Mugello test last week, but it did not produce the
effect we hoped for, but there was not enough time to
switch back. Overall, I think we will be competitive.
Overtaking? I don't think we will see much, as usual in
fact."
Luca Baldisserri: "Running under these lighting
conditions and to this time schedule has been a very
interesting experience. From a strictly technical point
of view, it was a normal Friday, dedicated to finding
the best set-up and comparing the two types of tyre
available. In general, the F2008 seems pretty well
balanced on this track. In the second session, on Kimi's
car, we tried some settings we had tested last week at
Mugello, which apparently do not seem to offer much in
the way of performance. However, we must analyse the
data carefully, before reaching any definite
conclusions. At some points on the track, the kerbs make
driving very demanding, which can be seen from the fact
that there were quite a few spins and off track
excursions. Also, the entry and exit to the pit lane
have to be approached with caution both by those using
them and the cars out on track."
Free practice - First session
F. Massa: 2nd 1.45.598 23 laps, chassis 269
K. Raikkonen: 3rd 1.45.961 24 laps, chassis 271
Weather: air 29 °C, track 31/30 °C.
Free Practice - Second session
F. Massa: 3rd 1.45.793 31 laps, chassis 269
K. Raikkonen: 7th 1.46.580 25 laps, chassis 271
Weather: air 29 °C, track 30 °C.
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