Singapore Grand Prix – Pre Race Quotes
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Sep 27, 2008
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Note - Positions and times refer to practice two
Fernando Alonso, Renault (1st, 1m 45.654s):
“The first day of work has gone well. The circuit is interesting, very bumpy in places, especially into turn number 7, and we have to keep an eye on that because it can become a problem. In terms of the lighting, when I walked the track I was impressed, but behind the wheel at 300 km/h some parts of the track are a bit dark. But despite that, this is an amazing opportunity for the spectators to attend a night race and I am satisfied with my day.”
Lewis Hamilton, McLaren (2nd, +0.098s):
“Through certain corners there was lots of bottoming, and when you hit a bump it would throw the car around quite a bit - but it’s an amazing venue. On my first proper run, I managed to find a half-decent line - but the car was still bottoming in places. I was able to get more comfortable with the car; on first impressions, there seems to be quite a lot of grip on the track, so you can brake quite late into the slower corners. It’s a very physical circuit - more than I expected, actually. You need to put a lot of work into the car to get a good lap - I’d say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps of Monaco!”
Felipe Massa, Ferrari (3rd, +0.139s):
“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.”
Heikki Kovalainen, McLaren (4th, +0.143s):
“To be honest, racing under the lights wasn’t really a problem. The track was quite bumpy. Perhaps we should also look at the pit entry - it could be quite difficult if a driver decides to pull into the pits at the last minute. However, everything else about the track is fine. The visibility was fine, to be honest - I don’t think it really makes any difference for the drivers. Same with the bumps, we’ll get used to them very fast. This place has got some difficult corners but I quite like all the sectors. It was quite a busy session today and the traffic made it a bit difficult to pull a clear lap together but it feels good when you get it right.”
Nico Rosberg, Williams (5th, +0.510s):
“In general I think we can be quite happy with our performance today. We have started well and I feel quite confident that we can have a good weekend. Of course there is some way to go to see how we will shape up with the competition around us. As far as the track is concerned, it is a lot of fun to drive but it is however incredibly bumpy, so much so you could even get a headache! But, importantly, the track is safe and the visibility under the lights is absolutely fine. The organisers have done an amazing job and I think everybody will have a great weekend.”
Robert Kubica, BMW Sauber (6th, +0.730s):
“As expected the track is quite demanding - not only for the driver but also for the car. You are always going round corners and the surface is very bumpy, especially in two or three places. It is very important to have a stable car here as you can easily lose a lot of time in several corners. On the first lap I got used to the track and, as I was going at a good pace immediately, we were then able to start working on the set-up. In the second session we did the tyre comparison. Now we have to analyse the data and see what we have to change for tomorrow.”
