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Formula 1
HOBBS: The Opulence Of Singapore
Singapore provides a spectacular setting...it is difficult to grasp its glamor and opulence...
An overview shows the illuminated track for the upcoming Formula One Singapore Grand Prix night race in Singapore on September 17, 2012. Formula One's Singapore Grand Prix will be held on September 21 to 23. (Photo: Getty Images)
Until you have witnessed firsthand the grandeur of the Singapore Grand Prix, it is difficult to grasp its glamor and opulence. The magnificence and prestige of the event truly embody Formula One.
Designed as a street circuit weaving through the center of the city at night, Singapore provides a spectacular setting, but one with very little run-off room for the drivers, who are hemmed in by walls like at Monte Carlo and Valencia.
While drivers face walls around them, they also must negotiate bumps underneath them because it is nearly impossible to smooth them all out on a street circuit. This characteristic challenges engineers in terms of maintaining aerodynamic balance and enabling the car to absorb the bumps. Singapore has a couple of fairly tight corners, so good mechanical grip and minimal drag are imperative for a well-handling car. This always requires a compromise for the engineers and drivers.
Not willing to compromise thus far in the 2012 championship is Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who holds a 37-point advantage over second-place Lewis Hamilton with seven races remaining. As daunting as that points lead may seem, it is not insurmountable. In fact, Hamilton holds only a one-point advantage over Kimi Raikkonen, two over Sebastian Vettel and 10 over Mark Webber, placing all four within shouting distance of Alonso. But they can’t let Alonso get much farther ahead. Jenson Button, unfortunately, was all but eliminated from the championship equation after his trouble at Monza two weeks ago.
Alonso, however, is enjoying one of those charmed seasons that does not come around every year. Not only has he been brilliant behind the wheel, especially in making the best of a subpar machine in the first three or four races of the year, he has been quite fortunate that the drivers who have finished ahead of him are considerably behind him in points. When Alonso posted a DNF at Spa, he had good company in the form of Hamilton. The Ferrari driver amazingly manages to extend his points lead under the most unexpected circumstances, so catching him will require a major effort. But in order to create a fair fight between Alonso and his closest pursuers, it will require a win by one of those guys and another DNF to befall Alonso.
If anyone is to challenge Alonso for the title, my money is on McLaren because of the way their cars are performing and the manner in which Hamilton is driving at the moment. McLaren have won the pole position and the last three races. The Red Bulls still are strong despite the fact the FIA has been quite draconian with them after it became apparent they were fudging the rules. Now Red Bull are on equal footing with other teams but remain competitive. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vettel took Red Bull to the top step of the podium Sunday at Singapore. Barring a string of mechanical failures or accidents, look for McLaren to be the class of the field.
We also should keep an eye on Hamilton’s off-track issues with McLaren, which tend to wreak havoc with his performance. They did as much last year. Hamilton has been in the news quite a bit in regard to his contract negotiations with the team for 2013 and rumored future with Mercedes. He won the pole and the race at Monza, but didn’t appear particularly happy with either feat, so one must wonder what exactly is eating at him. That situation will flesh itself out in due time, but it seems to be trending toward the acrimonious side judging by his posting on Twitter of the team’s technical data from Spa.
Despite any personal strife Hamilton currently may be experiencing, I still consider him and Vettel the two best positioned for the win this weekend. However, we keep waiting for Raikkonen finally to have a magical breakthrough, and Singapore would be as good a place as any.
Regardless of who claims victory at Singapore, Formula One fans have been treated to an outstanding season of racing. The fight rages each week and every race has been proven a classic. The competition has been outstanding all through the field – not just among the frontrunners – as evidenced by the unprecedented seven different winners in the first seven races. At that time, only three points separated the top three drivers in the championship – Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel – a gap that nearly mirrors that of this week’s separation between the second and fifth-place drivers. Now if someone would only catch that pesky Alonso.
Stay tuned to SPEED in the final seven races to see if that possibility indeed becomes a reality.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
Designed as a street circuit weaving through the center of the city at night, Singapore provides a spectacular setting, but one with very little run-off room for the drivers, who are hemmed in by walls like at Monte Carlo and Valencia.
While drivers face walls around them, they also must negotiate bumps underneath them because it is nearly impossible to smooth them all out on a street circuit. This characteristic challenges engineers in terms of maintaining aerodynamic balance and enabling the car to absorb the bumps. Singapore has a couple of fairly tight corners, so good mechanical grip and minimal drag are imperative for a well-handling car. This always requires a compromise for the engineers and drivers.
Not willing to compromise thus far in the 2012 championship is Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who holds a 37-point advantage over second-place Lewis Hamilton with seven races remaining. As daunting as that points lead may seem, it is not insurmountable. In fact, Hamilton holds only a one-point advantage over Kimi Raikkonen, two over Sebastian Vettel and 10 over Mark Webber, placing all four within shouting distance of Alonso. But they can’t let Alonso get much farther ahead. Jenson Button, unfortunately, was all but eliminated from the championship equation after his trouble at Monza two weeks ago.
Alonso, however, is enjoying one of those charmed seasons that does not come around every year. Not only has he been brilliant behind the wheel, especially in making the best of a subpar machine in the first three or four races of the year, he has been quite fortunate that the drivers who have finished ahead of him are considerably behind him in points. When Alonso posted a DNF at Spa, he had good company in the form of Hamilton. The Ferrari driver amazingly manages to extend his points lead under the most unexpected circumstances, so catching him will require a major effort. But in order to create a fair fight between Alonso and his closest pursuers, it will require a win by one of those guys and another DNF to befall Alonso.
If anyone is to challenge Alonso for the title, my money is on McLaren because of the way their cars are performing and the manner in which Hamilton is driving at the moment. McLaren have won the pole position and the last three races. The Red Bulls still are strong despite the fact the FIA has been quite draconian with them after it became apparent they were fudging the rules. Now Red Bull are on equal footing with other teams but remain competitive. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vettel took Red Bull to the top step of the podium Sunday at Singapore. Barring a string of mechanical failures or accidents, look for McLaren to be the class of the field.
We also should keep an eye on Hamilton’s off-track issues with McLaren, which tend to wreak havoc with his performance. They did as much last year. Hamilton has been in the news quite a bit in regard to his contract negotiations with the team for 2013 and rumored future with Mercedes. He won the pole and the race at Monza, but didn’t appear particularly happy with either feat, so one must wonder what exactly is eating at him. That situation will flesh itself out in due time, but it seems to be trending toward the acrimonious side judging by his posting on Twitter of the team’s technical data from Spa.
Despite any personal strife Hamilton currently may be experiencing, I still consider him and Vettel the two best positioned for the win this weekend. However, we keep waiting for Raikkonen finally to have a magical breakthrough, and Singapore would be as good a place as any.
Regardless of who claims victory at Singapore, Formula One fans have been treated to an outstanding season of racing. The fight rages each week and every race has been proven a classic. The competition has been outstanding all through the field – not just among the frontrunners – as evidenced by the unprecedented seven different winners in the first seven races. At that time, only three points separated the top three drivers in the championship – Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel – a gap that nearly mirrors that of this week’s separation between the second and fifth-place drivers. Now if someone would only catch that pesky Alonso.
Stay tuned to SPEED in the final seven races to see if that possibility indeed becomes a reality.
The opinions reflected herein are solely those of the above commentator and are not necessarily those of SPEED.com, FOX, NewsCorp, or SPEED
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