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2009 SINGAPORE GP

Welcome to the 2009 Singapore GP Thread. cjek and mjk1 will keep the thread updated with the latest times as they happen.

RANDOM FACT

An estimated 400 million people watched the first night race on TV last year.

POINTS OF DISCUSSION

1. Will the Renault CrashGate incident overshadow this weekend for you?
2. Should Renault avoid exclusions, who do you see taking over the helm at the team?
3. With it seemingly likely both Red Bulls will be knocked out of contention soon, which of the two drivers do you feel has given the better performance over the year?
4. What have your impressions been of Kimi Raikkonen, having achieved four podiums in-a-row for the first time since the start of 2008?
5. With just 4 races to go, which driver is going to take the title: Button, Barrichello, Vettel or Webber?
6. What were your opinions of the Singapore GP last year?

SCHEDULE FOR WEEKEND

Friday 25
First practice: 1800-1930 (1100-1230 BST)
Second practice: 2130 -2300 (1430-1600 BST)

Saturday 26
Third practice: 1900 -2000 (1200-1300 BST)
Qualifying: 2200 (1500 BST)

Sunday 27
Race: 2000 (1300 BST)

WEEKEND WEATHER

FRIDAY: Clear Sky, Minimum 28 deg. cent.
SATURDAY: Clear Sky, Minimum 28 deg. cent.
SUNDAY: Clear Sky, Minimum 29 deg. cent.

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

THURSDAY:Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari), Nico Rosberg (Williams) and Mark Webber (Red Bull). 10AM BST.

FRIDAY:Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Norbert Haug (Mercedes), Sam Michael (Williams) and Mario Thiessen (BMW). 3:15PM BST.

BBC PRESENTS THE SINGAPORE GP

PREVIOUS SESSIONS
Friday Practice 1
Friday Practice 2
Qualifying
Race
Forum

I follow the news and politics around formula 1 very closely but I wont be thinking much about it until a verdict is reached.

Not sure on Renaults enginering and team management crew so personally I have no idea, I imagine it would be best for them to bring in a current staff member and promote them to the positions vacated by Pat Symonds and Flavio Briatore.

Vettel has been faster but Webber was far more consistant in his performances. Pity the Renault was having possible integration issues to the RB5 chassis which may have been a contributing factor to the engine failures or perhaps the Red Bull drivers could be closer but ultimately the Red Bulls have been falling off the pace for a few races now when they were thought to do well in Spa and Monza, is it just that the Renault engine doesn't have enough power and reliability to take the fight to the Mercedes units?

I have always been a fan of Kimi surprisingly and I was disapointed to see him fall off the band wagon at the end of last year. While he remained close and did challenge for wins (Spa, Singapore and Fuji) he crashed out of two the races due in a large part to driver error and then the 1st corner drama of Fuji stunted his race there. I'm glad he's back on the pace and really out performing the car and silencing the critics.

Button is in the best place but I'm rooting for Barrichello as the RBR drivers aren't really in contention anymore.

Plenty of drama due to the pitlane incidents and 'crashgate' (eugh stupid title) but otherwise the race would have been a snore.

1. Politics rarely overshadow the racing for me, unless they seriously affect the racing. I'll be curious to see the outcome in this situation, but no matter what happens I'll hopefully be able to enjoy the weekend. What does annoy me is that the entertaining race last year was fake.

2. No idea.

3. I say Vettel. He's had significant engine problems to deal with and he's still ahead of Webber.

4. Kimi still has it, and I hope he stays in F1 next year. I've been really impressed by him this season.

5. Looking at Jenson's results compared to Barrichello's this season, it's clear to me that Button is the one who should come out on top come Abu Dhabi. Vettel and Webber have no chance now really, Brawn have an upgrade too which should knock it down to a 2 horse race.

6. It was a good venue for a race, and the night setting really added to the atmosphere. I just can't believe that the result was effectively rigged though

SINGAPORE CARRIES OUT TRACK CHANGES

Singapore Grand Prix organisers have carried out modifications to the circuit for this weekend's second race in the country.

The Marina Bay circuit, which hosted F1's first night race last year, has been tweaked in several places in order to improve the racing conditions this season.

Among the most significant changes, there's a modification to the pit exit, which has been realigned to join the track after the first corner.

The pit entry has also been realigned to leave the track before turn 22.

Organisers said the circuit has been resurfaced between turns 5 and 7 in order to reduce the bumps many drivers complained about last year.

The rest of the changes are:

· The outer pit lane has been resurfaced.

· New kerbs have been installed on the entry to turns 1 and 5.

· The apexes of turns 13 and 14 have been tightened slightly.

· The second and third apexes of turn 10 have been moved left and right respectively to make the chicane slower.

· The kerbs on the three apexes of turn 10 have been redesigned in order to reduce the risk of a car being damaged if it crosses them.

· The kerbs on the exit of turn 14 have been moved 10 metres downstream.

· All rubber exit kerbs have additional fixations.

· An extra driver egress point has been added on the left between turns 17 and 18.

• The wall around the outside of turns 22 and 23 has been moved closer to the track.

SOURCE: Autosport

LIUZZI: SINGPORE WILL BE HARDER

Vitantonio Liuzzi expects this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix to be a tougher challenge for him despite showing potentially podium-finishing pace on his Formula 1 comeback at Monza two weeks ago.

The Italian, who retired from the Italian Grand Prix with a driveshaft problem while on course for a certain top five finish, fears that the unfamiliar and floodlit Marina Bay circuit offers a new set of difficulties.

AUTOSPORT understands that Liuzzi has familiarised himself with the track using the McLaren-Mercedes simulator, available to Force India as part of its technical partnership with the Woking-based operation, and the Italian is keen to claim the points finish he was denied in his home grand prix.

"It won't be easy because I've never driven there," said Liuzzi when asked by AUTOSPORT whether he fears it will be a bigger test.

"We will try to have a good approach on Friday to learn the circuit and hopefully the car will be in good shape for the race so that we can fight for points.

"It will also be tougher for the whole team. It's a completely different downforce level and we might have more problems there to be fast."

Liuzzi believes that the 18 months he spent out of F1 racing - although he did keep his hand in with outings in A1GP and the Speedcar Series - have helped him to return a more hungry driver.

"What the 18 months away created in me was a lot of hunger inside," said Liuzzi. "Now I'm back in the car after suffering a lot in this period by not driving.

"So I don't want to jump away again - I want to drive and win races. It created for me a different state inside."

Liuzzi added that the relationship he has built up with Force India after joining the team when it evolved from Spyker to its current form ahead of 2008, was a very good one.

"I grew up with the team - it was a similar thing with Scuderia Toro Rosso," said Liuzzi. "I feel good in this team, we all grew up together after starting in 2008 and now we have reached this position of fighting for points.

"I feel really good. It's not just me, it's the whole team together and I really appreciate being in this position because we have some really good people here."

SOURCE: Autosport

The kerbs at the 'Singapore Sling' chicane (where Kimi crashed) are now like the Monza 1st chicane ones, after the problems in 2008Jonathon Noble on Twitter

Classic GP's that don't feature on the current Formula One calendar... four of the great races, along with highlights of last year's controversial 800th race in Singapore:

1979 French GP | 1982 Austrian GP | 1984 Dallas GP | 1990 Mexican GP

2008 Singapore GP

Extended Highlights

1984 Dallas GP | 1990 Mexican GP

THE RED LIGHT

The close of the season is upon us already, and I can't believe how quickly it's gone. For me, personally, this is one of the fastest seasons we've ever had, but it's not only been a season of great races, tactical battles and new faces taking over, there have been plenty of controversies.

And this weekend, we return to the circuit which we now know last year had a fixed result.

Alonso was the main beneficiary from the whole incident but, with due reason, keeps his win, as he was unaware of the goings-on between Piquet, Symonds and Briatore. On the other hand, he's also lost his most comforting individual in Flav - there's no one in F1 who will give him the number 1 status he so craves anymore.

But this post is not about politics, it is about the racing. So let's get back to the championship picture:

----------------------------------------------

ELIMINATED FROM 2009 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - Italy
Nico Rosberg (Williams) - Italy
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - Italy
Jarno Trulli (Toyota) - Italy
Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) - Italy
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - Belgium
Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) - Belgium
Timo Glock (Toyota) - Belgium
Fernando Alonso (Renault) - Belgium
Nick Heidfeld (BMW) - Europe
Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) - Europe
Robert Kubica (BMW) - Europe
Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) - Europe
Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) - Europe
Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) - Europe
Adrian Sutil (Force India) - Europe
Nelson Piquet Jnr. (Renault) - Europe
Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) - Europe
Romain Grosjean (Renault) - Europe
Luca Badoer (Ferrari) - Europe

ELIMINATED FROM 2009 CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP

Ferrari - Italy
McLaren - Italy
Toyota - Italy
Williams - Belgium
Renault - Europe
BMW-Sauber - Europe
Scuderia Toro Rosso - Europe
Force India - Europe

----------------------------------------------

There are only 4 challengers left for the World Title, and whichever one takes it will be winning for the first ever time. Jenson Button, who has lead the World Championship the entire year. Rubens Barrichello, who has re-found the pace that made him a top name in the sport. Sebastian Vettel, the charismatic German who is a guaranteed future World Champion. Lastly, Mark Webber, the Aussie who finally broke his curse to win this year.

As things stand, the two Red Bull drivers are on the ropes - Webber looking very likely to drop out the title picture this weekend, and still a high possibility that Vettel could too:

Mark Webber will be eliminated if Button out-scores him by two points this weekend. Point in case, if Jenson wins, it's game over for Webber.

Sebastian Vettel will be eliminated if Button out-scores him by 4 points this weekend.

As for Rubens Barrichello, he cannot be eliminated this weekend, although if he was to fail to score and Jenson won, Jenson has an outside chance of wrapping it up in Japan.

So what can we expect from this weekend? For one, not the Mercedes dominance we saw in Italy. That only came around as a result of Italy being such a power circuit. The rest of the teams will have a better chance against Brawn, McLaren and Force India this weekend - especially the latter. Singapore is a much different challenge from Spa or Monza, so I think Force India will be more near where they should be - however with the upgrades, I think we'll be more used to seeing them in the midfield now.

Right now, I cannot stress how much of a brilliant job Kimi Raikkonen is doing right now - it's as if someone turned the switch on since Massa had his injury, as he's yet to be off the podium since then. Yes, whilst he was lucky getting his podium in Italy, let's not forget that he was the only non-Mercedes car in the top 7 - and was actually third, which is tremendous performance given the dominance of Mercedes that weekend. Could Kimi make it 5 podiums in-a-row? Absolutely.

Nico Rosberg, a star in the controversial race last year, needs a bounce-back after Italy's disappointment. Definitely the chance here in Singapore, given his Williams is a lot more competitive than last year, even if his podium in 2008 was part luck.

So who do I predict for the win this weekend? Not sure. Brawn should be strong this weekend, the circuit plays to their strength, but I'm not sure as to where Red Bull will be. They're going to struggle to stay in the title picture though, and I'm pretty sure Webber's challenge will end in the floodlights. Hamilton and Raikkonen will be in the mix as usual now which will hinder the Red Bulls possibly.

Who will win? Probably either a Brawn, Hamilton or Raikkonen. Oh, and look for Alonso on a podium place, according to him. If he qualifies 15th, we know why he's so confident...

RED BULL MOVES TO AVOID GEARBOX ISSUE

Red Bull Racing has fitted a metal plate to the underside of its gearboxes in a bid to avoid a repeat of the bizarre problem that forced Mark Webber to retire from last year's Singapore Grand Prix.

Webber stopped in the 2008 event when his Red Bull's gearbox selected two gears at once, a problem believed to be related to an electrical surge that could have been caused by a subway train.

To avoid a repeat of the problem of underground electrical interference, team principal Christian Horner has revealed the outfit has updated its software and has fitted a metal plate under the gearbox.

"We had a failure on Mark's car last year that was very peculiar," explained Horner. "Basically two valves were triggered that selected two gears at once. There were a lot of theories last year as to why Mark had his problem, but we never found the real reason.

"There were suspicions of static electricity so we've taken some precautions to prevent a repeat, including a code change for the software and some protection that we've added - and from what I understand we're not the only team to add that protection."

Last year Toro Rosso also suffered an identical gearbox problem during practice, just two metres further up the road from where Webber had his problem at Turn 13, close to the railway line near Raffles Place underground station.

"It shouldn't be something that reoccurs, but actually determining what caused it originally, is one of those things that we'll probably never know," added Horner.

SOURCE: Autosport

Unbelievable. Red flag after Romain Grosjean crashes at turn 17. Yep, you heard me right. Number 2 Renault crashing at turn 17.

Session re-started after 10 minutes.

2009 F1 Singapore Grand Prix- Friday Practice 1 RESULTS

Media centre has just erupted in applause at Grosjean's crash - 12 months on from PiquetJonathon Noble on Twitter

Another red flag as Mark Webber smashes into the pit wall on the start/finish straight. Lost it over the dust on the final corner.

Session re-started after 11 minutes.

Turns out kip got a text message read out by Crofty. Still, I got there first ;) haha :lol:

2009 F1 Singapore Grand Prix- Friday Practice 2 RESULTS

Was the opposite for me - got in on the first time, and since then no love at all :lol:

Team F1PU is taking over the BBC! :P

Lewis Hamilton: Fans deserve a huge apology

Fernando Alonso: My conscience is clear

PRACTICE 3

Pos  Driver       Car                        Time               Laps
 1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:47.632           15
 2.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:47.909  + 0.277  17
 3.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:48.332  + 0.700  18
 4.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:48.420  + 0.788  14
 5.  Kubica       BMW Sauber            (B)  1:48.501  + 0.869  16
 6.  Heidfeld     BMW Sauber            (B)  1:48.526  + 0.894  13
 7.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:48.551  + 0.919  16
 8.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:48.673  + 1.041  17
 9.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:48.754  + 1.122  17
10.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:48.757  + 1.125  12
11.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:48.831  + 1.199  17
12.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:48.864  + 1.232  16
13.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:48.876  + 1.244  15
14.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:48.921  + 1.289  17
15.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:49.032  + 1.400  15
16.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:49.055  + 1.423  16
17.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:49.122  + 1.490  17
18.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:49.399  + 1.767  17
19.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:49.641  + 2.009  16
20.  Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:50.039  + 2.407  21

AUTOSPORT 

QUALIFYING

Pos  Driver       Team                       Q1        Q2        Q3
 1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:46.977  1:46.657  1:47.891
 2.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:47.541  1:46.362  1:48.204
 3.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:47.390  1:46.197  1:48.348
 4.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:47.646  1:46.328  1:48.722
 5.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:47.397  1:46.787  1:48.828
 6.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:47.757  1:46.767  1:49.054
 7.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:47.770  1:46.707  1:49.180
 8.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:47.347  1:46.832  1:49.307
 9.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:47.615  1:46.813  1:49.514
10.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:47.542  1:46.842  1:49.778
11.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:47.637  1:47.013
12.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:47.180  1:47.141
13.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:47.293  1:47.177
14.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:47.677  1:47.369
15.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:47.690  1:47.413
16.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:48.231
17.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:48.340
18.  Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:48.350
19.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:48.544
20.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:48.792

AUTOSPORT

POST-QUALIFYING CAR WEIGHTS - SINGAPORE

Pos  Driver                             Weight (kg)
 1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes         660.5             
 2.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault         651.0             
 3.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota          657.5             
 4.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault         654.5             
 5.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes           655.5             
 6.  Alonso       Renault                  658.0             
 7.  Glock        Toyota                   660.5             
 8.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber               650.0             
 9.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber               664.0             
10.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes         664.5             
11.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota          680.7             
12.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes           683.0             
13.  Raikkonen    Ferrari                  680.5             
14.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari       678.0             
15.  Trulli       Toyota                   690.9             
16.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes     693.0             
17.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari       683.5             
18.  Fisichella   Ferrari                  678.5             
19.  Grosjean     Renault                  683.0             
20.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes     656.0         

AUTOSPORT

Well, it was gutting to see Button drop out, but then Barry goes and throws the thing in to a wall.

Was not expecting Red Bull's and Glock's pace, as can be seen my by predictions... :|

HEIDFELD TO START FROM PITLANE

Nick Heidfeld will start from the back of the grid at the Singapore Grand Prix, his BMW Sauber team confirmed on Sunday.

The German had qualified in eighth position but he will take the start from the pitlane after his car was found to be underweight after qualifying.

"When Nick Heidfeld's car was weighed after qualifying we found out we were slightly under the minimum weight," a BMW spokesperson said. "We have been investigating this and have found that the wrong ballast weights were fitted to the car.

"We have reported our findings to the FIA. As a consequence Nick will start the Singapore Grand Prix from the pitlane.

"As we found ourselves in this situation, the team also decided to change both the engine and gearbox."

SOURCE: Autosport

ELIMINATED FROM 2009 DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP

Mark Webber - Singapore
Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) - Italy
Nico Rosberg (Williams) - Italy
Lewis Hamilton (McLaren) - Italy
Jarno Trulli (Toyota) - Italy
Vitantonio Liuzzi (Force India) - Italy
Felipe Massa (Ferrari) - Belgium
Heikki Kovalainen (McLaren) - Belgium
Timo Glock (Toyota) - Belgium
Fernando Alonso (Renault) - Belgium
Nick Heidfeld (BMW) - Europe
Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) - Europe
Robert Kubica (BMW) - Europe
Sebastien Bourdais (Toro Rosso) - Europe
Giancarlo Fisichella (Force India) - Europe
Kazuki Nakajima (Williams) - Europe
Adrian Sutil (Force India) - Europe
Nelson Piquet Jnr. (Renault) - Europe
Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) - Europe
Romain Grosjean (Renault) - Europe
Luca Badoer (Ferrari) - Europe

ELIMINATED FROM 2009 CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP

Ferrari - Italy
McLaren - Italy
Toyota - Italy
Williams - Belgium
Renault - Europe
BMW-Sauber - Europe
Scuderia Toro Rosso - Europe
Force India - Europe

DotD: Lewis Hamilton
SotD: Timo Glock

Nice, headstrong drive by Hamilton to take that win there. Not necessarily the most exciting drive can be the best. Timo Glock, on the other hand, was clearly the star of the day. Aided by Rosberg and Vettel's penalties, mind, but was still able to consistently pull away from Alonso during the race, both from the start and the re-start.

Watching the forum, Webber's raised a very good point of which I wondered what was going on - had to let Alonso past during the race, but for Raikkonen to have no intention of making La Source on the opening lap of Spa and passing Trulli whilst off the track and getting no penalty whatsoever baffles me.

DOTD: Timo Glock
SOTD: Singapore Marshall's

In my opinion Hamilton was handed the win by other drivers mistakes whereas Glock had alot more to do in order to pick up a well deserved podium.

Given the number of pieces of carbon fibre the Marshall's had to deal with they did a good job and the fact no one picked up a puncture is a testament to that.