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Features

Preview of 2012 Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix Suzuka Circuit

Second stop in Asia. One of the oldest F1 circuits on the calendar. Home Grand Prix for Kamui Kobayashi.

 

The 15th grand prix in 2012 Formula 1 season has came to Japan Suzuka Circuit, the second stop in Asia after Singapore. This circuit is well known as a fast circuit and a challenging one. The “S” curves in Sector 1 which consists of a continuous series of left-right corners is the unique part of this circuit.

The race distance is 307.471 km on 53 laps around the circuit. Drivers have been enjoying this circuit with lots of high speed corners as it is totally different from the low speed Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit. A well-balanced car is crucial to negotiate the high speed corners perfectly without excessive wear and tear on the tyres. Overtaking on Suzuka is quite difficult as the only “real” overtaking spots are the hairpin at Turn 11 and the chicane at Turn 16 and also partly due to the shortened DRS zone in 2012.

Pirelli P Zero Silver hard and P Zero Yellow soft tyres will be used in Suzuka. Tyre wear is an issue here due to the high speed corners and a two-stop strategy is expected to be used by most of the teams and lots of opportunities will be opened up for the different strategies. Brake wear is low as there are only 2 significant braking zones in one lap of the circuit. Drivers have to keep track of the brakes’ temperature and brake harder if it drops below the optimum temperature. Replenishing KERS is also a problem where braking energy is low throughout the circuit.

After the interesting announcements regarding the transfers in 2013, one of the spotlights in Japanese Grand Prix goes to Sergio Perez. With his impressive performance in Monza which is also a high speed circuit, we might see him challenging his future team McLaren in Suzuka. Also, not to forget Lewis Hamilton which is still in the ferocious title fight along with world champions Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen in his last year in McLaren.

Lap Record : 1:31.540 – Kimi Raikkonen (2005)

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Video

Scuderia Ferrari Racing News N.17

The Scuderia’s work with the last six F1 Championship races in sight never stops: Felipe Massa tells us how he got ready for the two back to back races in Japan and Korea. Filippo Petrucci, Head of the Test Team, explains how to organise a day on the track – from logistics to the drivers’ contributions – and the Scuderia Ferrari technicians proceed with the explanations in the Formula 1 alphabet.




News

FIA releases 2013 calendar

Formula One racing’s governing body, the FIA, has released the calendar for the 2013 season, following a meeting of its World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) in Paris, France on Friday.

It features 20 races, the same number as 2012, but with the omission of the European Grand Prix in Valencia and the provisional addition of a new US round in New York.

The FIA’s calendar in full:
17/03 Grand Prix of Australia
24/03 Grand Prix of Malaysia
14/04 Grand Prix of China
21/04 Grand Prix of Bahrain
12/05 Grand Prix of Spain (Barcelona)
26/05 Grand Prix of Monaco
09/06 Grand Prix of Canada
16/06 Grand Prix of Jersey (New York) *
30/06 Grand Prix of Great Britain
14/07 Grand Prix of Germany
28/07 Grand Prix of Hungary
25/08 Grand Prix of Belgium
08/09 Grand Prix of Italy
22/09 Grand Prix of Singapore
06/10 Grand Prix of Korea
13/10 Grand Prix of Japan
27/10 Grand Prix of India
03/11 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi
17/11 Grand Prix of USA (Austin)
24/11 Grand Prix of Brazil
* TBC

Features

Preview of 2012 Formula 1 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix Marina Bay Street Circuit

The final street circuit for the season. Also, the toughest circuit on the calendar.

The 14th grand prix in 2012 Formula 1 will be coming to Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit. It is known as the toughest circuit of the year which requires maximum downforce setup for the car and maximum concentration for the drivers to negotiate all 23 corners in one lap.

The track will be a whopping 309.316 km race distance of 61 laps and due to the low average speed of the circuit, it is one of the longest race in the season for about 2 hours of battle on the track. One of the unique chicane in Marina Bay Street Circuit is the Singapore Sling at Turn 10 which is being described as the worst corner in F1 by Lewis Hamilton. The high and harsh kerbs may damage the suspension and pitch the cars into the wall. The bumpy surface combined with the hot and humid weather makes the circuit twice as hard to negotiate as the Monaco street circuit. If it rains, the absence of sunlight will cause the track to dry up more slowly and add some unpredictability to the race.

Pirelli P Zero Yellow soft tyres and P Zero Red super-soft tyres will be used in Singapore where traction is the main priority here. The track is hard on tyres so a three-stop strategy is expected for most of the teams. McLaren may have an advantage here due to its lightning pit stop which is about 1 second faster than most of the teams. The deployment of safety car is almost a “tradition” in Singapore which means strategy have to be very flexible to take advantage of it.

McLaren is on a winning streak since Hungary and all eyes are on Lewis Hamilton challenging Fernando Alonso where he is 37 points off the lead. At this moment, every win counts and may decide whether Lewis Hamilton will stay in McLaren. Not to mention, currently on the drivers’ standings, there is a one-point-difference between 3 world champions which makes Singapore Grand Prix more exciting than before. Kimi Raikkonen, the lap record holder, says that he has some unfinished business there. Maybe we will witness his first victory in Singapore since his comeback in 2012?

Lap Record : 1:45.599 – Kimi Raikkonen (2008)

Marina Bay Street Circuit Diagram.

Click here to see the pictures of Singapore Marina Bay Street Circuit on normal days before race weekend.

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Photos

Pastor Maldonado and Lewis Hamilton with new helmets today

Pastor Maldonado introduced a new helmet design yesterday. The words “Less Trouble, More Speed” were printed on the back of his lid, the meaning of which can be traced back to an interview with Alain Prost. The four-time world champion says there needs to be less trouble and politics in our sport, and more speed – a sentiment Pastor clearly agrees with! Continuing the theme of new designs, Lewis Hamilton is sporting the Italian flag on his helmet this weekend. “I did a lot of racing in Italy between the ages of 13 and 16,” says Lewis, “and I wanted to do this out of respect to the Italians.”