19 | 09 | 2019 The Marina Bay race is unique!

 Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc arrived in Singapore determined to do well, even if, on paper, the Marina Bay circuit is not best suited to the characteristics of the SF90. As usual in this city near the equator, the timetable is unusual and one change is that today’s technical briefings and press meetings take place before the track walk, as the drivers like to tackle that at night, in the same conditions and temperatures that they will encounter in qualifying and the race.

With the media. Sebastian was first up to face the press and he had clearly already put behind him the lacklustre race in Monza. “A driver experiences some positive and negative moments in his career. Obviously, the Italian weekend was not one of the best for me, but that’s in the past now. The Singapore track is one I like a lot and I’ve won here more than once. This is always a special weekend and a very interesting one for us drivers,” said the German. “On paper, we are not favourites, especially because this track requires a high level of aero downforce. Fortunately, we don’t race on paper, we race on a track surface between the barriers, so just about anything can happen.” Seb went on to explain what preparation is required for the hardest race of the year from a physical point of view. “We try to arrive here as late as possible. I actually got here yesterday, because, given the times we are on track, the secret is to stay on European time. So your body gets a bit confused and for us it’s like being at home, apart from the very hot conditions and the high level of humidity.”

  Bildergalerie

Foto © www.motorsportpics.de | Jerry Andre

07 | 09 | 2019 There are still plenty of chances to do well

It was a complicated Friday at the Italian Grand Prix for all the teams, as it was a case of keeping an eye on the weather to get as much dry running as possible to prepare for tomorrow’s qualifying, when it is expected to be dry. However, the forecast for the race is less clear and could be changeable. Scuderia Ferrari dodged the rain that fell today, on its way to setting the first and third fastest times of the day with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel respectively. The times look very close between the teams and qualifying could throw up some surprises.

FP1. The first session began in the wet, with Charles and Sebastian running full wet tyres for their installation laps, before switching to intermediates. There were three red flags when cars went off track which limited the amount of damp track running. Towards the end, it was dry enough for slicks and Charles and Sebastian took to the track to set their best times. The Monegasque did 20 laps, the best being a 1’27”905 whle Sebastian posted a 1’30”507.

FP2. In the second 90 minute session, everyone was on slicks, allowing all drivers to use dry weather tyres and so Charles and Sebastian were able to evaluate all the compounds available, fine tuning the settings and getting to grips with the heavy braking requirements of the Monza track. They worked on preparing for the race and qualifying, which is when they did their best laps. Charles posted a 1’20”978. He was the only driver to get under the 1m 21s barrier, while Sebastian was third quickest with a 1’21”179. The later part of the session was given over to long runs and by the end, Leclerc had completed 37 laps and Sebastian 39.

Saturday. Tomorrow sees the final free practice session get underway at noon CET, followed by qualifying at 15.00. The Italian Grand Prix starts at 15.10 on Sunday.

Sebastian Vettel #5
“The day was ok, but we can still get more out of the car. FP1 was a bit of a scrappy session, with all the teams heading out as soon as the light went green after each red flag. We didn’t have the usual rhythm of a Friday, but the main thing is that we got some decent laps in and we know where our weaknesses are and what to focus on.
For qualifying, we have to see what the conditions will be like, how careful we might need to be on the out lap, and how the tyres will work. Then we will take it from there. It is nice if you get a tow around here, and the priority is to get one perfect lap.
Ahead of the race, you just want to improve the car and make it faster overall, because you need a car that allows you to have a good performance while also saving the tyres. We have some work to do, and I know that I can find more for tomorrow.”

  Bildergalerie

Foto © www.motorsportpics.de | Jerry Andre

06 | 09 | 2019 Dodging the rain

 It was a complicated Friday at the Italian Grand Prix for all the teams, as it was a case of keeping an eye on the weather to get as much dry running as possible to prepare for tomorrow’s qualifying, when it is expected to be dry. However, the forecast for the race is less clear and could be changeable. Scuderia Ferrari dodged the rain that fell today, on its way to setting the first and third fastest times of the day with Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel respectively. The times look very close between the teams and qualifying could throw up some surprises.

FP1. The first session began in the wet, with Charles and Sebastian running full wet tyres for their installation laps, before switching to intermediates. There were three red flags when cars went off track which limited the amount of damp track running. Towards the end, it was dry enough for slicks and Charles and Sebastian took to the track to set their best times. The Monegasque did 20 laps, the best being a 1’27”905 whle Sebastian posted a 1’30”507.

FP2. In the second 90 minute session, everyone was on slicks, allowing all drivers to use dry weather tyres and so Charles and Sebastian were able to evaluate all the compounds available, fine tuning the settings and getting to grips with the heavy braking requirements of the Monza track. They worked on preparing for the race and qualifying, which is when they did their best laps. Charles posted a 1’20”978. He was the only driver to get under the 1m 21s barrier, while Sebastian was third quickest with a 1’21”179. The later part of the session was given over to long runs and by the end, Leclerc had completed 37 laps and Sebastian 39.

Saturday. Tomorrow sees the final free practice session get underway at noon CET, followed by qualifying at 15.00. The Italian Grand Prix starts at 15.10 on Sunday.

Sebastian Vettel #5
“The day was ok, but we can still get more out of the car. FP1 was a bit of a scrappy session, with all the teams heading out as soon as the light went green after each red flag. We didn’t have the usual rhythm of a Friday, but the main thing is that we got some decent laps in and we know where our weaknesses are and what to focus on.
For qualifying, we have to see what the conditions will be like, how careful we might need to be on the out lap, and how the tyres will work. Then we will take it from there. It is nice if you get a tow around here, and the priority is to get one perfect lap.
Ahead of the race, you just want to improve the car and make it faster overall, because you need a car that allows you to have a good performance while also saving the tyres. We have some work to do, and I know that I can find more for tomorrow.”

  Bildergalerie

Foto © www.motorsportpics.de | Jerry Andre