Button: “Singapore will reveal title destiny”

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Jenson Button expects the Singapore Grand Prix to give a strong indication of who will win the 2010 world championship:

The Singapore Grand Prix will be a very interesting weekend because I think it’ll give us a clearer idea of the destiny of the world championship. The last time we were at a low-speed, high-downforce track was in Hungary back at the start of August; our car wasn’t particularly competitive there, and maybe we haven’t had a properly representative view of the top teams’ relative pace because we’ve just visited two high-speed circuits.

But, equally, a lot has changed since that race in Budapest – not least, some quite hefty revisions to the rulebook regarding bodywork flexibility and, additionally, a lot of work by the engineers at the McLaren Technology Centre to ensure our car is now better suited to slower circuits.

Singapore will be interesting for all of us – we’ll not only get an idea of the speed of the Ferrari and Red Bull, but we’ll get to see for the first time whether all our efforts over the past two months have helped put us back in the ballpark at high-downforce tracks.

Personally, I think Singapore has quickly established itself as one of the best races on the calendar, and I’m already really looking forward to the race.
Jenson Button

Team mate Lewis Hamilton added he’s unsure how well the MP4/25 will perform at Singapore:

It’s difficult to say accurately how competitive we’ll be in Singapore. If Monza most closely resembled a track like Canada, then Singapore is far closer to places like Monaco and Hungary, where we’ve struggled relative to the competition. But the engineers are positive that we’ve made some good progress, so I’m looking forward to getting out on track and sampling the changes for real.

So I think we head into the weekend with renewed confidence following some positive tests and some developments in the windtunnel. The race should give us a clearer indication of exactly where we stand as the championship closes down over the next five races, but I definitely want to score as many points as possible in this Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton

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    18 comments on “Button: “Singapore will reveal title destiny””

    1. I agree with Jenson, look back at the last two years. If you’re ok in Singapore you can still fight for the championship. If you fail to finish in the points there your championship is derailed, look at Massa in 2008 and Webber in 2009.

    2. Agreed, if it’s RBR 1 – 2 at best Hamilton will have 15 points to put back over 4 races and Alonso and Button over 31 points.

      It certainly becomes much clearer; each race now becomes very significant with fewer races to claw back any deficit.

      As pointed out it should also give a good indication of the relative performance for the remaining races.

      Unless things have changed dramatically I can’t see past a RBR 1 – 2 at Japan.

    3. Personally, I think Singapore has quickly established itself as one of the best races on the calendar, and I’m already really looking forward to the race.

      But is it really?

      This is something I’ve often wondered about: how great is the divide between what the drivers and the fans expeirence? We routinely tear circuits like Valencia and Shanghai apart, yet the drivers – at least in public – give every impression that they enjoy them. How much of this is a soundbyte for the media, and how much is it a genuine belief?

      Personally, I like Singapore. I think the first sector in particular is fantastic, and with a few modifications (that they have been rumoured to be considering to shorten the lap, raise the average speed and stop the race running so close to the two hour barrier), it could be bettered. But just how great is that divide between what fans see and drivers experience?

      1. Interesting you should bring this up as Lucas di Grassi was giving his thoughts on some tracks on Twitter this morning:

        “The worse circuit upgrade – BAHRAIN extended sector”
        “The most difficult overall – MONACO”
        “The most challenging physically – MALAYSIA”

        I think part of them being nice about circuits is the amount of PR that goes on when a new track hits the calendar. But we’ve heard some negative things about Valencia:

        “Not the most interesting circuit” – what the drivers say about Valencia

        And I think some of them are unimpressed with Abu Dhabi too:

        Adrian Sutil says F1 is losing its thrill because the tracks are “too safe”

        1. I guess part of my scepticism stems from the fact that yeah, they’re probably talking the new races up. New races need good press. And of course, every driver is going to pick something like Spa or Silverstone or Monza as his favourite circuit, but I just find their reactions curious. I wonder how the drivers would go about designing a circuit … but then, I’ve seen what Lewis Hamilton came up with for that Mobil promotion and it was basically jsut all the high-speed corners linked together. No overtaking opportunities at all.

          1. One of the differences might stem from the fact that what the audience finds appealing (overtaking and what not) might be different from what is ‘fun’ to drive. The comparison is off, but I really like to lap the Hungaroring in a game. Opposed to that is the feeling the race gives me when I watch it on television and not much happens apart from P2 overtaking P3 at the start.

            Perhaps what is good to drive doesn’t always have to mirror what creates a good race for spectators and fans.

            1. Good example: i find myself in the same situation and lived to drive around the hungaroring in F197 on PS…

            2. quote: not much happens apart from P2 overtaking P3 at the start

              Its the other way around;)

      2. I always say this, but:

        http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4046300

        Thought the back straight might be a bit too long, in which case have a Singapore-Sling (I know, I hate that corner too, and here I am suggesting another one) style chicane 1/4 of the way along (the roads are wide enough).

        And I wish it could start at twilight! The scenery is beautiful and you see bugger all on TV when it’s night.

        1. That’s pretty much the route they’re said to be considering. The only differences are here:

          http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4046383

          The proposed changes would send the cars around the War Memorial and straight down to the chicane. The original circuit design had that additional one-block-west thing going on, but it simply adds another two second-gear corners.

          The more important change would be the one along the waterfront. Rather than going under the grandstand – which was only ever a novelty – they’ll go flat out along that section. Piquet’s corner has been included because the double-apex final bend is otherwise unapproachable as the circuit runs along the waterfront through the entire final sector. Alternatively, Piquet’s bend could be cut and the final chicane included.

        2. That’s pretty much the route they’re said to be considering. The only differences are here:

          http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4046383

          The proposed changes would send the cars around the War Memorial and straight down to the chicane. The original circuit design had that additional one-block-west thing going on, but it simply adds another two second-gear corners.

          The more important change would be the one along the waterfront. Rather than going under the grandstand – which was only ever a novelty – they’ll go flat out along that section. Piquet’s corner has been included because the double-apex final bend is otherwise unapproachable as the circuit runs along the waterfront through the entire final sector. Alternatively, Piquet’s bend could be cut and the final chicane left in.

          1. Eh? Double comment? How did that happen?

            1. Piquet’s corner – I like that. :)

    4. I think Button’s right here.

      If Webber leads a Red Bull 1-2 it’s going to be hard for Hamilton or Alonso to come back. Depending on where they and Button finish (or not) it could even spell curtains unless there’s yet another twist in the tail.

      Vettel leading a 1-2 would put the cat amongst the pigeons. It would dent the non-Red Bull drivers’ hopes but not irreparably. Red Bull would still have to treat their drivers equally but it would be a little easier because they’d be pulling out in front with Suzuka still to come.

      Vettel winning and Webber coming 3rd would create even more problems because whoever finished 2nd would get a welcome boost to their hopes. If it was Alonso then Red Bull might start suffering from being unable to favour one driver. A retirement or low score for Webber would really make things interesting.

    5. God I can’t wait for this race. I wanna see Lewis set things straight after that Monza disaster.

    6. Jenson Button says this year’s F1 title will go down to the wire, with the driver who is coolest under pressure the winner, in that case I think Webber is the man for the job.

    7. I’m not making any predictions, I’ll just sit back and watch. That said, I hope it gets even tighter and the battle stays as wide open as possible all the way up to Abu Dhabi.

    8. Singapore is allways a great track

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