[SPOILER] 2008 Singapore GP

[frnk]

BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld and Honda’s Rubens Barrichello have been penalised by race stewards in Singapore after an incident at the pit entry during the first phase of qualifying. Heidfeld, who was to start the race from P6, has been dropped three places on the grid for impeding Barrichello, while the Brazilian has been handed a 10,000 euro fine for incorrectly entering the pit lane.

Wow.

As much as it sucks that Barrichello was impeded I really don't think punishing Heidfeld for a mistake made by the track designers/officials is the solution. A silly decision even if it is one that will have very little effect on the race.

[styla21]

Originally Posted by frnk Wow. As much as it sucks that Barrichello was impeded I really don't think punishing Heidfeld for a mistake made by the track designers/officials is the solution. A silly decision even if it is one that will have very little effect on the race.

I'm a massive Heidfeld fan.. It sucks
But you made a good point re the track designers / officials mistake affecting drivers!

[SHIZL]

The weather remains settled, which means an ambient temperature high of 32 degrees Celsius during the day and around 30 for the race, with humidity to match. Conditions are expected to be much as yesterday, which means a low chance of thunderstorms interrupting proceedings.

[styla21]

Don't know what to say yet... Was one of the most scattered, backwards races i've seen yet.
I'll comment later when my opinion not so ambiguous.

Great drive Alonso / Rosberg though.

[dauemannen]

Wow, that was a great race. Congratualtions to Alonso on a brilliant drive and making Renault the fifth constructor to win a race this year.What was the last time five constructors, and for that matter seven drivers won a race in one season? Has it even happened before?

Really tough luck for Massa, he really looked great during the first part of the race, and I don't think he was fueled much lighter than Hamilton (though we will never know). Ferrari really need to do something about their lights system.

Also, I am quite astonished that Rosberg, despite getting a stop and go penalty actually was one of the big gainers from the safety car situation. Why did the stewards wait for so long with giving him his penalty? Normally he would have gotten it during/right after the safety car and only been able to drive a few laps before pitting. Now he actually gained from breaking the rules. Not that he had any choice about it though, and he still drove a great race.

Does anyone know what happened to Hamilton at the first pit stop? I saw his time tick quite a bit longer than a normal pit stop would have been, but the broadcast understandably focused on Massa.

And lastly, Räikkönen really needs to pull his act together, he's been out of two of three last GP's with driver errors, and hasn't scored for the last four races.

[Carbodiox]

just about the worst scenario that could happen....

[SHIZL]

bad deal for ferrari the automatic pit release system 2nd time it has caused them trouble lucky the first time the penalty wasnt worse hopefully the mechanic is ok. the safety car sure did make this race interesting, and the constructors championship some might think it is more important than the drivers (me for one). should be good last 3 races. shure did look like something broke on kimis car after the hitting the curb then goin straight on. heikkis car must of sustained some kind of damage after the first corner contact with idk who it was

[frnk]

Both Kimi and Felipe did not do themselves any favours today, Felipe was definitely very unlucky to have that mishap in the pits but his recovery drive was non-existent, if he could have parked the car and walked away with 20 laps to go, I think he would have done so.

A good race even if it was one decided by the safety car, after that ridiculously brave pass on Coulthard Hamilton cooled down a little and took his points, he looks alot more like a champion than he did this time last year. Ferrari are very much on the back foot now, they need to make their own luck in the last three races because Mclaren are not going to drop the ball two years in a row.

A disappointing race for me with Webber and Raikkonen both driving poorly before going out but a good result for the sport I think and the track looked very good, I loved watching sparks fly off the skid pads of the cars as they approached turn 7.

[blue8]

Originally Posted by dauemannen Does anyone know what happened to Hamilton at the first pit stop? I saw his time tick quite a bit longer than a normal pit stop would have been, but the broadcast understandably focused on Massa.

According to what he said in the press conference, there were too many cars passing by so he couldn't leave immediately.

I thought race was a success. There was excitement, unpredictability, eye-candy and even some overtaking! Valencia had none of that

As a Ferrari fan, I am massively disappointed but that's how it goes in F1. Ferrari should clean up their act big-time! They were pretty much invincible at the start of the season but now they're just doing poorly. Why does Raikkonen keep on making so much mistakes?!?!

[Mattk]

Yeah, I think the race was a big success as an event, even if the safety car came on during the pit stop window, totally throwing strategies out the window. Nothing too bad for Rosberg, though, who came out in front, and was able to build a strong lead before the stop/go was assessed. Great work by Alonso and Renault, fortuitously staying out of the pit stop melee and having the stamina to finish it off. Disappointing for Massa (bad luck again), and Raikonnen, whose simple error proved deadly on an unforgiving street circuit.

[fordgt84]

It's times like this that make F1 the unpredictable sport so many people say it isn't, I thought it was a wrap for Alonso starting 15th on grid, but i guess he should kinda thank his team mate for his victory .

Massa must be one of the unluckiest guys in F1, driving off with the fuel hose and a drive through penalty wtf .

Hamilton wasn't on fire like in other races, but a gr8 drive from him none the less, no dirty tricks like in the last race.

Oh and Rosberg did a great job too, i love how he outbraked Kubica (i can't remember 100% if it was Kubica) going into turn 7, i like seeing smoke pouring out of the tyres when braking hard, it shows determination.

I'm losing interest in Raikonen, he's a great driver but 2008 just isn't for him.

[Mattk]

^Yes, Massa did get a bit of a double-whammy there. And it wasn't even his fault this time! Ferrari's semi-automated system failed. The ITV commentators surmised that the fuelling mechanic had accidentally flicked the switch for the green light before he was read. Ferrari had always had a well-drilled pit lane team. I don't think there is a need for this gadgetry. It has harmed them twice, with the same offence (although different penalty). I remember McLaren introducing their revolutionary, state-of-the-art launch control system back in 2001, and having their cars stall on the grid instead. A redesign is needed if Ferrari want to persist with the semi-automated system.

[frnk]

Did anyone else enjoy the length of the race too? A full two hours on a dry track with only a few laps behind the safety car. Alonso, a veteran driver, seemed absolutely wiped out after the race which is a testament to how truely hard it must have been on the drivers. It adds a great new dimension to the races that F1 rarely sees: driver fatigue not to mention giving the fans more racing (and less Mark Blundell) to enjoy . Hopefully the new Grands Prix they are introducing for the 10/11 seasons will lean in the same direction.

[blue8]

Yes I was glad we had 61 laps of racing! BTW, how do they determine the number of laps? I always thought that they had a minimum no. of km to cover. If I remember correctly, the track time at Spa is around 1:40+ so I assumed that like that track, Singapore would also have around 44 laps...

Massa was really unfortunate this race but he is just 7 points behind Hamilton which isn't that bad. Although next race will be at Fuji so it will be very tough for him...

[go1d1e]

Where are all the conspiracy theorists? Alonso pits early, 3 laps later his team mate runs into the wall at a spot where it takes a while to be rescued? Comeon! someone must have a theory here?!

All in all, great race to watch. LOVED all the sparks and bumps, some great overtaking, breathtaking views.. my boss didnt like the fact I didnt do anything at work for 2 hours though!