16/09/2011
NEWS STORY
The Singapore Grand Prix, Round 14 of the 2011 Formula One season and the first of the season-ending flyaway races, takes place on Sunday 25 September. The season's only night race, with a 20:00 local start time, takes place around the city streets of Singapore's Marina Bay area, lit up by 1500 specialist light projectors around the 5.073 km circuit.
All three Singapore Grands Prix so far have featured Safety Car deployments, with an average of 6.7 laps per race. The drivers change gear 71 times per lap for a race total of at least 4331, nearly twice as many as in Spa. There are 15 braking events per lap, with eight corners taken below 100 kph - the same number as Monaco.
Michael Schumacher: "I really enjoyed my first experience of Formula One night racing in Singapore last year and it was an interesting weekend to be working on such a different time schedule. Surprisingly, it worked out very well and somehow even fun to drive and have meetings in the middle of the night. The street circuit is good fun and quite challenging, and as an event for the fans, it is also fantastic as they can get so close to the cars around the city streets and see a real racing spectacle. We have enjoyed good results at the final two European races in Spa and Monza, and everyone will be working to continue the hard work and keep up the points finishes as we head to Asia for the flyaway races."
Nico Rosberg: "I'm really looking forward to the Singapore Grand Prix and it's a circuit that I enjoy very much. I finished second at the first race held here in 2008 so I have some good memories from that weekend. Singapore is a fantastic city and I always try to spend some extra time here with friends after the race. The track itself is good fun to drive and a real challenge. The stop-start nature means you have to concentrate hard throughout the lap and it feels very narrow and enclosed, like a true street circuit. We've made a good step forward with the car in the last few races and I hope we can take advantage of that again next weekend in Singapore."
Ross Brawn, Team Principal: "The Singapore Grand Prix has resoundingly become one of the most impressive events on the Formula One calendar and a unique weekend which is enjoyed by drivers, teams and fans alike. With the fourth race taking place next weekend, we are now well-practiced at working late at night and on a European time schedule, and it makes an interesting change to the usual race weekend format. The Singapore street circuit is very narrow with many first and second gear corners resulting in a low average speed and requiring a high-downforce aerodynamic package. We look forward to achieving further good points-scoring finishes in Singapore and at the final few races."
Norbert Haug, Vice-President, Mercedes-Benz Motorsport: "This year's Singapore Grand Prix will be just the fourth edition of this unique race, but this night race has already established itself as a fixture on the Formula One calendar - and one of the most spectacular race weekends of the year. The circuit itself is extremely challenging for both the cars and drivers: it is the toughest of the season for the brakes and gearbox. In the final sector alone, the drivers must negotiate 10 corners in the space of 1,500 metres and there is very little margin for error on such a twisty and bumpy street circuit. Mercedes GP Petronas enjoyed an up-turn in form at the last two low-downforce circuits and, although Singapore is a very different type of track, we will work hard to carry our form into the final six flyaway races of the 2011 season.