13/09/2023
NEWS STORY
We arrive in Singapore after our 16th consecutive points-scoring weekend. How do you reflect on that achievement?
Tom McCullough, Performance Director: "Scoring points 16 times in a row a difficult thing to do - it's easy to underestimate just how hard this is. The bottom line is that we're fighting against well-established teams, we're still in our growth period - both in terms of our Technology Campus and in terms of hiring personnel - so there's a lot happening here.
"To finish first, first you have to finish, and reliability has been a strength of the team so far. Our scoring streak speaks to the execution of the team, Lance and Fernando; when the margins are so small in the hunt for points, it takes a significant effort to turn the tables."
As we draw closer to the end of the season, are we still bringing upgrades to the AMR23?
TM: "We've been on the same development path for 18 months. Those philosophies haven't really changed; we're still bringing parts to the track between now and the end of the year. A lot of parts have been released a while back and by the time we get to the track, more come along.
"Even though the European leg of the season has finished, we're still bringing parts to the car. It's not as easy to bring those parts to the track for flyaway races and we have to account for delivery time, but we will have late freight that arrives to the track all the way until Friday morning - sometimes spares of updated parts arrive even later than that. It can be a real logistical challenge and some countries are harder to deliver to than others - but it's all well planned for."
What's the target as we prepare for the final eight rounds of the season?
TM: "The target is to try to get back to second in the Constructors' Championship. That's a brave target, against some fierce competition. Mercedes have had a couple of strong events. Ferrari had their strongest event of the year at Monza, their home race; we're hoping to be more competitive as we return to some of the higher-downforce tracks going forward.
"Margins are fine at this stage of the season and now it comes down to who can bring a few more developments to the track and who can execute the best weekends - operationally, and from the drivers' side as well."
What impact will the changes to the Marina Bay Circuit have and what are the challenges of racing here?
TM: "When you go to circuits like Singapore and even Japan, they're such unique challenges and that brings a level of excitement - both from an engineering side and from a fan side. In Singapore, you never know when somebody's going to touch the wall and bring out a yellow flag, red flag or Safety Car - therefore there's a heightened level of anxiety to prepare for that.
"You have to plan ahead, and we simulate what happens in the case of a Safety Car on every lap of the race. The Singapore Grand Prix is one race where the Safety Car is a common occurrence so we always have to be prepared for that; it's always easy to choose to box during a Safety Car and fit new tyres but if you lose too many positions and can't make them back up, then it's a disaster.
"On top of that, the circuit layout has changed. Four low-speed corners have been removed from Sector Three, which will probably make things a bit easier for the tyres. There are fewer braking and traction zones. In effect, they've taken away four of those corners, so the tyres will be in a better shape for the last few corners."
As we head to Asia, how hard is it to get used to the change in location and time zone?
TM: "With it being a night race, we eat and sleep on European time in Singapore. The curfew times are based around the session times, and the session times are late in the day while FP2, Qualifying and the race start take place at 20:00 or later local time. We offset everything to deal with this.
"The biggest challenge is going back to the hotel when daylight breaks. You don't want to be taking in too much natural daylight before you go to sleep as three sessions take place under darkness. Sometimes, after Qualifying, it's easy to think about lots of extra ‘what if?' scenarios, get back too late and walk back in the daylight. That plays havoc with your sleep pattern.
"We travel to Japan early next week so there's time to get used to the jetlag. There's so much work to do between races - analysing, debriefing the Singapore race, preparing for the Japanese Grand Prix - that you're so busy and kept awake by adrenaline. It keeps you going. I tend to find it's fine in the moment; once you finish the Japanese Grand Prix and try and get back to your home time zone, that's when you feel it. You've been on the go for many days in a row, physically and mentally - it's quite hard to recover from that quickly."
Insight and Speed with Cognizant
• Race interruptions: There were six DNFs here in 2022 - higher than average due to wet weather - but even in the dry, interruptions are common at Marina Bay. Every race here since 2011 has had at least one Safety Car with many having had multiple. In 2022, there were three Virtual Safety Car deployments.
• Overtaking: This is one of the hardest venues at which to overtake, second only to Monaco. With an alternative layout this year, with Turns 16-19 removed and replaced by a straight, there might be an increased number of overtakes in the Grand Prix. Historically, the first DRS zone has been the prime passing place.
• Strategy: A one-stop strategy is expected to be the fastest one at Marina Bay, given the pit loss of 27 seconds - the highest of any circuit on the calendar thanks to the 60km/h speed limit and tricky pit entry. Pirelli is bringing the softest trio of compounds to Singapore for maximum grip on a twisty and demanding track.