Singapore 2008

SO NOW THE F1 PADDOCK CAME TO SINGAPORE FOR YET ANOTHER NEWLY CONSTRUCTED CIRCUIT - THE DIFFERENCE HERE BEING THAT IT WOULD BE THE FIRST F1 NIGHT RACE. EVERYONE KEPT THEIR BODY CLOCKS IN EUROPEAN TIME BECAUSE THE RACE WAS SCHEDULED TO BE RUN TO EUROPEAN TIMES SO THAT THE EUROPEAN AUDIENCE COULD WATCH AT THE NORMAL LOCAL EUROPEAN TIME FOR F1 RACES.

INDEED THE WHOLE PREMISE BEHIND THE INTRODUCTION OF THIS VENUE TO THE CALENDAR WAS BERNIE ECCLESTONE'S IDEA AND THE SINGAPOREAN AUTHORITIES COMPLIED. PERSONALLY, RACES SHOULD ALWAYS BE RUN AT THE SAME LOCAL TIME (AS THEY ALWAYS HAVE BEEN) AND ANYONE WATCHING IN OTHER TIME ZONES EITHER a). GOT UP EARLY OR WENT TO BED LATE OR b). USED THEIR VIDEO/DVD RECORDERS.

WHY SHOULD THE PLANET HAVE TO SUFFER THE INCREASED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS CAUSED BY RUNNING 2 SETS OF PORTABLE DIESEL GENERATORS SIMPLY TO LIGHT UP THE 3-MILE CIRCUIT JUST SO THAT EUROPEANS CAN AVOID DISRUPTION? WHO DO WE THINK WE ARE AND WHO DOES MR. ECCLESTONE THINK HE IS!

I DOUBT IF FERRARI WILL WANT TO RETURN HERE AFTER YESTERDAY'S DISASTER WHICH, TO BE FAIR, HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH THE LIGHTS BUT A LOT TO DO WITH HUMAN ERROR. FELIPE MASSA'S FIRST PIT STOP WENT HORRIBLY WRONG. HE ACCELERATED AWAY AS SOON AS HE GOT THE GREEN LIGHT ON THEIR AUTOMATED PIT-STOP SYSTEM. UNFORTUNATELY, THE FUEL RIG WAS STILL FILLING THE CAR WITH FUEL. THE PIPE BROKE UNDER THE STRAIN AND HE DRAGGED IT THE LENGTH OF THE PIT-LANE BEFORE HE WAS ABLE TO FIND SOMEWHERE TO PARK WHILE THE MECHANICS CAME AND EXTRACTED THE NOZZLE. THAT PUT HIM AT THE BACK OF THE FIELD AND EFFECTIVELY OUT OF THE RACE.

KIMI RAIKKONEN WAS RUNNING 5TH WITH ONLY A HANDFUL OF LAPS REMAINING WHEN HE UNSETTLED THE CAR ON THE KERBS AT THE CHICANE AND WENT STRAIGHT INTO THE WALL SURROUNDING THIS STREET-CIRCUIT. SO NO POINTS FOR FERRARI AND THAT ALLOWED MCLAREN TO LEAD THE CONSTRUCTORS' RACE BY ONE POINT.

TWO DRIVERS IN PARTICULAR WERE GRATEFUL TO THE OPPORTUNITIES PRESENTED BY THIS ODD CIRCUIT. FERNANDO ALONSO HAD CHOSEN AN AGGRESSIVE STRATEGY AFTER HIS ENGINE STOPPED IN QUALIFYING. RATHER THAN THE USUAL 'FILL IT UP TO THE BRIM' AND JUST STOPPING ONCE, RENAULT CHOSE TO FUEL HIM LIGHT SO THAT HE COULD GAIN GROUND EARLY ON, ENABLING HIM TO ATTACK THE FIELD AND THEN FUEL UP TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF ANY SAFETY CAR PERIODS.

IT COULD NOT HAVE WORKED OUT BETTER - HIS TEAM-MATE COLLIDED WITH THE WALL, CAUSING A SAFETY CAR PERIOD, JUST AFTER FERNANDO HAD EMERGED FROM THE PITS. HE TOOK FULL ADVANTAGE AND CROSSED THE LINE FOR HIS, AND RENAULT'S, FIRST VICTORY OF 2008. NICO ROSBERG WAS PENALISED FOR ENTERING THE PITS WHILST IT WAS CLOSED AND SUFFERED A STOP-AND-GO PENALTY BUT STILL MANAGED TO MAKE UP ENOUGH TIME BEFORE SERVING IT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO GET INTO 2ND PLACE BY THE END.

LEWIS HAMILTON WAS SOMEWHAT DISADVANTAGED BY THE SAFETY CAR PERIOD BUT RECOVERED TO FINISH 3RD AND COLLECT 6 POINTS TO INCREASE HIS LEAD IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP TO 7 POINTS WITH THREE RACES TO GO. BUT IT'S NOT OVER YET!

Race Results posted by
David Little
29th September 2008

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