Lewis Hamilton (Vodafone McLaren Mercedes) used a soft – soft – super soft Bridgestone tyre strategy to slingshot away from his rivals in a scintillating and gruelling Singapore Grand Prix. Hamilton won Formula One’s only night race from pole by just under ten seconds from Panasonic Toyota Racing driver Timo Glock with Renault F1 Team driver Fernando Alonso finishing third. Most drivers used the same tyre strategy as Hamilton.

Hiroshi Yasukawa – Director of Bridgestone Motorsport, says
“What a fantastic Grand Prix! We appreciate the great organisation required to put on such a race in this wonderful venue. Congratulations to Lewis Hamilton and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes for their second win of the season. Timo Glock will be very pleased with his second place, equalling Toyota’s best-ever result, and it is good to see strong performance from them heading to the Japanese Grand Prix. Renault and Fernando Alonso have also done very well to achieve a podium finish in such difficult circumstances.”

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Glock drove a brilliant race to finish second with Kimi Raikkonen missing out on any points thanks to more misjudged tactics by his team and a missed opportunity with his pitstop during the safety car period. The Ferrari driver finished back in tenth.

Results
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:56:06.337
02 T. Glock Toyota + 9.634
03 F. Alonso Renault + 16.624
04 S. Vettel Red Bull + 20.261
05 J. Button Brawn GP + 30.015
06 R. Barrichello Brawn GP + 31.858
07 H. Kovalainen McLaren + 36.157
08 R. Kubica BMW + 55.054
09 K. Nakajima Williams + 56.054
10 K. Räikkönen Ferrari + 58.892
11 N. Rosberg Williams + 59.777
12 J. Trulli Toyota + 1:13.009
13 G. Fisichella Ferrari + 1:19.890
14 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 + 1:33.502
Did not finish
15 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso + 14 lap(s)
16 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso + 14 lap(s)
17 M. Webber Red Bull + 16 lap(s)
18 A. Sutil Force India F1 + 38 lap(s)
19 N. Heidfeld BMW + 42 lap(s)
20 R. Grosjean Renault + 58 lap(s)

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:47.891
02 S. Vettel Red Bull 1:48.204
03 N. Rosberg Williams 1:48.348
04 M. Webber Red Bull 1:48.722
05 R. Barrichello Brawn GP 1:48.828*
06 F. Alonso Renault 1:49.054
07 T. Glock Toyota 1:49.180
08 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:49.307
09 R. Kubica BMW 1:49.514
10 H. Kovalainen McLaren 1:49.778
11 K. Nakajima Williams 1:47.013
12 J. Button Brawn GP 1:47.141
13 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:47.177
14 S. Buemi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:47.369
15 J. Trulli Toyota 1:47.413
16 A. Sutil Force India F1 1:48.231
17 J. Alguersuari Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:48.340
18 G. Fisichella Ferrari 1:48.350
19 R. Grosjean Renault 1:48.544
20 V. Liuzzi Force India F1 1:48.792

* Rubens will take a 5 place penalty tomorrow for a gear box change.

Fuel loads for tomorrows race

Pos  Driver                             Weight (kg)

1.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes         660.5

2.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault         651.0

3.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota          657.5

4.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault         654.5

5.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes           655.5

6.  Alonso       Renault                  658.0

7.  Glock        Toyota                   660.5

8.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber               650.0

9.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber               664.0

10.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes         664.5

11.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota          680.7

12.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes           683.0

13.  Raikkonen    Ferrari                  680.5

14.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari       678.0

15.  Trulli       Toyota                   690.9

16.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes     693.0

17.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari       683.5

18.  Fisichella   Ferrari                  678.5

19.  Grosjean     Renault                  683.0

20.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes     656.0

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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Kimi Raikkonen - 13th: “Unfortunately, today we were just not quick enough to get into Q3 and there was not much we could do about it. It’s logical that, as other cars improve, race after race, we pay a higher price for our decision to stop developing the F60. Tomorrow, we can expect a tough race as it is very difficult to overtake here, so getting into the points will be very difficult. It’s true that anything can happen on a track like this and we will have to do our best to make the most of every opportunity, maybe getting some help through a good start as we have usually managed in the last few races. As for the tyres, I think that tomorrow, there could be a problem with wear on the softer tyre, even if the situation could improve during the race.”

Stefano Domenicali: “Our target today was to get at least one car through to Q3 and the other to Q2, but we did not succeed and we have to accept that our package just wasn’t quick enough in this qualifying session. Furthermore, if so many of our competitors continue to develop their cars, while we stopped doing so with ours several weeks ago, then the more time goes by, the more we will find ourselves in an ever more difficult situation. However, what really matters is the race result, where reliability is always the key factor, especially in a race that looks like being very tough and where all sorts of things could happen. Clearly, we will be trying to fight our way towards the front, which means it will be difficult to reach our minimum target of finishing in the top eight.”

Chris Dyer: “A really difficult qualifying for us, even more so than we expected. We knew it would be tough, but we felt we could have made it through to the final part of the session. But honestly, today we did not have the performance to do that. Kimi did two good laps in Q2, but it was not enough. Tomorrow’s race will be very long, so let’s hope we can make up some places at the start and then try and get into the points.”

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Bridgestone’s super soft tyre carried Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton to his third pole position of the season in the only night-time qualifying session of the year.

Hamilton set a time of 1min 47.891secs in a session which was red flagged after championship contender Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP Formula 1 Team) hit the wall late in the session. Hamilton had earlier used the super soft tyre to go fastest in the Saturday practice session with a 1min 47.632secs lap. The day’s fastest lap, a 1min 46.197secs, was set by AT&T Williams driver Nico Rosberg in Q2 using the super soft.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development

What was significant about today’s running?
“We have to investigate the data in depth however it seems like circuit conditions might have continued to change quite quickly today. This means that some teams could have struggled to adjust their cars for the increased grip from the improved track surface. This means that car balance could alter, so it has been a difficult day once more here in Singapore due to the good challenge of this circuit.”

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Pos  Driver       Team                       Time              Laps

1.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:50.179            19

2.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:50.356  + 0.177   22

3.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:50.416  + 0.237   21

4.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:50.567  + 0.388   16

5.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:50.614  + 0.435   16

6.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:50.699  + 0.520   21

7.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:50.715  + 0.536   17

8.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:50.815  + 0.636   15

9.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:50.865  + 0.686   ù.

10.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:51.089  + 0.910   25

11.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:51.427  + 1.248   23

12.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:51.544  + 1.365   14

13.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:51.643  + 1.464   28

14.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:51.656  + 1.477   15

15.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:52.083  + 1.904   20

16.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:52.135  + 1.956   20

17.  Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:52.390  + 2.211   24

18.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:52.905  + 2.726   23

19.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:53.232  + 3.053   25

20.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:53.458  + 3.279    9

Free Practice 2

Pos  Driver       Team                       Time              Laps

1.  Vettel       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:48.650            31

2.  Alonso       Renault               (B)  1:48.924  + 0.274   27

3.  Kovalainen   McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:48.952  + 0.302   30

4.  Heidfeld     BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:49.098  + 0.448   31

5.  Button       Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:49.311  + 0.661   34

6.  Webber       Red Bull-Renault      (B)  1:49.317  + 0.667   14

7.  Rosberg      Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:49.333  + 0.683   33

8.  Glock        Toyota                (B)  1:49.342  + 0.692   30

9.  Hamilton     McLaren-Mercedes      (B)  1:49.358  + 0.708   28

10.  Kubica       BMW-Sauber            (B)  1:49.609  + 0.959   24

11.  Barrichello  Brawn-Mercedes        (B)  1:49.616  + 0.966   30

12.  Sutil        Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:49.710  + 1.060   31

13.  Trulli       Toyota                (B)  1:49.795  + 1.145   29

14.  Raikkonen    Ferrari               (B)  1:49.941  + 1.291   29

15.  Nakajima     Williams-Toyota       (B)  1:50.023  + 1.373   34

16.  Fisichella   Ferrari               (B)  1:50.253  + 1.603   31

17.  Buemi        Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:50.527  + 1.877   29

18.  Liuzzi       Force India-Mercedes  (B)  1:50.605  + 1.955   28

19.  Grosjean     Renault               (B)  1:50.972  + 2.322   17

20.  Alguersuari  Toro Rosso-Ferrari    (B)  1:51.423  + 2.773   31

All Timing Unofficial

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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Giancarlo Fisichella - 16th: “It was a rather difficult day. The car is very nervous and I have yet to find the ideal set-up. Now, I must sit down with the team to try and prepare as well as possible for qualifying and the race. My aim is to improve on my result from Monza, but I know that won’t be easy. The track was very slippery and sometimes I had a bit of graining on the tyres. Unfortunately, I never managed to do a long run with the soft tyres, because of the red flags following Webber’s accident: this compound is definitely quicker by three to four tenths, but there is a question mark over the consistency of its performance.”

Chris Dyer: “Today’s performance was definitely nothing to get excited about. The interruption to the session complicated the running of our planned programme, but overall we have gathered sufficient data to be as well prepared as possible for qualifying and the race. Tomorrow, our aim is to get both cars through to Q3: it won’t be easy, but we will do our best. Both types of tyre showed some signs of degradation today, which makes the choice for the race even harder. From what we have seen, I also expect to see different tyre strategies employed in qualifying.”

Stefano Domenicali: “Clearly, when evaluating today’s free practice times, one has to consider the various unknown factors, but it is equally clear that our situation looks pretty difficult. Besides, if so many other teams continue to bring significant technical updates to the track, while for the past two months we have frozen the development of the F60, then we can expect to find ourselves in this situation. All the same, we must now concentrate on ourselves and try and make the most of the package we have, as indeed we have done in the past few races: if we do a good job, we have seen that the results can follow.”

Image (c) Bridgestone Corporation

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Bridgestone’s super soft tyre proved to be the fastest rubber for the first running at night of the 2009 Formula One season as Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull Racing) topped the timesheets at the Marina Bay street course in Singapore.

Vettel set a 1min 48.650secs late in the second 90 minute session, as lap times dropped rapidly with the track surface improvement during the course of the hot and humid evening.

Bridgestone’s soft tyre was the fastest in the first practice session where drivers tackled the slippery and dusty street course. Rubens Barrichello (Brawn GP Formula 1 Team) was quickest with a 1min 50.179secs.

Q&A with Hirohide Hamashima - Bridgestone Director of Motorsport Tyre Development

What was significant about today’s running?
“Just like last year we saw the track start very slippery. This was due a dusty surface and no rubber laid down. We saw a few drivers get caught out by these conditions; however the surface improved a lot during the evening. The lap times today were around three seconds slower than last year, and I think the reason for this is mainly due to the circuit revisions which have re-profiled turn 1 and turn 10, making them tighter and slower.”

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The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix was generally well received by the teams, although there were some complaints about the track surface and some kerbing and these issues have been addressed with modifications, including some to run off areas at the first two corners and to the pit lane exit, which came in for some criticism last year. Even with these changes, it is clear that the Safety Car can play a significant role in determining the outcome of the race, given that this track has far more in common with Monaco than with Valencia for example, the latter having larger run-off areas at key points on the track. The other factor it shares with other street circuits is that a good grid position is more important here than at more flowing circuits. This is an important point for those running KERS, as the run down to the first corner after the start is relatively short and therefore, the power boost is unable to be used as effectively as at the last few races, although it can still be of help in overall performance terms.

Right from the very first round of the championship in Melbourne, back in March, it has been difficult to predict the outcome of races and the picture has got even more complicated on this front as the season has progressed. Therefore, a rough guide to which cars are well suited to the track will only be available after Friday’s free practice. The F60s driven by Raikkonen and Fisichella will be essentially unchanged since the last race, apart from the downforce levels on a track that is usually hard on the brakes and the tyres. Bridgestone is bringing its Soft and Super-soft tyres, which are well suited to the characteristics of the F60. As far as the engine cycle is concerned, the team can now count on running each engine for just two races to the end of the year, which is a tribute to the good work of all those in the engine department in Maranello, given that some other teams are struggling on this front.

Since the Italian Grand Prix, Kimi has spent his time at home, in Switzerland. Giancarlo Fisichella had a busier week, spending last Monday working on the simulator at the Fiat Research Centre in Turin and the Roman was in Maranello on Wednesday, in meetings with the engineers, before taking to the track at Vairano on Thursday, for the last of this season’s aero tests, which gave him a further opportunity to feel at home at the controls of the car, working through various procedures.

Last year, starting from pole, Felipe Massa appeared to have the race win in his grasp, until the Safety Car intervened and the Brazilian’s pit stop went seriously wrong, as he left his position outside the garage, with the fuel hose still attached. Having started from third, Kimi Raikkonen was chasing Hamilton, who was struggling with his tyres and would have got ahead in the run of pit stops, except that the Scuderia had to bring both its drivers in together for a double pit stop, as a result of the Safety Car. Then, when lying fifth, while chasing Glock, he crashed within a few laps of the chequered flag. Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro and its drivers are looking forward to the Singapore Grand Prix, which provided an interesting and novel experience last year, although there are additional pressures after the event, as this year, it is the first of two back-to-back races, with Japan. This means that Sunday, already a late night, will become even longer for the crew, thanks to the need to pack up all the cars and equipment for immediate freighting to Suzuka. Unusually, having spent at least a week in a Far East time zone, most people in the paddock will still have to adapt to a major time difference, having exchanged day for night in Singapore.

With four races to go, the target for Ferrari is the one it set itself quite a while ago, from the time when it became apparent that Championship titles were no longer a realistic goal. Maintaining third place in the Constructors’ classification is the revised objective and, as has been demonstrated in recent races, if all elements of the package come together, then a podium is within reach. If the more obvious candidate to achieve this from within our ranks is Kimi, after making good progress throughout his debut in Monza, Giancarlo himself and the team expect to see the Roman make a contribution to the points tally this weekend.

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