Formula One news
McLaren upbeat after first day
26 September 2008 / Results / PhotosMcLaren Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton set the fastest time in Friday's free practice sessions for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix. In the first ever night session in Formula 1 history, Lewis completed 20 laps and set a time of 1m45.518, which was the fastest time of the day. In the second session, Lewis was second fastest with a 1m45.752 (28 laps). Heikki Kovalainen was fourth fastest in both sessions; he did 20 laps in the first practice with a best time of 1m46.463, followed by 31 laps and a 1m45.797 in the second session.
"On my first proper run, I managed to find a half-decent line - but the car was still bottoming in places," Hamilton said. "I was able to get more comfortable with the car; on first impressions, there seems to be quite a lot of grip on the track, so you can brake quite late into the slower corners. It's a very physical circuit - more than I expected, actually. You need to put a lot of work into the car to get a good lap - I'd say it requires double the energy of Monaco over a single lap. One lap around here is like two laps of Monaco!"
Kovalainen commented, "To be honest, racing under the lights wasn't really a problem. The track was quite bumpy. Perhaps we should also look at the pit entry - it could be quite difficult if a driver decides to pull into the pits at the last minute. The visibility was fine, to be honest - I don't think it really makes any difference for the drivers. Same with the bumps, we'll get used to them very fast."
Team boss Ron Dennis commented, "From a procedural point of view, today was a very encouraging day - which, as usual on a Friday, we spent evaluating race tyres. But I want to make a broader point: along with everyone at Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Singaporean government, and to Bernie Ecclestone, and to everyone else who has made this event possible. It's a fantastic circuit, and the added attraction of racing under floodlights has been very well achieved. It feels a little strange to be at the circuit so late, well past midnight in fact, but overall I would describe the advent of night-time grand prix racing as an excellent new development in the ongoing history of Formula 1."
more news
- 09 Jul.
- 08 Jul.
- 07 Jul.
- 06 Jul.
- 05 Jul.
- 04 Jul.
- 03 Jul.
Homepage
