Q&A with James Allison (LRGP technical director)

James makes no secret of the team’s strides in the last few races but, as he explains, Singapore is a whole different proposition.

Was the overall performance in Monza evidence that the team has now turned a corner and is moving back in the right direction?

While far from stunning, it was at least respectable. For two races in a row our car has looked a little more on the pace than in the previous Grands Prix, and this reinforces our belief that we are heading back in the right direction.

How well has Bruno adapted to the challenge of driving the R31 since he became race driver?

Several promising F1 careers have foundered on the rocks of a mid-season introduction in recent years. Under the current F1 rules Bruno has had no meaningful chance to get up to speed in the car away from the pressures of the GP weekend. He had just one session in the R31 pre-season, and he has impressed all of us with the way that he has seized his opportunity first at Spa and again at Monza.

Singapore offers a different type of challenge - how much fun is it to prepare for this most unique of races?

It is fun to go half way round the world and to stay on British Summer Time. It is also interesting to deal with a track temperature that plummets as the sun goes down, as we normally have the opposite problem from the morning to the afternoon sessions. Racing under lights, maximum downforce, reasonable braking challenges and some interesting bumps all add to the appeal of the track.

Is there any apprehension approaching this race? One might think that the Singapore GP won’t suit the R31 in the way that perhaps Japan or Korea would…

Monaco and Hungary were not good races for us and Singapore shares some characteristics of these two circuits. We feel we have improved things since then and we have a bit more to deliver for Singapore itself, but it is fair to say that I am apprehensive. However, if we do have a good race then we will be set for good performances in the five races that follow, as we will then have shown improved performance on three very different tracks.