Singapore 2014 - GP Preview - Caterham Renault

Kamui Kobayashi

"I always like the Singapore Grand Prix because it’s a night race and its festive atmosphere is definitely one of the highlights of the season. It’s a very technical track, with lots of changes of direction, and it’s a challenging race for everyone. After finishing ahead of our closest rivals in Italy, I look forward to another good fight out on track in Singapore - it will be good to see what we are capable of with the updated car at the Marina Bay Street Circuit - at street circuits anything can happen and we need to make sure we do our best."

Marcus Ericsson

"Singapore is one of my favourite cities and I cannot wait for my first Formula One night race experience. It’s a circuit I know quite well - I’ve finished on the podium every time I’ve raced there with GP2, so it brings back very good memories. The track is bumpy and it reminds me a lot of Monaco, even though the Singapore layout is much more physical and requires double the amount of energy over a single lap compared to Monte Carlo. The heat and humidity also make it a tough race weekend, but I’ve been training hard to make sure I am ready for the challenge and I look forward to the weekend ahead."

Singapore GP lowdown with Renault Sport F1 track support leader, Cedrik Staudohar

Main challenges of Singapore for the Power Units:

The high number of corners puts an emphasis on low speed driveability and torque so we will work on good turbo response and smooth, efficient energy recovery. Most corners are taken in second to fourth gear with few straights interlinking them so we will use an ICE at the end of its life as top speed is not so important.

Main energy recovery points:

Marina Bay has the highest number of corners of any circuit this year so there are plenty of chances! The series of right angled turns in front of the main grandstands will give the MGU-K several opportunities to recharge while the short bursts of power will give the MGU-H ample time. We’ll need the energy as Singapore has the highest fuel consumption per lap of the year.

Difficulty rating:

Medium. The ICE will have an easy time but the ERS will be working flat out the entire race.

What to watch out for:

With different parts of the PU coming under different levels of stress we’ll run a mix and match of elements on different life cycles.