Our first look at the Singapore circuit was a wonder to behold, as the drivers struggled to make it round in once piece, whether due to their own issues, or the bumpy circuit.
Free Practice 1
The lovely lights of Singapore are merely a backdrop for all the on track action as first Webber and then Barrichello mess up their first go at attacking the newest street circuit.
Free Practice 2
Whilst Barrichello and Webber take to the track, Glock and Fisichella mess it up, and Hamilton and Alonso continue to fight it out for the top spot.
Conclusions
There's a general feeling of content with the lighting system, if you ignore a few dark spots, but the consensus is that the track is just too bumpy, with Rosberg saying it could give a man a headache.
Singapore at night is undeniably beautiful. Add in a lit up track and some shiny cars, and you've got something pretty spectacular.
Just a glimpse of FP1 was better than the entire Valencian GP put together.
The walls might be magnetic and the marshals don't seem equipped to handle it.
Already, we've seen Webber crash into the barrier underneath the grandstand in great style. Barrichello also met the wall, and both times it took the marshals over five minutes to muster up a crane and sort the situation out. Early days, of course, but considering how many slips and slides we saw, it looks like it's going to be a busy day for the tractors, and will they be able to cope?
We've barely had time to digest what happened in the first session, so let's look forward instead. Hamilton beat Massa by the smallest of margins, and Massa jumped Raikkonen at the last minute. So far, all three are looking on form and they'll want to get the most data from the track this afternoon.
There was very little running on soft tyres, and I'm hoping to see more action with the white stripes. The projected lap times were 1 minute 45s, and we only just saw that. With a bit of soft rubber bolted on to the cars, and some hard rubber down on track, we might see some faster times this afternoon.
I'll be glued to the ITV stream, and keeping up with the official live timing. It seems to be working smoothly at the moment, although now I've said that, of course it will fall down. There's plenty of pictures and links to look at in drop.io, and we'll be Live Commenting as always.
Here it is, then, the start of the night action. Admittedly, things have already been confusing, as the Friday practice sessions start much later than usual.
FP1 begins at 7pm local time, so that drivers can get as much running in the dark as possible. This means a midday start in the UK, with only an hour gap until FP2 begins at 2:30pm BST. Don't worry, though. Stay tuned to Sidepodcast, and you shouldn't miss a thing.
What do we have in store for us today? Usually, a Friday is the quietest day with only the occasional burst of traffic out on track. With so many variables in Singapore - a new circuit, a new climate, a new time of day - we should hopefully see the teams being a little bit more proactive.
Turn 10 has been causing consternation with a couple of the drivers, and the FIA have apparently been inspecting the bumps on the kerbs of the chicane. It doesn't look like they've taken any action, and I don't suppose they have time to do anything now. I wouldn't like to see anyone's day shortened by simply crossing the kerbs, but hey, that's one solution to the chicane cutting problem!
[Update: Autosport are reporting that the bumps on the kerbs have been ground down and smoothed out to solve this problem this morning.]
I think almost all of the drivers have chosen to stay on a European timezone, so for them, this will be a normal morning's practice. They'll have just had breakfast, and be ready to jump in the car for a few laps in time for lunch... at 9pm. It's weird, isn't it? This entire weekend presents a unique challenge and spectacle, and I can't wait to get started.
Let us know where you are and how you're watching. We'll be tuned to ITV's online stream, as well as 5live Sports Extra (hopefully they won't be rained off this week). There's also Bernie's live timing to keep an eye on, but whether it will be any less flakey than what we have seen so far this season remains to be seen.
If you have any other online links to share, please post in the comments. Talking of which, we'd love you to join us in the Live Commenting Live... Thing, which is always available and open to all. Join in the fun, talk about what you can see, who you're rooting for, your predictions, thoughts, anything you feel like sharing.
Although it hasn't been widely reported, and while certain factions of the racing community are keen to keep it hush hush, Formula One may be about to happen upon its very first night race.
It's difficult to escape the fact that the upcoming Grand Prix is an evening affair, and Inside Track is no exception. In this edition we hear from current drivers, ex-drivers, and the men behind the men, about what might lie in store this coming weekend.
Don't forget the obligatory lap of the circuit too. This one's a proper street circuit, so there's plenty to take in and who better to guide you around the twists and turns than Sidepodcast's one and only commentator, Christine. You wouldn't have it any other way, right?
Special thanks go out to Allianz SE, Toyota Motorsports GmbH, AT&T Williams, Royal Bank of Scotland and RTV GmbH for the use of their video footage.
The most hotly anticipated Grand Prix for a long time becomes a reality as the paddock turns up at Singapore ready to put the politics behind them and get racing.
Vital Statistics
Date: 28th September
Circuit: Singapore
Length: 5.1km
Laps: 61
Preview
There are only three things everyone is talking about: what an amazing job the organisers have done with the lights, how they will cope by staying on European time, and whether it's going to rain. Not everyone is as enamoured with the circuit as we are, but all say they are looking forward to what is a unique event in Formula 1.
This article was originally written for BellaOnline, but is republished here for posterity.
This weekend sees the first ever Formula 1 night race, and it takes place around the streets of Singapore. The idea first arose as Bernie Ecclestone wanted to expand his calendar, but keep the European audiences, and therefore advertisers, happy. None of that matters though, as the Grand Prix is shaping up to be a completely spectacular event, even though it only took a year for the circuit to come together.
As any other street circuit, the track layout came from the placement of the roads, and designer Hermann Tilke had to work with what was available to him. However, he also had the added problem of the lights. With the race starting at 8pm local time, it will be after sunset, and the city will be in darkness. Except that it won’t be.
All of the track, and run off areas are going to be lit up – with the run off’s slightly less than the track to distinguish between the two. The lights will be on just one side of the track, to help the television cameras avoid glare, and will be placed at four metre intervals. There were some concerns about shadows, but Formula 1 cars are very low to the floor, and hopefully any shadow problems will be minimal.
The lighting will run on 12 generators, stuck in sound-proof containers – and there will be a main control room to monitor all 12 generators at the same time. If any fail, then the other 11 would be an instant backup, and there will be engineers on hand in case of problems. If any of the lights blow, they are all rigged to be separate and alternate, so that there should always be some lighting across each stretch of track.
The numbers used in this project are astonishing: over 108,000 metres of cables, 240 pylons, 1,600 light projectors, over 3.1 million watts of power. The lighting will be four times brighter than at any football stadium.
It seems over-the-top, a crazy amount of organisation, power, and effort for a single Grand Prix. However, the drivers will take their Formula 1 cars to the track in good faith, and will be reaching over 300 km/h at various points along the track. There can be no chance of any blackouts. If this Singapore weekend is successful, then more night races will surely follow, and the organisers will want theirs to be the benchmark any future night races look up to.
