(Williams Martini Racing Team)
The Williams Martini Racing Team head to the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend following an absolutely superb race last time out at the Italian Grand Prix where not only did Felipe Massa score his first podium for the team but they also overtook Ferrari to move into third place in the Constructors championship. The Gorve based outfit are currently on 177 point's, 15 points ahead of the Scuderia.
The team have also scored points in every race so far this season and are having one of the best season's in recent years.
Felipe Massa is looking forward to the challenge of the Singapore Grand Prix saying:
'The Singapore race is fantastic, but also exceptionally difficult. The temperatures are so high and the humidity really affects the drivers physically. The track is similar to Monaco but almost twice the length which adds to the challenge. Staying on European time helps with it being a night race, but it’s still a bit strange going to bed at 3am. I really enjoy the race and hope to carry the success we had in Monza into the remaining races of the season.'
Valtteri Bottas who moved ahead of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso in Italy in the championship two weeks ago is also very excited about this weekend's race saying:
'I’m looking forward to Singapore, it’s a very special race – the setting there is really cool, the track is very challenging and there’s no room for mistakes. It’s a night race but the lights are very bright so it doesn’t make a big difference to drive, everything just looks awesome which is great for the fans and builds the atmosphere. The race is long. Normally it goes up to two hours, so it’s a challenge for the cars with tyre degradation, and for the drivers physically it will be probably the toughest race of the season due to the heat and humidity. Singapore could be a little more difficult for us compared to Monza, but we have some aero upgrades which should give us more downforce. We go there hoping to fight with Ferrari and Red Bull but we know Mercedes will be very strong.'
The team as a whole are looking forward to the race this weekend as although it is a night race they remain on European time and the circuit is exciting and poses a number of interesting challenges for the drivers. For Williams Martini Racing, their main focus from now until the end of the season is maintaining their advantage over Ferrari. Head of Performance Engineering Rob Smedley commented:
'Singapore is a night race and even though that brings certain challenges for those who work there, it offers a great spectacle for Formula 1. The track has a few issues that we have to work around, such as the lack of grip that on a normal track would improve, but here doesn’t. This results in a lot of wheel spin and oversteer which affects the balance of the car. The main focus for the team is the Constructors’ Championship now and we have to establish ourselves in third position, which we regained from Ferrari in Monza.'
© Ben Johnston 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment