Maybe we run the risk of being called fussy. But we are happy to take that risk, or we wouldn’t be Scuderia Ferrari, the team that has recorded more wins than any other in Formula 1. Because today, while Fernando produced a mind blowing lap in qualifying, to secure a back to back pole after the one in Monza, unfortunately, we are less happy to have to settle for Felipe Massa being right at the back of the starting grid.
It was unfortunate that a gearbox problem left Felipe’s car stranded out on track, because looking at the potential of our car, the Brazilian would surely have made it much higher up the order in his F10. But unfortunately, Felipe was out of the game right from Q1 with not even one timed lap to his name.
There’s no such thing as an easy race and that statement definitely applies to a Grand Prix unique in taking place at night and on a street circuit, which although already tricky enough, could be rendered even more so by the threat of rain, because, as we have seen for the past two days, it takes a long time to dry because of the constant humidity.
Then you have to deal with the heat, the heat of no less than 25 corners that follow one another relentlessly, for over 5000 metres of track on every single lap, leaving no time for a driver to catch his breath. It’s more than a GP, it’s got all the ingredients for a real thriller. The key elements for the result we are looking for come the end of this Singapore Grand Prix? Making a good start, reliability, reacting quickly and taking the right decisions.