F1 News
Date: 22/September/2011
Sebastian Vettel is staying cool as he faces the first of six chances to defend his F1 title in Sunday's hot, humid and possibly wet Singapore night race.
The only grand prix to be held completely at night - Abu Dhabi starts just before sunset - Singapore has quickly become one of the highlights of the season for drivers and fans alike.
But that doesn’t mean it's easy.
On the contrary, at 5.073km the Marina Bay circuit is one of the longest on the calendar, and the race distance is equally extensive. Ever since it's 2008 debut, the Singapore Grand Prix has finished just minutes before the two-hour time limit.
Add in the punishing heat and humidity, plus the topsy-turvy time schedule and Singapore is rightfully considered one of the toughest rounds on the calendar.
"In a way it’s tougher than Monaco," said Vettel on Thursday. "The circuit is very bumpy. At some places there’s not a lot of room for mistakes and there are so many corners.
"It is one of the most difficult tracks for the car and for the drivers. It is a long, long way to the chequered flag.
"It's one of the biggest challenges we have. The focus of the driver has to be extremely high throughout the race. It’s very hot, the humidity is very high and, being at night, more difficult for your eyes."
Visibility could become even harder on Sunday if the predicted rain storms arrive, since spray from the cars would reflect the light being beamed down onto the track.
MotoGP, which holds a night race in Qatar each year, considers such reflection to be a 'red line' safety issue and only allows its grand prix to take place on a dry track.
Singapore's location, on the very southern tip of Malaysia, means accurate weather forecasts are unlikely to be possible until just before the race begins, adding tension to what is already a big weekend for Vettel.
The young German, winner of eight of the 13 rounds so far, has spent much of the season brushing-off title talk.
That is becoming increasingly difficult, since Vettel starts this weekend with a 112 point lead over Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Vettel will be crowned a double world champion at the age of 24 if he can leave Singapore with a lead of at least 125 points.
"'Would, could, should'. So far we haven’t won anything," stated Vettel. "We are in a good position but still some way to go. We have to do our normal job and try to achieve our best. A lot of people talk about [the championship], but certain things have to happen.
"It’s not the objective for this weekend," he insisted. "The target is to optimise our performance and then either we get surprised or not? I don’t feel any extra pressure trying to win the championship here."
While Vettel remains cautious, Virgin driver Timo Glock is ready to cash-in on what he believes will be a championship-winning drive by Vettel on Sunday.
"Sebastian managed to have a near perfect season up until now," said Glock, before revealing: "I have my money on him to win the championship this weekend, so he has to push for it!"
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