After three years of waiting, the Circus re-embraces Singapore, a track which was not thought to be missing, but the very absence of which has highlighted how the atypical characteristics of the Asian track constitute an added value within the calendar. Going against the trend of hyper-fast city tracks such as Baku, Jeddah, Miami and the next incoming Las Vegas, the Asian city-state stands together with Monte Carlo as champion of traditional urban routes. A grueling succession of curves, with 23 folds spread over just 5063 meters, some of which anticipated by braking in combination with the steering wheel turned like curves 13 and 16, leads the drivers to exalt themselves and to leverage their sensitivity. Just think of Charles Leclerc’s constant counter-steering in qualifying in 2019 or even more of the unexpected pole position conquered by Lewis Hamilton in 2018, a lap that has already entered the collective memory of Formula 1. A track also that, thanks to the high humidity and the duration of the race close to two hours, is the most physically demanding of the yearwith 3 kg of weight lost by the driver during the Grand Prix, helping to enhance the human factor.
Despite the importance of the driver and athletic performance, the technical aspect continues to be a central component in the dynamics of the Grand Prix. In Singapore, the longest straight is just 832 meters, preventing Red Bull from asserting its speed superiority, attributable both to the aerodynamic efficiency and to the energy abundance of the power unit. The continuous succession of curves pushes the teams towards the adoption of aerodynamic configurations from maximum load, with an increase in grip that already transpires from the simulations on the eve. According to the provisions of Bremboin the most demanding braking of curve one, with a speed drop from 293 to 127 km / h in just 91 meters, the cars will reach a peak deceleration of 5.1 g. This is one of the very rare occasions in which 2022 single-seaters exceed 5 g of deceleration, underlining how much in Singapore the cars travel with higher load levels than elsewhere. Also for this reason Brembo has classified the Asian track with a severity of 4 out of 5 for the braking system, whose management is complicated by the low average lap speeds, around 190 km / h, with a consequent low flow rate. air to the brake cooling system and more. It is therefore possible that the teams will replicate what they have already done in Monte Carlo, another low-mileage track, by adopting larger air intakes and cooling vents.
Barring anomalous set-up choices, Ferrari has shown that it continues to release higher load levels than Red Bull, which would suggest that Singapore goes more towards the characteristics of the F1-75. However, it must be taken into account that in the Asian city the curves are all low-mileage and below 150 km / h, placing greater emphasis on the mechanical grip guaranteed by the suspension set-up, another area in which Red Bull has made significant progress. from the beginning of the season. On the other hand, the Asian track offers a relative homogeneity of curves, with limited differences both as regards the geometries, since the dry ninety-degree folds are prevalent, and for the travel speeds. All this makes it more agile to center the correct operating window of the car, having to optimize the package for a narrow range of conditions, making the short deck of Mercedes and Ferrari a little less short, also in terms of aerodynamic efficiency on the straight. Above all, the Scuderia di Maranello will have more degrees of freedom with the set-up to correct the balance imbalances that emerged in the summer, where the team had not already gone to intervene at the source. Furthermore, since it is a track rear limitedthe set-up will mainly protect the rear axle, a condition in which Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz have shown that they can attack their respective teammates more decisively.
What has been described would seem to favor a new rapprochement of Mercedes to the top positions. George Russell, however, has already put his hands on how the Asian track is so favorable in the design to the W13, but at the same time how the irregularities of the city road surface are rowing against the Silver Arrows, which are unable to digest the bumps. In addition to the behavior of the car, the irregularities of the asphalt will require great attention to the wear of the bottom, the preservation of which risks compromising performance. Once again, the refinement of the set-up will be anything but obvious, also considering that FP2 will be the only practice session available to test the track conditions after sunset, the same in which qualifying and race will be held. Free trials will also be used to evaluate the various updates rumored for the teams, five weeks having now passed since the Spa stage in which the latest packages were introduced. All this with the forecasts of the weekend announcing thunderstorms, a further variable to be taken into account.
Singapore marks the return to the softer compounds of the Pirelli range: C3, C4 and C5. The minimum static inflation pressures on the other hand remain normal, with 22.0 psi at the front and 18.0 psi at the rear, while Pirelli announces that the main stresses on the tires will be the longitudinal ones during braking and traction, placing the rear as the limiting axis for the race pace. It is precisely the management of tire wear and tear that is one of the questions on the eve. In the past, overtaking difficulties dictated the single-stop strategy, with the leading car being able to afford to slow down by handfuls of seconds at the start of the race to extend the life of the tires by as much as necessary, without worrying about losing the position. A dynamic that if confirmed would go towards Ferrari, which on the flying lap continues to be able to compete with Red Bull, knowing that a pole position in Singapore would give more guarantees than elsewhere. However, we cannot overlook how much the race dynamics have changed in 2022. Close chases are much easier and although Singapore lacks long straights on which to rely on the DRS, the advantage of traction given by a tire in good condition, combined due to the reduced distance from the car in front thanks to the new aerodynamics, it could be enough to gain positions in the race. A reality to be taken into account when drafting strategies.
At the center of the group, the Asian trip should put McLaren in a position ahead of Alpine, more in difficulty in slow corners where mechanical grip is required. For the same reason, Aston Martin’s prices are on the rise, but the chronic gaps in qualifying for the AMR22 undermine the possibility of achieving a good race pace on a track that is still difficult to overtake. Any prediction, however, is nothing but a gamble, since McLaren already subverted the predictions of the eve that gave Alpine as a favorite at Monza. Similarly, in the leading positions all that remains is to wait to see if Ferrari and / or Mercedes will be able to break the Red Bull hegemony or if instead Max Verstappen will lead the streak of consecutive victories to six, approaching Vettel’s record and the consecration of bicampione of the world.
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