Formula 1 General Chat & Discussion

Resutl of the 2nd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:35.078
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:35.318 +0.240
3. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:36.279 +1.201
4. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:36.409 +1.331
5. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:36.436 +1.358
6. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:36.529 +1.451
7. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:36.637 +1.559
8. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:36.714 +1.636
9. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:36.943 +1.865
10. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:37.186 +2.108
11. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:37.219 +2.141
12. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:37.504 +2.426
13. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:37.563 +2.485
14. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:37.700 +2.622
15. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:37.786 +2.708
16. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:37.798 +2.720
17. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:38.010 +2.932
18. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:38.365 +3.287
19. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:39.069 +3.991
20. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:39.306 +4.228
21. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:39.333 +4.255
22. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:42.760 +7.682


Hamilton tops the time sheet, four yellow flags and two red flags :
The second practice session at Japan began with the sun out but still cloudy. By the end of the session, rain clouds beckoned and a slight drizzle hit parts of the circuit. Back in the car for FP2 was home favourite Kamui Kobayashi who gave his seat up to Roberto Merhi in the first practice session. The Japanese driver caused the first yellow flag of the session after he lost the rear of the car at the 'S' Curves and then the car snapped the other way, which caused Kobayshi to lose control and stake through the gravel trap and into the barrier on the outside. Kamui was fine but the car had substantial damage. Jean-Eric Vergne was the next car to bring out the yellow flag after the Frenchman stopped his Toro Rosso at the Dunlop Curve. The Italian team were able to fix the car when it got back to the garage and sent Vergne on his way again later in the session. A surprising accident then happened with the Red Bull of Daniel Ricciardo locking up at the final corner of Turn 18, which sent the Aussie into the gravel trap and into the barrier. This broke the front left suspension and this caused the third yellow flag of the session. Ricciardo told his engineer he was ok. A red flag then hit the session after the marshals recovered Ricciardo’s RB10 with the digger but they then left the car at the side of the track at the last chicane. This took a little bit of time to sort out but when they had, the session resumed. The Mercedes Duo and the Red Bull of Sebastian Vettel were the first drivers out on track at the restart. The fourth yellow flag of the session then started to wave after the Sauber of Esteban Gutierrez made a visit to the barriers on the outside of Turn 13. The Mexican was fine and the car was recovered by the marshals. Drivers were finding Turn 1 tricky, after Grosjean and Kvyat went wide at the fast right hander. Perez had to miss a chunk of the session due to his car being stuck in gear. The Mexican was out of the car but the team fixed the problem and Perez got going again. Hamilton nearly lost the car exiting Turn 9 and going under the bridge. The back end of the car was squirming all over the place but the Brit was able to hold and control the car. He then had a snap of oversteer at the final corner, which seemed to be the corner that was catching a lot of drivers out. Massa was complaining of understeer on both compounds of tyres. There were drivers saying that there was drizzle at Turn 11 but the rain never came down hard. The Toro Rosso of Jean-Eric Vergne stopped again at the end of the session with four minutes to go. Going through Turns 13 and 14, the Frenchman changed something his steering wheel and the car just lost power. He parked up on the inside of the exit of the Spoon Curve. This brought out another red flag and this inevitably ended the session. Hamilton finished the session quickest with a 1:35.078. Rosberg made it a Mercedes one-two and Bottas put his Williams third. The rest of the top is as follows; Button, Vettel, Raikkonen, Alonso, Magnussen, Kvyat and Ricciardo.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

News : F1 eyes earlier Japan GP to dodge approaching typhoon :

An approaching typhoon is threatening to drive the Japanese grand prix off track. Fernando Alonso's future may be the talk of the Suzuka paddock, but every eye is on the ominous skies above the fabled circuit. "The whole of F1 is watching the weather," Lotus' Romain Grosjean told France's RMC from Japan. "The typhoon (Phanfone) is not far away, and if you believe the current forecast, I think a race at 3pm will be difficult," he added. Indeed, given the late-afternoon race start time and the fact that F1 needs to be set up in Russia within mere days, a delayed race on Monday is not an option. So in the team managers' meeting at Suzuka, the FIA's Charlie Whiting - reportedly coordinating with F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone - discussed the possibility of the race being held on Sunday morning. A combined qualifying-race Saturday is believed also to have been discussed. At the centre of the talks is Clemens Teutsch, the F1 meteorologist working on site with the specialist weather service UBIMET. He told Germany's Welt newspaper that Suzuka will be "dangerously close" to Phanfone by Sunday. "I think race management will assess the situation also in terms of safety for drivers and the public," said Teutsch. "The next race in Sochi is just seven days afterwards, so bringing forward the race start (in Japan) would be a possible solution. The rain cannot be completely avoided on Sunday, but it (an earlier start) would at least buy a little more time. But it is not my decision," he insisted.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session :

1. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:35.461
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:35.612 +0.151
3. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:36.037 +0.576
4. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:36.576 +1.115
5. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:37.187 +1.726
6. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:37.327 +1.866
7. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:37.466 +2.005
8. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:37.649 +2.188
9. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:37.686 +2.225
10. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:37.714 +2.253
11. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:38.012 +2.551
12. Max Verstappen - Toro Rosso - 1:38.157 +2.696
13. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:38.324 +2.863
14. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:38.582 +3.121
15. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:38.851 +3.390
16. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:39.046 +3.585
17. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:39.097 +3.636
18. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:39.318 +3.857
19. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:40.031 +4.570
20. Roberto Merhi - Caterham - 1:41.472 +6.011
21. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:41.580 +6.119
22. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:41.757 +6.296


Rosberg quickest, Verstappen impresses :
The first practice session got underway at the famous Suzuka Circuit, with the sub beating down on the track through the clouds.The talking point of the session was that of young Max Verstappen, who will drive for Toro Rosso next year, made his F1 debut this weekend after he took over Jean-Eric Vergne's car for the first practice session of the weekend. Verstappen, son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, had a problem with the gearbox after it was running at constant speed in third gear at the start of the session, as well as some issues with the handling of the STR9. To add to his problems he then had an engine failure which cut his running short during the final 10 minutes of the session. Despite these problems, Verstappen nevertheless looked to be copying with the pressure on track as he racked up 22 laps and recorded the 12th fastest time, 0.443s adrift of team-mate Kvyat. Williams were trying different parts of a major aerodynamic upgrade package. As the Grove based team seeks to continue its fight with Ferrari for third place in the constructors' championship. In the early stages of the session, Valtteri Bottas survived a big lock-up after he narrowly avoided the spun Caterham of Roberto Merhi, who was in the car for Kobayashi just for first practice, on the exit of the Spoon Curve. Bottas was able to set the fourth fastest time, just over half a second shy of Alonso. Rosberg finished the session quickest with a 1:35.461, with team-mate and championship rival Hamilton in second and the Ferrari of Alonso in third. The rest of the top ten is as follows; Bottas, Raikkonen, Magnussen, Ricciardo, Button, Vettel and Kvyat.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

The Japanese Grand Prix - Suzuka circuit (3-4 and 5 October)
Suzuka is a fantastic racing circuit with its unique and challenging layout.
It’s one of the few traditional circuits, like Spa and Monza, still used in the F1 championship.
The high speed Esses section, Spoon curve and 130R are corners extremely demanding for pilots

Suzuka is one of my favorite circuits, full of great memories (Senna vs Prost 1988-89 and 90)
and Schumacher(2000): after 21years a Ferrari pilot wins the Championship..

Pirelli has chosen for this Gran Prix: “medium tyres with white markings” and “hard tyres with orange markings”
The reason for this conservative choice is the number of high-speed corners.
2013 winning strategy: 2 pit stops(Vettel): instead 3 pit stops for Webber (2nd)

The Japanese GP is under threat from Typhoon Phanphone.
The typhoon has formed over the Pacific Ocean and heavy rain is expected for Sunday's race,

2011 Podium: Button (Mc Laren) – 2°Alonso and 3° Vettel
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) 1.30.466

2012 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2°Massa and 3° Kobayashi
Pole position : Vettel (Mc Laren) 1.30.839

2013 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Webber and 3° Grosjean
pole position : Webber (Red Bull); 1.30.915

the winners Suzuka and Fuji
4 wins: Vettel (2009-2010-2012-2013)
2 wins: Alonso(2006 and 2008)
1 win: Raikkonen(2005)Hamilton (2007) Button(2011)

pole position:
4 pole: Vettel (2009-2010-2011-2012)
2 pole: Hamilton (2007 and 2008 both on Fuji circuit)
1 pole: Massa (2006)

Fastest lap. Suzuka and Fuji
1: Raikkonen(2005); Alonso (2006); Hamilton (2007) Massa (2008); Button (2011) and Vettel (2012)

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Suzuka and Fuji(2007-2008)
5 (4 win +0 second +1 third) Vettel
5 (2+1+2) Alonso
5 (1+1+3) Raikkonen
2 (1+0+1) Button
2 (1+0+1) Hamilton
2 (0+2+0) Massa
1 (0 +0+1) Grosjean
1 (0 +0+1) Kobayashi
Rosberg never on podium

Recordman: M. Schumacher 6 wins and 8 pole

Result of the race :

1. L. Hamilton - Mercedes 2:00:04.795
2. S. Vettel - Red Bull +13.534
3. D. Ricciardo - Red Bull +14.273 +0.739
4. F. Alonso - Ferrari 15.389 +1.116
5. F. Massa - Williams +42.161 +26.772
6. J. Vergne - Toro Rosso +56.801 +14.640
7. S. Perez - Force India +59.038 +2.237
8. K. Raikkonen - Ferrari +1:00.641 +1.603
9. N. Hulkenberg - Force India +1:01.661 +1.020
10. K. Magnussen - McLaren +1:02.230 +0.569
11. V. Bottas - Williams +1:05.065 +2.835
12. P. Maldonado - Lotus +1:06.915 +1.850
13. R. Grosjean - Lotus +1:08.029 +1.114
14. D. Kvyat - Toro Rosso +1:12.008 +3.979
15. M. Ericsson - Caterham +1:34.188 +22.180
16. J. Bianchi - Marussia +1:34.543 +0.355
17. M. Chilton - Marussia +1 lap
Did Not Finish :
18. J. Button - McLaren
19. A. Sutil - Sauber
20. E. Gutiérrez - Sauber
21. N. Rosberg - Mercedes
22. K. Kobayashi - Caterham

Fastest Lap : Lewis Hamilton - 1.50.417
Pitstop R.Grosjean : 3 ( lap 10 - 22 - 30 )
Bat.2 Teams : Maldonado > Sutil
Grid Pos. D. Ricciardo : 3th place



Hamilton takes F1 points lead as Rosberg retires :
Lewis Hamilton claimed the lead of the Formula 1 world championship by dominating the Singapore Grand Prix, as Mercedes team-mate and title rival Nico Rosberg retired with technical problems. Rosberg led Hamilton by 22 points coming into the 14th round of the 2014 F1 season, but now trails his rival by three after a disastrous race. After Rosberg narrowly missed out on pole to Hamilton by just 0.007 seconds in qualifying, the expectation was for another close fight between the Mercedes duo. But Rosberg's problems began before the start, when his team discovered a glitch on the W05 and was forced to swap its steering wheel. The German then had to start the race from the pitlane when he found he could not pull away from the grid for the formation lap unaided. Hamilton sprinted into an immediate lead from pole, chased by Sebastian Vettel (who passed Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo into Turn 1) and Fernando Alonso. The Ferrari briefly rose to second but Alonso outbraked himself into Turn 1, used the runoff area, and handed the place back to Vettel. Rosberg made little progress during the first stint, failing even to pass Marcus Ericsson's Caterham as he battled problems that were affecting his DRS, energy recovery systems and his gearbox, and eventually retired at his first pitstop on lap 13 - after another steering wheel change - when the car refused to re-engage first gear. With his main rival removed from the race, Hamilton looked set for a comfortable win, but his superiority came under threat when the safety car was deployed for debris following the collapse of the front wing on Sergio Perez's Force India, following a brush with Adrian Sutil's Sauber, at the midway point of the race. Mercedes decided not to pit Hamilton (yet to run the soft compound tyre) under the safety car, requiring him to stop again under racing conditions, so the 2008 world champion began hammering in fastest laps following the restart on lap 38 of 61, in order to open a big enough gap to the chasing pack to get in and out of the pits with his lead intact. However, the chasing Red Bulls of Vettel and Ricciardo were attempting to make their first set of soft tyres last to the end of the race, easing the pressure on the leader. Hamilton stretched out more than 25s over Vettel before making his final pitstop with nine of the scheduled laps to run, but this was not enough to keep him ahead. Hamilton just fended off Ricciardo into Turn 3 as Vettel claimed the lead, but with far fresher tyres Hamilton easily retook the place and drove on to win by a comfortable 13.5s margin as the race ran past the two-hour limit with a lap of the scheduled 61 to run. Having jumped Vettel at the first round of stops, Alonso conceded track position to both Red Bulls by pitting under the safety car. The double world champion sat behind Ricciardo waiting for his rivals' tyres to fall apart, but the Red Bulls held on to score their first double podium finish of the season, with Vettel bagging his best result of a difficult year in second spot. Felipe Massa's Williams repassed the fast-starting Ferrari of Kimi Raikkonen for fifth at the first round of stops and raced on to a lonely finish, while Jean-Eric Vergne (twice penalised five seconds for exceeding track limits) scored a season's best sixth after gambling on a third pitstop after the safety car and using his fresher soft tyres to pass a train of cars in the closing stages with some bold late-braking moves. Perez recovered from his wing breakage to execute a similar strategy to Vergne and finish seventh as the tyres on the cars around him gave up the ghost towards the end. Raikkonen paid dearly for his earlier loss of track position, and trailed home eighth despite pitting for fresh tyres under the safety car. Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top 10, as the tyres on Valtteri Bottas's Williams - which ran as high as sixth at one point - gave up on him. The Finn trailed home a pointless 11th. McLaren's Jenson Button also looked on course to score points, after a fine start and good strategy carried him from 11th on the grid to seventh, but the 2009 world champion's car broke down seven laps from the finish.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

CONSTRUCTORS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 14 RACES :

1. Mercedes 479 points
2. Red Bull 305 points
3. Williams 187 points
4. Ferrari 178 points
5. Force India 117 points
6. McLaren 111 points
7. Toro Rosso 27 points
8. Lotus 8 points
9. Marussia 2 points

DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP AFTER 14 RACES :

1. L. Hamilton GBR Mercedes 241 points
2. N. Rosberg GER Mercedes 238 points
3. D. Ricciardo AUS Red Bull 181 points
4. F. Alonso ESP Ferrari 133 points
5. S. Vettel GER Red Bull 124 points
6. V. Bottas FIN Williams 122 points
7. J. Button GBR McLaren & N. Hulkenberg GER Force India 72 points
8. F. Massa BRA Williams 65 points
9. K. Raikkonen FIN Ferrari & S. Perez MEX Force India 45 points
10. K. Magnussen DEN McLaren 39 points
11. J. E. Vergne FRA Toro Rosso 19 points
12. R. Grosjean FRA Lotus & D. Kvyat RUS Toro Rosso 8 points
13. J. Bianchi FRA Marussia 2 points

Result of the qualifying :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:45.681
2. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:45.688 +0.007
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:45.854 +0.173
4. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:45.902 +0.221
5. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:45.907 +0.226
6. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:46.000 +0.319
7. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:46.170 +0.489
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:46.187 +0.506
9. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:46.250 +0.569
10. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:47.362 +1.681
Q2
11. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:46.943 +1.262
12. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:46.989 +1.308
13. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:47.308 +1.627
14. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:47.333 +1.652
15. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:47.575 +1.894
16. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:47.812 +2.131
Q1
17. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:48.324 +2.643
18. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:49.063 +3.382
19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:49.440 +3.759
20. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:50.405 +4.724
21. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:50.473 +4.792
22. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:52.287 +6.606

Qualifying for tomorrows Singapore Grand Prix began under the bright lights shining down of the circuit. There was 10% chance of rain but it never fell.
Q1: Daniil Kvyat was the first car out on track for Toro Rosso. The young Russian set the first flying lap of the session with a 1:52.966. Rosberg out brakes himself at Turn 8 and has to put his Mercedes in reverse so that he can re-join the track and get going again. Grosjean comes over the radio saying he has a brake problem after he locks up and goes onto the run-off area. The Frenchman was told by his engineer to bring the car back to the garage. All the drivers put the super soft tyres on to set their quickest time of the session. Sutil complained that he had no power and that he couldn't do anything with the car. The drivers that were eliminated from Q1 were; Sutil, Maldonado, Bianchi, Kobayashi, Chilton and Ericsson.
Q2: When the green light came on, no one was out straight away but then Raikkonen broke that and came out on a set of super soft. Perez sets the first flying lap of Q2 with a 1:47.597. Raikkonen then beat that with a 1:46.359 but Alonso then knocked his team-mate of the top with a 1:46.328. Hamilton then went quickest with a 1:46.287. Hamilton, Alonso, Raikkonen and Ricciardo all decided not to go out again at the end of the session after they thought they were safe from elimination. The cars that were eliminated from Q2 were; Button, Vergne, Hulkenberg, Gutierrez, Perez and Grosjean.
Q3: Massa was the first car out on track in the final part of qualifying. Massa crosses the line first with a 1:46.007. First runs completed and Hamilton was sixth and Rosberg seventh. Raikkonen comes over the radio saying he has no power and his engineer says he needs to stop the car. That was the end of Kimi's session.Ricciardo put his Red Bull on provisional pole but then Rosberg went quicker and then Hamilton went seven thousandths of second quicker than his team-mate and Championship rival. Hamilton is on pole for tomorrows Singapore Grand Prix with a 1:45.681, Rosberg makes it another Mercedes front row lock-out and Ricciardo puts his Red Bull third. The rest of the top ten is as follows; Vettel, Alonso, Massa, Raikkonen, Bottas, Magnussen and Kvyat.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 3th practice session :

1. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:47.299
2. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:47.350 +0.051
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:47.488 +0.189
4. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:47.693 +0.394
5. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:47.711 +0.412
6. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:47.738 +0.439
7. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:47.909 +0.610
8. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:48.205 +0.906
9. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:48.226 +0.927
10. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:48.422 +1.123
11. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:48.450 +1.151
12. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:48.577 +1.278
13. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:48.599 +1.300
14. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:48.637 +1.338
15. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:49.078 +1.779
16. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:49.115 +1.816
17. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:49.485 +2.186
18. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:50.149 +2.850
19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:50.376 +3.077
20. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:50.939 +3.640
21. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:51.221 +3.922
22. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:51.598 +4.299

Fernando Alonso and Ferrari back on top in practice :
Fernando Alonso was quickest again for Ferrari in third practice for the 2014 Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, edging Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo by 0.051 seconds. Nico Rosberg was third fastest for Mercedes, 0.189s off Alonso's time, with team-mate Lewis Hamilton sixth and 0.439s off the leader. Most teams ran a typical Saturday programme of long runs on the harder of the two available tyre choices, followed by qualifying simulations on the softer one. There was a flurry of rain at 1pm local time and it remained cloudy throughout the afternoon, with the ambient temperature steady at around 28C - 10C lower than Friday's twilight session. Thus it was no surprise to hear drivers complaining of a lack of grip early on. Ferrari appeared to be the fastest of Mercedes' rivals based on AUTOSPORT's analysis of raw pace on Friday, but it was Red Bull's Ricciardo - whose average long-run pace on super-soft rubber was so impressive on day one - who was quickest early on with a five-lap run on softs. Rosberg soon beat that benchmark by a full second, though, closely followed by Hamilton, who had a half-spin into Turn 5 which he attributed to an engine glitch. Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel, who required an engine change during Friday, then split the Mercedes on their second runs. Alonso waited until half the session had elapsed before setting out for a long run on softs - and, while his fastest laps were good enough to put him fifth at that point, he was a second off Rosberg's long-run pace. Rosberg was among the first to bolt on super-softs and run a qualifying simulation, setting a 1m47.488s lap that looked impressive until both Alonso and Ricciardo edged him out by over a tenth of a second. Rosberg exited his car and was observed in animated conversation with engineer Andrew Shovlin. Jean Eric Vergne was again impressive on super-soft rubber in the final moments, logging a 1m47.693s lap that was good for fourth place ahead of Vettel, who switched to super-softs very late in the session. Williams - as usual - waited until Saturday to show its hand. On their long runs on soft tyres Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa were sixth and seventh, splitting the Ferraris.
Massa reversed their order on super-soft rubber, three tenths faster than Bottas, and with Vergne's arrival ahead they ended the session seventh and eighth, still faster than Kimi Raikkonen. McLaren barely troubled the top 10 throughout, on both tyre choices, and both its drivers were outpointed on their qualifying simulations by Esteban Gutierrez and Nico Hulkenberg.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 2nd practice session :

1. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes GP - 1:47.490
2. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 1:47.623 +0.133
3. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull Racing - 1:47.790 +0.300
4. Kimi Räikkönen - Ferrari - 1:48.031 +0.541
5. Sebastian Vettel - Red Bull Racing - 1:48.041 +0.551
6. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 1:48.358 +0.868
7. Jenson Button - McLaren - 1:48.435 +0.945
8. Sergio Perez - Force India - 1:48.653 +1.163
9. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 1:48.751 +1.261
10. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 1:48.770 +1.280
11. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 1:48.800 +1.310
12. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 1:49.062 +1.572
13. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes GP - 1:49.075 +1.585
14. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 1:49.139 +1.649
15. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 1:49.170 +1.680
16. Esteban Gutierrez - Sauber - 1:49.290 +1.800
17. Felipe Massa - Williams - 1:49.361 +1.871
18. Valtteri Bottas - Williams - 1:49.971 +2.481
19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia F1 Team - 1:50.612 +3.122
20. Max Chilton - Marussia F1 Team - 1:51.558 +4.068
21. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 1:52.075 +4.585
22. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 1:52.936 +5.446

Hamilton moves ahead in second practice :
Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton moved to the top of the times during Friday's second practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, narrowly outpacing Ferrari rival and early leader Fernando Alonso. Hamilton's best Super Soft effort of 1:47.490 arrived just after a mid-session red flag period, caused when Pastor Maldonado lost control of his Lotus through Turn 10 and smashed into the outside wall. Hamilton's team-mate, Nico Rosberg, was completing his first run on the Option compound when officials halted the session, ruining his attempt and meaning the best of the quicker rubber had been used up. The championship leader had dropped all the way down to 13th position by the time the chequered flag came out, with the field making particularly large improvements between the two tyre steps at the Marina Bay track. Alonso ultimately emerged as Hamilton's nearest challenger, just 0.133s separting the former team-mates. Daniel Ricciardo was Red Bull's sole representative for much of the session, only being joined by reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel in the final 10 minutes, after mechanics worked flat out to change his power unit. Ricciardo was the last driver to break into the 1m47s in third, while Vettel shot up to fifth on his sole run. Kimi Räikkönen split the pair, closing to within half a second of team-mate Alonso after his FP1 struggles. McLaren duo Kevin Magnussen and Jenson Button were next up, with Force India pair Sergio Pérez and Nico Hülkenberg and the Toro Rossos of Daniil Kvyat and Jean-Éric Vergne also finishing in two-by-two formation. Lotus pairing Romain Grosjean and Maldonado, the latter unharmed in his crash, sandwiched Rosberg. Williams remained low key at a track which the team expected to find much more challenging than Monza, with Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas 17th and 18th, behind Sauber drivers Adrian Sutil and Esteban Gutiérrez. Marussia duo Jules Bianchi and Max Chilton outpaced Caterham's Kamui Kobayashi and Marcus Ericsson.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Result of the 1st practice session at Singapore :

1. Fernando Alonso - Ferrari - 01:49.056
2. Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes - 01:49.178
3. Nico Rosberg - Mercedes - 01:49.205
4. Sebatian Vettel - Red Bull - 01:49.874
5. Daniel Ricciardo - Red Bull - 01:50.122
6. Jean-Eric Vergne - Toro Rosso - 01:50.539
7. Kimi Raikkonen - Ferrari - 01:50.783
8. Jenson Button - McLaren - 01:50.922
9. Daniil Kvyat - Toro Rosso - 01:50.990
10. Sergio Perez - Force India - 01:51.131
11. Kevin Magnussen - McLaren - 01:51.217
12. Nico Hulkenberg - Force India - 01:51.604
13. Felipe Massa - Williams - 01:51.953
14. Pastor Maldonado - Lotus - 01:52.125
15. V.altteri Bottas - Williams - 01:52.146
16. Esteban Gutiérrez - Sauber - 01:52.171
17. Adrian Sutil - Sauber - 01:52.237
18. Romain Grosjean - Lotus - 01:52.906
19. Jules Bianchi - Marussia - 01:54.113
20. Marcus Ericsson - Caterham - 01:54.475
21. Kamui Kobayashi - Caterham - 01:54.607
22. Max Chilton - Marussia - 01:55.170

Alonso edges Mercedes duo in first practice :
Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso set the pace during Friday evening's first free practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix, edging out battling Mercedes team-mates Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg. Alonso's best time of 1:49.056, set with half an hour remaining, put him just over a tenth clear Hamilton, with Rosberg 0.027s further back. Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo were also line astern in fourth and fifth, Vettel the last driver to get within a second of Alonso. There was concern for the reigning World Champion, however, as he pulled off track after the chequered flag with an apparent engine issue. Vettel, who has won the past three races in Singapore, is one of the men on the limit in terms of engine usage. Toro Rosso driver Jean-Éric Vergne placed sixth, although he was another to hit trouble. After stopping at the end of the pit lane, the Frenchman was wheeled back to the garage, which he subsequently stormed out of. Kimi Räikkönen's car looked more of a handful than team-mate Alonso's from the very beginning of the 90-minute session, with over one and a half seconds separating the Ferrari pair on the timesheets. The Finn's running concluded with a brake fire in the pits, quickly extinguished by his mechanics. Despite missing out on the first half of the session, Jenson Button finished as the lead McLaren in eighth, with the remaining Toro Rosso of Daniil Kvyat and Force India's Sergio Pérez completing the top 10 positions. Williams duo Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas made another quiet start to the weekend in 13th and 15th. In the battle at the back of the field, Jules Bianchi put his Marussia comfortably ahead of Caterham drivers Marcus Ericsson and Kamui Kobayashi, while Max Chilton was over a second adrift of his team-mate.

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

Singapore GP – Marina Bay street circuit – first edition in 2008

It is a night race and also one of the rare races to be run counterclockwise.
Pirelli has chosen for this Gran Prix: the “Soft tyres, yellow markings” and “supersoft tyres, red markings”
Red Bull have a good record in Singapore. Vettel won the last 3 gp at Marina Bay circuit
It is a stop-start circuit with a lot 90-degree turns and requires a high downforce.
this Grand Prix is one of the most physically demanding for the pilots and usually the chance of a safety car is high.
In this week end the chance of rain is quite high.(especially Sunday)

2011 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Button and 3° Webber
pole position : Vettel (Red Bull) 1.44.381

2012 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2°Button and 3° Alonso
Pole position : Hamilton (Mc Laren) 1.46.362

2013 Podium: Vettel (Red Bull) – 2° Alonso and 3° Raikkonen
pole position : Vettel(Red Bull); 1.42.841(*) new layout for curve n. 10, without the chicane of before

the winners
3 wins: Vettel (2011-2012-2013)
2 wins: Alonso (2008-2010)
1 win: Hamilton (2009)

pole position:
2 pole: Vettel (2011-2013)
2 pole: Hamilton (2009-2012)
1 pole: Alonso (2010)
1 pole: Massa(2008)

Fastest lap
2: Alonso (2009-2010);
1: Raikkonen(2008) Button (2011) Hulkenberg(2012) and Vettel (2013)

Podium(winner+second+third) for current pilots at Monza
5 (2 win +1 second +2 third) Alonso
4 (3+1+0) Vettel
2 (1+0+1) Hamilton
2 (0+2+0) Button
1 (0 +1+0) Rosberg
1 (0 +0+1) Raikkonen

A little reminder for this weekend :

Friday :
1st practice session : 12:00 - 13:30 CET
2nd practice session | 15:30 - 17:00 CET

Saturday :
3rd practice session 12:00 - 13:00 CET
Qualifying :15:00 CET

Sunday :
Race : 14:00 CET

Kind Regards
Shaky - Schumi

OFFICIAL 2015 CALENDAR : After the World Motor Sport Council in Beijing, FIA unveiled the list of the 2015 GPs : there will be twenty
races, one more than this season (the Mexican GP, that returns after 22 years).
The season will begin on March 15th and end on November 29th, one week later than the current.

March 15th GP of Australia Melbourne
March 29th GP of Malesia Sepang
April 5th GP of Bahrain Sakhir
April 19th GP of China Shanghai
May 10th GP of Spain Barcelona
May 24th GP of Monaco Montecarlo
June 7th GP of Canada Montreal
June 21st GP of Austria Zeltweg
July 5th GP of Great Britain Silverstone
July 19th GP of Germany Hockenheim
July 26th GP of Hungary Budapest
August 23rd GP of Belgium Spa
September 6th GP of Italy Monza
September 20th GP of Singapore Marina Bay
September 27th GP of Japan Suzuka
October 11th GP of Russia Sochi
October 25th GP of the U.S.A. Austin
November 1st GP of Mexico Mexico City
November 15th GP of Brazil Interlagos
November 29th GP of Abu Dhabi Yas Marina

FIA decided to limit the radio conversations between drivers and teams during the racing weekends : as it' s written in a circular,
signed by Charlie Whiting and sent yesterday to all teams, communications that "help to improve the performances of cars and drivers"
are now forbidden, starting from next GP in Singapore.