Renault uncomfortable about Singapore
Team Renault has been at its best since the past couple of races with both drivers scoring some good points in the past three races. The Singapore Grand Prix is quite similar to the Monaco Grand Prix that takes place at the Monte Carlo circuit. The Marina
Bay has the same street road type and requires high-downforce. However, the only major difference between the characteristics of the two grand prix is that the Singapore Grand Prix takes place under floodlights at night while the Monaco Grand Prix takes place
at the usual Formula 1 race time.
Comparing the team’s performance at both of these tracks, Robert Kubica started second on the grid to finish in 3rd behind the Red Bulls at Monte Carlo earlier this season and the team enabled Fernando Alonso to score a 3rd place a
year before that at the Singapore Grand Prix. Renault was the first team to win at the Marina Bay circuit at Singapore after it was included in the Formula 1 calendar in 2008. The team has a good recent history on both these tracks however, Renault’s leading
driver Robert Kubica does not seem quite confident about this year’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Robert Kubica believes that the team will not be able to pull off a replica of their Monaco performance earlier this season at this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix.
Since the Marina Bay circuit is often compared to the streets of Monte Carlo in Monaco with the similar high-downforce setup and tight corners, Robert Kubica is still worried about his car setup even though he scored a strong podium finish at the Monaco
Grand Prix.
However, Robert has not backed down yet as he still has a chance due to the immense upgrades applied to the cars since the Monaco Grand Prix.
Robert hopes that the team takes the race seriously keeping every aspect of the track in mind. Singapore contains tricky proportions like the Monte Carlo circuit and Renault will not take anything for granted. They will try their best to focus on every minor
improvement.
He added that he would like the car to be competitive and easy to drive just as it was back at Monte Carlo as it would make it easier for him to push right away and it will make it easier for the engineers as well to work on squeeze out the final bit of
performance. Nevertheless, things change quickly in the Formula 1 making it difficult to predict the future.
“My approach will be as usual; I will keep in mind that we are fighting in a very strong pack of cars, and lately teams like Williams have come out very strong, so we need to wait and see. But I'm definitely looking forward to a good performance”, said Robert.
The Polish believes that the car needs to be a good all-rounder for the Singapore Grand Prix but needs some specific attention to the suspension settings and the car’s ride over the bumpy surface. The aero side is also important, as it will help the car
ride smoothly over the bumpy sections of the track and help the car at low-speed corners. The team wants the car to be as good as possible in terms of mechanical grip as it is the most vital requirement for the track.
“The behaviour of the car needs to be right: you're often using the kerbs in the low speed corners, and limited for mechanical grip, so the car must be easy to drive and give the driver confidence to attack the kerbs, if you want to extract the maximum from
the package”, he said.
“The other factor is that because this is a temporary circuit, the grip levels develop much faster and much more than on a permanent track. So you need to anticipate the track evolution and what it will change for the car balance”, he added.
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