Singapore Grand Prix 2010 – Red Bull dominate Friday practice
Red Bull have continued their dominating campaign of the Formula One circuit with a stunning performance at the first two practice sessions of the Singapore Grand Prix. Current
championship leader Mark Webber held back the competition to head the first practice session with a best time of 1:54.589, while team-mate Sebastian Vettel left rivals far behind in the second round, earning a time of 1:46.660. Webber came second with 1:47.827.
As for McLaren, defending champion Jenson Button scored the quickest pace for his team with a third place of 1:47.690, and team-mate Lewis Hamilton came in fifth with a time of
1:47.818. Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso, who had been dubbed by Hamilton as the one to fear for the Singapore tournament, finished in 1:47.718 to take fourth place. Team-mate Felipe Massa was seventh, after a surprise 1:48.302 from compatriot Rubens Barrichello
earned the Williams’ driver sixth.
Yet despite trailing Red Bull, 2008 champion Hamilton is optimistic that the team can grab a better result during the next session and carry the momentum into the race. “I think
we are reasonably close,” he commented. “We are competitive and I think there is more time to find, so we'll keep pushing. We have a good package and they [Red Bull] are probably doing different things to us and we don’t know what fuel level they’re on. I
hope we can at least challenge for the front row tomorrow.”
Yet Button remained hesitant to get his hopes up, although achieving a decent lap time. “I don’t know where our pace is but at the moment the Red Bull looks crazy quick,” he acknowledged.
“It’s a Friday though, and so you never really know how quick [they are]. It’s unusual for them to show their hand so early.”
As for Alonso, who fought his way back into the title contention with a brilliant victory at the Monza circuit, Singapore’s tropical weather could prove key in further results.
“It doesn't mean so much to be ‘P1’ today, but it’s still good to be on top and we have good pace. The weather may bring a surprise though,” he advised.
Practice times changed considerably for the majority of drivers, with conditions transforming from wet to dry. Mercedes' Michael Schumacher revealed that he preferred the wet asphalt,
stating that.
“When it was mixed conditions, we looked quite strong,” he said.
Other drivers condemned the track’s so-called “improvements,” deeming it more dangerous than before. Hamilton referred to the infamous Singapore Sling as “ridiculous,” in response
to the recent re-profiling of the kerbs to make the turn more gradual. Yet instead, the chicane has been criticized as a potential cause for another accident, echoing Kimi Raikkonen’s 2008 crash when the champion flew off the track.
Christian Klein, who replaced Sakon Yamamoto at HRT due to illness, emphasized that he was happy to be behind the wheel again.
“I am happy to be back racing, which wasn’t easy at the beginning of the first session as I only did 40 laps in this car before,” he admitted. “But I felt more and more comfortable
in the cockpit and could learn a lot and get more experience. I found a good pace on the prime tyres even if I lost some time on the options compared to my teammate. I am looking forward to tomorrow and I hope to improve again.”
Renault’s Robert Kubica, whose victories in Belgium and Monaco had tipped the Pole to succeeding at the Marina Bay Street Circuit by virtue of its similarity, failed to make an
impact due to an issue with the hydraulics system, finishing in ninth.
All in all, it was a predictable round of practices which saw favourites Red Bull appease their critics, although whether or not they can enjoy equal success during Saturday and
Sunday remains to be seen. The next practice session will take place on Saturday.
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