Virgin’s di Grassi hopeful on Singapore
Virgin’s Lucas di Grassi is looking to the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend to put the new team ahead of rivals HRT and Lotus. The three teams, competing in their first F1 season, are currently tied at
zero points with rankings determined by the count-back of the highest race finishes. With five races left of the Formula One season, each team will be competing heavily for the tenth spot, and di Grassi believes that Singapore is the track to lift Virgin from
the bottom of the table.
“If one of the new teams gets a 12th, then they will move up into the 10th place. So it is a very important weekend for us,” acknowledged di Grassi in an interview with Autosport.
“I was just discussing with the engineers today how much we have, and how big are the upgrades. We hope it is enough so we can fight with Lotus, and then I think the full approach is to stay ahead of the
new teams – and if extraordinary conditions happen then I hope we can get the best place possible.”
Virgin has undergone a series of performance-enhancing upgrades this month, as well as signing GP2 racer Jerome d’Ambrosio as test driver for the remaining season. Yet di Grassi, while generously willing
to lend the wheel to the rookie, is reluctant to lose valuable practice time. “Of course it is not ideal, but the team has made that decision and I fully respect it,” di Grassi relented.
"On other tracks I would not mind missing FP1 if I knew the track, but of course at Singapore I will lose track time so I will lose the ability to learn the track – and there is even a situation where
it could rain for FP2. And it such an important weekend for us. But, at the same time, I am confident with the upgrades, and with the correct approach, I can take the best out of this weekend.”
And di Grassi may have a chance, with the unique layout of the Singapore circuit prone to confound any experienced driver due to its complex, writhing contour and wet night conditions.
He observed, “Here is maybe the longest race of the year, because it is a 300km race and the average speed is very low – and it is very hot as well. So, I think reliability is an issue here. Race incidents
and accidents are another point – and the weather can change as well. So it is one of the races where we have maybe the highest chance to finish in the top 12.”
The Singapore Grand Prix practice session gets into gear on September 24.
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