Confidence is key for Sauber ahead of Singapore

The next Formula 1 Grand Prix will take place in Singapore, and it is an event eagerly anticipated by Kamui Kobayashi: « After our very good result in Monza, everyone in the team is very motivated. Singapore is a really special occasion. As a night race, it has established itself as a key moment in the season. Personally, I love the place. Also, it’s not very far from my birthplace, and there are always a lot of Japanese fans. »

Sergio Pérez, his teammate, is also looking forward to this unique experience of night racing: « The Singapore Grand Prix is a very special race and an extraordinary circuit with unique schedules. You race at night and you live at night. It is also the return of F1 to Asia after a while. Travel will become more and more frequent now. »

The Marina Bay city circuit is not easy to tackle, because beyond the difficulty of racing at night and under artificial lights, there are many parameters to consider for properly setting up the single-seater, as Giampaolo Dall’Ara explains: « Good traction is crucial on this kind of acceleration/braking circuit with many low-speed corners and only a few at medium speed. In some places, the track is very bumpy – this is something to keep in mind when setting up the car. You have to keep an eye on the brakes, because they have little time to cool down between corners. »

The head of track engineering at the Sauber team also believes that a good place on the grid will be crucial: Singapore is a city circuit with many corners and short straights. Overtaking is therefore difficult, which makes qualifying particularly important.

Singapore could also present another challenge for the teams’ engineers and more specifically for the strategists, as the probability of a safety car appearance is high: « The track surface is not very abrasive. Pirelli has planned for the Super Soft and Soft compounds, which should perform well in qualifying, but I don’t expect to see one-stop strategies during the race. Regarding tactics, one thing to consider is that the chance of a safety car intervention is high on this circuit. This means constantly keeping in mind the longevity of the tires, while also being ready at any moment to change our plans in case of a safety car deployment. »

Giampaolo Dall’Ara believes that the Singapore Grand Prix will be a complicated race for Sauber, but he hopes that the new updates will improve the situation: « Of the seven races that remain, I think this one will be the most complicated for our C31, but we will have aerodynamic updates in Singapore, which should help us offset that and put us in a good position for the race. »

Kamui Kobayashi is confident about the capabilities of his car on the streets of Singapore: « The circuit is very demanding with many corners, and most of them are slow. In the past, this kind of circuit has not suited our car very well, but with this year’s Sauber C31, things have changed. I see no reason why we shouldn’t be competitive there. »

He is joined by Sergio Pérez, who has only one desire: to achieve another good result after securing second place in Monza: « I generally love street circuits, and the one in Singapore is very physically demanding, but I feel prepared for this challenge. For our car, it should be a good circuit as well. I am looking forward to it and want to achieve another good result for the team in this prestigious race. »