Williams sees the FW34 competitive in Singapore
The Williams team believes that the characteristics of the Marina Bay street circuit, which will host the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend, will play to the strengths of the FW34. Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado therefore hope to have a good Grand Prix and fight for a top 10 finish, or better.
The Singapore Grand Prix is a highly anticipated event of the Formula 1 season and a moment that the Williams F1 Team looks forward to eagerly, as Mark Gillan explains to us: « The night race through the streets of Singapore is a special event and is eagerly awaited by the team. It’s a long and challenging race for the drivers and the cars. Since overtaking is difficult, starting position becomes even more important. With the longest pit lane of the season, which is taken at 60 km/h instead of the usual 100 km/h, we aim to make as few stops as possible. »
If the race is magnificent to watch for spectators and viewers, it’s a different story for the engineers, as explained by the chief engineer in charge of operations within the Williams F1 team: « The circuit is very hard on the brakes due to the ambient heat, we will have to open the bodywork a bit more to cool the engine. From an aerodynamic point of view, we use the maximum downforce and in terms of settings, it’s important to keep in mind the curbs which are harsh. The weather is also challenging on the Singapore circuit and heavy rain is always a possibility. »
Pastor Maldonado thinks that the street circuit of Marina Bay should suit the FW34 and he hopes to achieve a good result there: « This will be my second time in Singapore, which is a very pleasant city with a good atmosphere. The race is unique because it takes place at night, and you have to adapt to changes in temperature and, of course, the time difference since we stay on European time all week. The track requires a lot of downforce, which is good for us, and it is similar to Barcelona in terms of aerodynamics, so it should be a track where we can demonstrate the potential of our car. »
Bruno Senna shares the same opinion as his Venezuelan teammate, he thinks he will have a good car and intends to take advantage of it during qualifying and the race: « Singapore should suit our car because it’s a circuit that requires a lot of downforce, and that’s where the car performs best. Of course, it’s difficult to judge where we’ll be as other teams are constantly improving, but if we managed to score points at Monza, then we should be able to break into the top 10 in Singapore. I also had a good performance there last year, so it gives me even more motivation before the race. »
