Tuesday, September 17, 2024

#F1 - 2024 Singapore Grand Prix - Preview: Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

 

Press Information
17 September 2024


 
F1: Race Preview
 
2024 Singapore Grand Prix - Preview 
The second leg of the double header takes place at Marina Bay in Singapore.

 
  • Toto Talks Singapore
  • Fact File: Singapore Grand Prix
  • Stat Sheet: Singapore Grand Prix

 
Toto Talks Singapore
 
We head straight to Singapore for the second race in this double header. Although a street circuit like Baku, Marina Bay is a different challenge. Physically, it is incredibly demanding on both the drivers and team members. The heat and humidity play a big role in that but so does the track itself. It is bumpy in places, contains a mixture of both low and high speed corners, and the walls are waiting to catch you out. After a mixed weekend in Azerbaijan, we will take the learnings from Baku and aim for an improved performance in Singapore. At times, our pace was strong but we couldn't deliver that consistently. Our main challenge was controlling tire temperatures and something we know we need to improve upon. It is encouraging that, when we get the car working, we have the pace to be competitive. While we came away with a podium though, we know that it was fortuitous and we were P5 on merit. We have additional motivation heading into this weekend too. Singapore has become a key race for our Title and Technical Partner PETRONAS in recent seasons, as the closest event to Malaysia. We are excited that this year we will be part of their 50th anniversary celebrations. We have enjoyed a record-breaking partnership with them since Mercedes returned to F1 as a works team in 2010. We have achieved incredible success together over the past 15 seasons and that relationship continues to grow as we push forward with our sustainability ambitions both on and off track, including the exciting work around sustainable fuels for 2026. We have several exciting moments planned as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations over the next week and look forward to sharing them with our fans. Fact File: Singapore Grand Prix
 

 
  • Last year's Singapore Grand Prix featured a new layout as redevelopment works took place in the vicinity of the track.
  • The circuit between what was Turns 16 to 19 became one long 397.9m straight, reducing the number of corners from 23 down to 19.
  • The circuit length was reduced from 5,063 km to 4,928 km and the number of laps of the Grand Prix increased from 61 to 62.
  • Lap times were reduced by roughly 10 seconds due to the changes.
  • The new layout was beneficial for the tires; Previously, they would begin to overheat towards the end of the lap, but the removal of four 90-degree corners helped them stay closer to the optimal operating window.
  • Track evolution is incredibly high in Singapore, given that it is a street circuit. The surface can ramp up by as much as three seconds between FP1 on Friday and Qualifying on Saturday evening.
  • The Singapore Grand Prix is ​​one of the most physically demanding races of the season. The intense humidity, warm temperatures, combined with the stop/start nature of the track, make it very challenging.
  • Due to these factors, drivers can lose around 5kg of weight during the race through sweating alone.
  • That stop/start nature, with a requirement for constant re-acceleration, ensures the circuit has one of the biggest fuel effects of the year. In simple terms, that means the amount of time you lose each lap is higher for every kilogram of extra fuel in the car.
  • Owing to the large amount of time spent in corners, just over 50% of lap time is spent at full throttle - only Monaco and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez in Mexico have lower amounts.
  • The track is also very bumpy. That adds to the stress that the drivers and cars are put through - that is particularly true with these new generation cars that run lower to the ground.
  • With a speed limit of 60 km/h, and a layout that feeds in at turn two, the total pit lane time is the highest of the season at 25 seconds.
  • Marina Bay is one of four circuits on the calendar to have a 60 km/h pitlane speed limit, owing to its tight nature. The others are Melbourne, Monaco, and Zandvoort.
  • Being a street track, it is perhaps not surprising that all 14 of the previous Singapore Grands Prix have featured at least one Safety Car implementation.
  • In the last six editions, we have seen 11 Safety Car implementations.
  • The team has achieved four wins around the streets of Marina Bay. Three times with Lewis (2014, 2017, 2018) and once with Nico Rosberg (2016).

Miss Azerbaijan GP

 
 
Stat Sheet: Singapore Grand Prix
 
2024 Singapore Grand Prix
 
Session Local Time (SST) Brackley (BST) Stuttgart (CEST)
Practice 1 (Friday) 17:30 - 18:30 10:30 - 11:30 11:30 - 12:30
Practice 2 (Friday) 21:00 - 22:00 14:00 - 15:00 15:00 - 16:00
Practice 3 (Saturday) 17:30 - 18:30 10:30 - 11:30 11:30 - 12:30
Qualifying (Saturday) 21:00 - 22:00 14:00 - 15:00 15:00 - 16:00
Race (Sunday) 20:00 13:00 14:00

 
 
Race Records - Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team at the Singapore Grand Prix
 
  Starts Wins Podium Places Poles Front Row Fastest Laps DNF
Mercedes 12 4 7 3 7 4 5
Hamilton 14 4 7 4 6 3 3
Russell 3 0 0 0 1 1 2
MB Power 14 5 12 5 10 6 18

 
 
Technical Stats - Season to Date (Pre-season Testing to Present)
 
  Laps Completed Distance Covered (km) Corners Taken Gear Changes PETRONAS Fuel Injections
Mercedes 5,178 26,539.084 85,619 253,196 107,400,000
Hamilton 2,593 13,323.442 42,884 126,562 104,000,000
Russell 2,580 13,186.677 42,680 126,454 103,200,000
MB Power 19,741 101,123.239 324,894 964,539 788,680,000

 
 
Mercedes-Benz in Formula One
 
  Starts Wins Podium Places Poles Front Row Fastest Laps 1-2 Wins Front Row Lockouts
Mercedes (All Time) 310 128 296 139 262 109 59 82
Mercedes (Since 2010) 298 119 279 131 242 100 54 80
Hamilton 349 105 201 104 176 67 N/A N/A
Russell 121 2 14 3 11 8 N/A N/A
MB Power 580 220 609 228 465 219 94 121

 


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