2019 F1 SINGAPORE AIRLINES SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX RENAULT FACTFILE

MEDIA RELEASE/Renault F1 Team – Photo: supplied

Renault F1 Team is at the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the fifteenth race of the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, the Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix.

The Circuit 
• The Marina Bay Street Circuit features 23 corners, the most of any track on the 2019 Formula 1 calendar. The circuit with the second-most is Abu Dhabi, with 21.

• As a result of the frequent changes of direction, drivers will make 76 gear changes per lap meaning over 4,600 gear changes will be made in the race and almost 13,000 clicks of the paddle across the entire weekend.

• At 31 seconds, the time taken to complete a pit-stop in Singapore is the longest of any race this year. Picking the appropriate strategy and time to pit is a critical discussion topic, especially for this race

• Adding fuel weight to the car sees lap-times rise significantly at Marina Bay. For every 10kg of fuel added to the car, lap times increase by around 0.360secs, the highest effect of the season.

The Team and Drivers 
• Last time out in Italy, the team recorded its best points haul from a Grand Prix weekend since the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix when Fernando Alonso took victory. Daniel Ricciardo’s fourth and Nico Hülkenberg’s fifth meant the team took home 22 points.

• For Daniel, the Italy result was his best since joining the team, while Nico matched his best effort in black and yellow, fifth, which he achieved in Germany last year

• Daniel has enjoyed strong results on street circuits in the past. Wins in Monaco and Baku standout and, while the Australian has not won in Singapore, he has taken fourpodiums at Marina Bay and averages almost 10 points per race there.

Drivers Nico Hülkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo share their thoughts on the challenges of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Nico Hülkenberg: “Singapore is the only real night race on the calendar, so that makes it really unique. It’s probably the most physical race of the season. A lap is very busy at the wheel, extremely physical and tiring. It’s a long circuit with corners coming thick and fast without many straights to have a rest. The team left Italy on a real high. The whole weekend was a super effort from everyone, starting with a solid qualifying result and then a strong race to move up a position. We’ve made a big swing in the Constructors’ Championship and the race for fourth is on. We have to develop this now and aim to pick up these kinds of results more regularly. It’s certainly possible and we won’t be letting up.”

Daniel Ricciardo: “I do relish the physical and mental challenge in Singapore. It’s an intense race weekend and one you have to be ready for, more so than other races. I learnt a lot from my first race there in 2011 and realised the need for being ready for the challenge. The circuit is long and busy. You have to get close to the exit walls and sometimes you’re there holding your breath a bit. I have always enjoyed racing at street circuits. It’s a feeling of being absolutely on it, close to the edge and it’s an awesome feeling. We deserved the double top five finish in Italy. We know now there will be eyes on us to repeat that, but I can see no reason why we can’t string together more solid results and really chase down fourth place. The challenge excites me.”

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