46 Trends Formula 1
Nighttime in Singapore
For the first time in its history, the motorsport event of
a Grand Prix Formula 1 race is starting at night.
The fact that the race cars for the king of all motorsports aren’t usually built with headlights has never been a problem, anywhere in the world, at the typical start time between 1 and 2 p.m. However, under
the darkness of rain clouds, like the ones that cast
their shadow on the drivers this season at the En­glish Silverstone, the only light was the bright red
signal lamp of the car ahead, illuminating each
­pilot’s cockpit-view of the competition. But this was
not a problem – Heidfeld, Hamilton, Alonso and Co.
still received most of their directions, data about the
progress of the race, updates about their vehicle and
what took place during their pit stops – and those of
the competitors – via their helmet radios, with the
help of sophisticated information technology.
§
New city course
This will also be the case on September 28 – the first
time in the history of Formula 1 that the 22 drivers
will be sent out to compete after sunset. The world
premiere of the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, on
the five kilometer city course, is the most exciting
proof that the directors of Formula 1 are always
seeking to put a fresh spin on their sport. And in doing so, they are mitigating the risk that the traditional settings of the motorsport classics are losing their
grandeur. Still, Mario Theissen, Head of Motorsports
at BMW, is confident: “The selection of racetracks is
a mix of the traditional and the modern. Formula 1
always needs a European core with the traditional
racetracks, but it is important to develop new opportunities in new markets, and Asia has enormous
­potential. If Formula 1 can establish itself there, it
will ensure its position as king in the future.”
Nick Heidfeld, whose BMW Sauber F1 team has
been sponsored by T‑Systems as an official partner
since the beginning of the season, is excited about
Singapore: “I always welcome new venues. New
racetracks pose a new challenge to everyone in the
sport and Singapore will certainly be a special
Best Practice 03/2008
Grand Prix.” There are many opportunities for passing on the track, which will be driven other clockwise, and the city course, with the metropolis’s spectacular skyline serving as a backdrop, awaits the
­pilots with its own formidable curves.
Safe light
To ensure that the drivers don’t suddenly find themselves in the dark – when going 300 km/h (which
comes close to a top speed of 200 miles per hour) a
total of 1,485 floodlights were installed along the
course – one 2,000-watt light every four meters. According to the event’s organizer, the lights, which illuminate the track from ten meters up, are supposed
to be evenly bright all along the run and along the
entire roadside. The lights flood the racetrack with
3,000 lux, which make it four times as bright as a typical football stadium. They turn the night into day –
and make the scenario a spectacle worthy of HDTV.
Twelve diesel generators housed in soundproof
containers, each powered by two motors and a total
of 108 kilometers (67 miles) of cable are required to
light up the night. If one generator fails, the others
carry the load. Adjacent lamps get their power from
different sources. There are also TV cameras mounted along the light bank, which runs all the way
around one side of the track.
“Once the track is illuminated to near daylight,”
says Nick Heidfeld, “this night race is nothing like
the 24 hours of Le Mans, where I have already experienced driving in darkness. Nonetheless, the 61
laps promise to be a completely new experience.”
Competition from within
The BMW Sauber F1 pilot from Mönchengladbach
doesn’t let it get to him that his own teammate, Robert
Kubica, is again among his strongest competition. “I
have always had a handle on my Sauber teammates
in the past, like Felipe Massa or Kimi Räikkönen and
even Robert Kubica last year. Even I was surprised
that this year was any different. I had some problems
in the qualifying round. I couldn’t even get the tires to
the right temperature to get a single fast lap. I had no
such problems during the actual races. I was able to
do a lot of passing and I even managed to get the two
fastest laps for our team.” Nick Heidfeld even puts a
positive spin on the fact that the Pole, Kubica, has
been able to stay ahead of him from time to time and
again in the final tally: “Having a strong teammate
was important in this difficult phase, because it gave
us a reference point of what the car was capable of
doing.”
Thomas van Zütphen
PHotos: PR (2); Illustration: Ringzwei
47
Nick Heidfeld (left) is relying on the
technology partnership between his
BMW Sauber team and T-Systems.
Links
www.t-systems.com/f1
www.bmw-sauber-f1.com
The drivers are expecting many
challenging curves on the city course
in the “Monaco of the East.”
Video
www.t-systems.com/video/cutting-edge-technology
Service
Start Times
1st Training, Friday, September 26
7:00 PM (CET 1:00 PM)
2nd Training, Friday, September 26
9:30 PM (CET 3:30 PM)
3rd Training, Friday, September 26
7:00 PM (CET 1:00 PM)
Qualifying, Saturday, September 27
10:00 PM (CET 4:00 PM)
Race Start, Sunday, September 28
8:00 PM (CET 2:00 PM)
100metres
Best Practice 03/2008