Honda‘s Head of F1 project Yusuke Hasegawa is looking forward to experiencing one of the more demanding grand prix on the calendar, as well as soaking up the fantastic atmosphere that the Singapore night race brings.
“The Singapore night race is quite an amazing spectacle for everyone involved in F1, with the bustling city under the floodlights, great people and good food. The race, however beautiful, is long and physically draining for both the drivers and team, with high temperatures and humidity.”
Getting a good set-up will be key to going well during Sunday’s race, and Hasegawa is hopeful that the teams preparations have worked well enough to allow them to take advantage this weekend, at a track that should favour the MP4-31 package.
“The car set-up will need to change drastically to adjust the package from the fast-paced circuits of Spa and Monza, to Singapore’s twistier city circuit, so the team is already busy in preparation. Our car has good balance under braking, so the nature of the track should suit us more than the previous circuits.”
A strong points finish is now a very real target for the Woking based squad, and the Honda Chief Executive Engineer is hopeful that they will be able to give drivers Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso, the machinery to perform at their best on Sunday.
“Honda will work to match the driveability of the power unit to suit the needs of the stop-and-go nature of the circuit, so that our drivers’ skills can shine throughout the weekend. We hope to be in a good position to score points and have a good race.”