Today the F1 championship enters its last phase with the unique night race in Singapore. All remaining Grand Prix races will be staged outside Europe creating a massive exodus of parts, equipment and human resources.
If Sebastian Vettel continues with his winning form, the season will definitely be won before the last race. The last European race had to be a turning point for Red Bull’s closest rival Ferrari, with Fernando Alonso clasping a close second.
However, this was not good enough for the Spaniard to close the gap between himself and Vettel winning dominantly the Italian GP in Ferrari’s front garden.
Despite this, it was Finnish driver Kimi Raikkonen who grabbed the headlines the following Wednesday. The same driver Ferrari had paid handsomely to get rid of will be joining Ferrari next season. He had been given an expensive sabbatical year with Ferrari and he had vowed never to return.
I had the opportunity to attend three F1 events in Singapore and I think Singapore is one of the nicest. No early rising, no hassle to get there, everything is in relaxed mode; besides the unique atmosphere created by the close proximity of the race cars to the spectators.
Vettel will just need to keep finishing the remaining races ahead of his close competitors to make it four in a row and increase his win tally.
Felipe Massa, who, it is being rumoured, will be returning to Sauber, will definitely think twice on receiving instructions to move over. Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedly might also be on the way out. I cannot see Smedly being Raikkonen’s race engineer. Ferrari has poached a third employee from Lotus – head aerodynamist Dirk de Beer, who will be joining James Allison and obviously Raikkonen.
The Singapore Grand prix will be aired at 2pm local time. In Singapore it will be 8pm.