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With all the Renault controversy it’s easy to forget we still have a race this weekend.

Although we now know the result was fixed I loved last year’s Singapore Grand Prix.  Formula One’s first night race looked fantastic under lights and gave a chance to see things you would normally miss such as the red hot glowing exhaust pipes and the showers of sparks as the cars bottomed out on the bumpy circuit.

There are only four races left and unless something goes very wrong it seems almost certain that Jenson Button will be crowned champion but, despite being 28.5 points behind the leader, Red Bull’s Mark Webber hasn’t given up yet:

We’re hoping for a change in fortune in Singapore – the street circuits haven’t been a happy hunting ground for us so far this year. It’s certainly not going to be a piece of cake, but we’re doing our absolute utmost to get back towards the front again.

One thing we haven’t experienced at night yet is bad weather.  Thunderstorms are always a possibility in that part of the world and it is unclear how drivers’ visibility would be affected in the event of rain.

McLaren will be bringing their final upgrades to Singapore before concentrating on next year’s car and the tight and twisty, high-downforce circuit should suit the MP4-24.  Last year Lewis Hamilton had a Championship to worry about and so had to be a bit conservative.  Now he is just out to win as many races as possible between now and the end of the year:

I remember my race in Singapore last year was all about damage limitation – I was driving with one eye on the world championship and wasn’t going to take too many risks. I was happy to finish on the podium. This year, it’s very different – I know I’m out of the title hunt and I want to attack these last four races, pushing for as many victories as I can.

To make your predictions in round 14 of the F1 Buzz prediction game (and be in with a chance to win some nice prizes), just leave a comment on this post with your driver predictions for the race in the following format:

Pole:
First:
Second:
Third:
Fastest lap:

Remember, the deadline for entries is start of qualifying on Saturday, that’s 14:00 GMT.

Good luck!

Image: Williams

Two weeks ago, an eventful Belgium Grand Prix saw Force India pick up their first pole position, points and podium.

However, the man that delivered all three of those firsts will be driving a Red Car on Sunday.

With Giancarlo Fisichella moving to Ferrari, Force India’s test driver, Tonio Liuzzi, has been promoted to a race seat alongside Adrian Sutil and he is keen to show that he is worth a full time drive.

Speaking to Autosport he said:

This is a good opportunity for me to show what I can do.  It will be really important for me to show a good performance.

But while Force India were strong at Spa, they may find it hard to keep up with the KERS powered McLarens, Ferraris and Renaults (who are refitting the device for Monza.)

Mercedes motor sport boss Norbert Haug thinks the Italian Grand Prix will be the closest race of the year:

Together with Monaco, Monza is the most untypical Formula One track.  But whilst Monaco is a street course with the lowest average speed, Monza is a high-speed circuit at more than 250kph average, whilst the top speed in the dry will probably exceed 350kph this year.  During the forthcoming race we will possibly see the closest field in Formula One history.

The last six races have seen six different drivers on the top step so predicting who is going to take the chequered flag at Monza is not going to be easy but to make your predictions in round 13 of the F1 Buzz prediction game (and be in with a chance to win some nice prizes), just leave a comment on this post with your driver predictions for the race in the following format:

Pole:
First:
Second:
Third:
Fastest lap:

Remember, the deadline for entries is start of qualifying on Saturday, that’s 12:00 GMT.

Good luck!

Image: Ferrari

Eau Rouge.

Probably the best corner on the best circuit on the Formula One calendar. 300km/h, flat out, sweeping left, right, left up the crest into a blind summit.

In the 80’s and 90’s only the most fearless drivers could take Eau Rouge flat out and there was some hope that the reduction in downforce this year would again make it a real challenge to keep the pedal to the floor. The reality is that the increase in mechanical grip from the slick tyres has more than made up for the decrease in aerodynamic grip.

But one thing that cannot be counted on at Spa is a dry race.  Toyota’s chassis chief Pascal Vasselon:

Where Eau Rouge regains its magic is in the rain; to watch a Formula 1 car through there on a wet track is just unbelievable.

The cooler temperatures and fast sweeping nature of the circuit should suit the Red Bulls more than the hot twisty Valencia circuit.  Rubens Barrichello dominated there but Spa will test whether Brawn have solved their problems getting heat into the tyres as Ross Brawn explains:

Although we believe we now have a better understanding of our recent tyre issues, the lower track temperatures at Spa will be the proving ground for this.

Similarly, while the McLarens were strong in Valencia, they are unlikely to be as competitive at Spa but team boss Martin Whitmarsh still thinks points are likely:

Despite making some major improvements to the MP4-24, we go to Spa knowing that the circuit’s high-speed configuration is unlikely to play to our strengths of our car. Having said that, our new technical package makes us confident that we’ll be a strong contender for points as we look to improve on our fourth position in the constructors’ championship. We’ve enjoyed a tremendous record here, winning ten times, and both Lewis and Heikki love this place so I’m looking forward to another exciting race.

To make your predictions in round 12 of the F1 Buzz prediction game (and be in with a chance to win some nice prizes), just leave a comment on this post with your driver predictions for the race in the following format:

Pole:
First:
Second:
Third:
Fastest lap:

Remember, the deadline for entries is start of qualifying on Saturday, that’s 12:00 GMT.

Good luck!

Image: Williams

Formula One returns from a four week break for the European Grand Prix at Valencia this weekend and there will be a couple of new faces on the grid.  Unfortunately, Michael Schumacher’s won’t be one of them.

Michael had planned to take over from Felipe Massa until the Brazilian was fit to race again but later had to announce that, due to an earlier motorcycling accident, his neck wouldn’t be up to the G-forces of Formula One. Instead, Ferrari’s test driver, Luca Badoer, will drive the other Red Car in Valencia — ten years after his last Formula One Grand Prix.  Needless to say, expectations aren’t too high, even from Badoer himself:

It will effectively be a test session for me, but I will be trying my best to secure a good result.

After successfully converting their one-race ban into a $50,000 fine for sending Fernando Alonso out on three wheels in Hungary, Renault have announced that Romain Grosjean will replace Nelson Piquet Jr for the rest of the season. Grosjean has won two races in GP2 this year but has also been involved in a number of incidents — I was sitting in the grandstand at Tabac in Monaco this year when he launched his car halfway over the barrier a few metres away. It will be interesting to see if he does any better with the R29 than Piquet.

McLaren will be looking to take a second straight victory in Valencia, something which looks perfectly possible now that they seem to have sorted out their aerodynamic problems. McLaren boss, Martin Whitmarsh, believes their KERS now gives them a formidible advantage:

Now there is no doubt that KERS is an advantage. We have potentially a small lap time advantage, we have an overtake or defend advantage and certainly, if we can get near the front of the grid, then we have a launch advantage.

But while McLaren may be challenging for the win, the real competition is between Red Bull and Brawn GP. Will the work Brawn have put in at the factory be enough to recover from their recent poor performances or will Red Bull continue their charge?

To make your predictions in round 11 of the F1 Buzz prediction game (and be in with a chance to win some nice prizes), just leave a comment on this post with your driver predictions for the race in the following format:

Pole:
First:
Second:
Third:
Fastest lap:

Remember, the deadline for entries is start of qualifying on Saturday, that’s 12:00 GMT.

Good luck!

Image: Red Bull Racing

The order hasn’t changed at the top of the prediction game standings with Sergio and Andrew both scoring 6 points in the last round.

Quite a few people recognised the improvement in the McLarens but only Kathryn and myself predicted a victory by Hamilton.

The Ferraris didn’t feature in anyone’s predictions, but even with only one Red Car in the race the Scuderia still came away from Hungary with 8 points.  That puts Ferrari in third place in the Constructors’ Championship, just 1.5 points ahead of Toyota who didn’t have such a bad weekend with both drivers finishing in the points.

Jenson Button is getting worried:

It is nice leading the championship, but it won’t be the case in the next three or four races if we have the performances like we have had in the last few.

Image: Brawn GP