Drivers impressed with new Singapore circuit

Friday 26th September 2008

Lewis Hamilton and his fellow F1 drivers were impressed with the new Singapore circuit after driving it under lights for the first time on Friday.

Hamilton had the honour of being the fastest man in the very first Formula One practice session held at night. However, he lost out to Renault's Fernando Alonso in Friday's second session.

But despite having to settle best out on track, Hamilton reckons the new circuit is "amazing."

"Through certain corners there was lots of bottoming, and when you hit a bump it would throw the car around quite a bit - but it's an amazing venue," said Hamilton.

Asked specifically if the lights had been a distraction, the McLaren driver said: "No, they weren't an issue for me."

His team-mate Heikki Kovalainen also enjoyed his first outing in Singapore. "To be honest, racing under the lights wasn't really a problem," he said.

""The track was quite bumpy. Perhaps we should also look at the pit entry - it could be quite difficult if a driver decides to pull into the pits at the last minute. However, everything else about the track is fine.

"The visibility was fine, to be honest - I don't think it really makes any difference for the drivers. Same with the bumps, we'll get used to them very fast."

Kimi Raikkonen agreed with the McLaren drivers, saying: "The visibility is great and you don't really feel you are driving at night with all the lights on the track. In general I like the track although some parts are too bumpy."

Red Bull racer Mark Webber added: "It's a nice track, they've done a good job with it. Running at night seems okay, but I might make a few tweaks to my visor and tear-offs."

Over 100,000 fans were in attendance on the first day at the all-new Marina Bay street circuit.

 

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