Singapore GP preview: Lewis Hamilton chases history
There are two acronyms likely to make headlines this weekend and they are exactly the same - albeit in name. Pirelli arrives in Singapore looking to set out a clear procedure for setting and checking the tyre pressures on cars after Lewis Hamilton was made to wait for over three hours for his Italian Grand Prix victory to be confirmed. The FIA immediately investigated Mercedes after the Monza race when it found out that the PSI (pressure) on the left rear tyres of both its cars were below the minimum permitted value set by Pirelli. These were the standards specifically set by the tyre manufacturer after the tyre blowouts at Spa.
Hamilton's victory was only upheld after a stewards' investigation found the pressures had been at the correct level when they were fitted to the cars, but it revealed a controversial grey area in the regulations. Immediately after the race, several prominent figures in the paddock such as Williams' Pat Symonds, said Mercedes should be disqualified from the result if found to have breached the regulations. Expect a few teams to have something to say about Mercedes keeping Hamilton's victory this weekend.
The PSI acronym is alive and well going into the Marina Bay race for another reason - the Pollutant Standards Index. Haze caused by forest fires from neighbouring Indonesia has led to a rise in the PSI, prompting race organisers to implement several health measures for fans ahead of this weekend's event. It is not unprecedented for smog to delay the start of a practice session (FP3 in India 2013) and delays remain a risk this weekend. In need of a podium
Kimi Raikkonen had a classic 2015 Kimi Raikkonen kind of weekend in Monza. After finally nailing a Saturday afternoon and qualifying second, the 2007 world champion looked best placed to take the fight to Lewis Hamilton after he and Sebastian Vettel had split the Mercedes drivers on the grid. However, a poor getaway meant he came through the first chicane dead last - immediately ruling out a chance of a second 2015 podium. It will not be lost on him that he would probably have joined Sebastian Vettel in a Ferrari two-three in front of the tifosi had it not been for that slow getaway. Though the pressure of contractual uncertainty no longer exists Raikkonen still needs to show he's still capable of stringing together a perfect weekend. What better place to do that than Singapore, where he memorably returned to the top step in 2012 with Lotus for the first time after returning from his two-year sabbatical? In need of points
McLaren has been hyping Singapore for the last few months. The team is not expecting to win the race, but it thinks the twisty confines of the Marina Bay street circuit should allow the MP4-30 chassis to hide some of the obvious deficiencies of Honda's power unit. At Monza, Jenson Button said "we could finish fifth and sixth [in Singapore] and we wouldn't be having this conversation" when hit with another volley of questions about McLaren's current struggles, suggesting this is what the team thinks it could achieve if everything goes well. With cracks starting to show in the relationship between McLaren and Honda a strong result for both cars will be a welcome tonic for both parties, especially with a run of more favourable circuits for the package still to come.
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