Hülkenberg: difficult to find the right setting in Singapore

Singapore constitutes one of the special events in the calendar of the F1, by being contested at night, and by offering an urban circuit where aerodynamic downforce is king, and the brakes are heavily used during the numerous braking operations opening onto a good number of right-angle turns.

A route which does not facilitate the task of drivers and technical teams in defining set-ups according to Nico Hulkenberg. “It’s a real challenge, comments the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015. The tour is very long, with many turns and this represents an additional difficulty when you try to find a good balance for the set-up with the engineers: it’s endless! »

The challenge does not end there according to the Force India driver. Competitors also have to deal with physically demanding weather conditions in one of the longest races of the season.

“From a driving point of view, it’s really difficult to put all the sectors end to end and deliver the perfect lap. It is also very hot and humid. You're in the car for about two hours... This is clearly a test. »

Force India is however aiming for a good result in Singapore, on a track which always succeeds for the single-seaters of Vijay Mallya's team. “We generally performed well in Singapore,” recalls the team owner.

We have scored points in every race there since 2010. We had our best result of the year in Baku on a circuit that shares many characteristics with Singapore so there is every reason to feel optimistic. »