On Track

17 Sep 2023

The Debrief by Aramco: Singapore GP

Our stellar points-scoring run of 16 weekends, stretching back to 2022, ends on a demanding Sunday in Singapore.

Singapore ended up being a testing weekend for us; it will serve as a catalyst to rebound and rebuild as we take on the final seven races of the season.

Lance did not participate in the Grand Prix after his Qualifying crash, with his attention set on preparing to race in Japan.

Fernando's unyielding efforts to score points were dashed by a five-second penalty for crossing the white line on pit entry, after which he fell to 17th and finished 15th at the chequered flag.

Having begun the race on Medium compounds, Fernando pitted for a set of Hard compounds during the Lap 20 Safety Car. Six laps later, he became the first Formula One driver to complete 100,000 kilometres in racing conditions.

For much of the post-Safety Car period, Fernando was stuck behind Sergio Perez and, in an attempt to pass the Red Bull, he lost a place on Lap 37.

On Lap 45, Fernando served his five-second penalty in the pits during a Virtual Safety Car, but the resulting pitstop for a used set of Softs didn't go as planned as the rear jack did not attach properly. Fernando was put on the back foot and, amid high temperatures, a subsequent lock-up compromised him further.

There are more opportunities for us to learn, develop, and score points: our attention turns to next weekend's Japanese Grand Prix.

Read what Fernando and Team Principal Mike Krack said after the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix.

Sunday

P15

F. Alonso

FL: 1:36.456

#14 Fernando Alonso

“It was an extremely tough evening: everything that could go wrong did go wrong for us.

"It's better that it happened all in one hit – and let's not forget it's actually our first non-scoring race of the entire season. We came here with pretty high hopes, but Singapore is quite a unique event – race pace is really dictated by the temperature of the tyres – and maybe we went a little bit too hard.

"There are lot of things we need to investigate from this weekend – there's plenty to take away and improve. We need to get better.

"Let's just forget about this weekend and focus on the next one in Suzuka."

Mike Krack, Team Principal

"It has been a really tough couple of days for the team in Singapore.

"We only raced one car today and we look forward to seeing Lance back with us in Japan.

"Fernando's race came undone during the Virtual Safety Car when the rear jack did not engage properly during the pitstop. We need to analyse exactly what happened.

"Even without this issue, scoring points would have been difficult today. We will move on and learn from these difficult days.

"There is a lot of work ahead of us: we must understand where we can find more performance. There is still a long way to go this season – seven more races with plenty of opportunities and points available.

"A final word of recognition to the crews here in Singapore, especially the mechanics, who worked long hours in challenging conditions all week. Thank you to everyone."

Saturday

#14 Fernando Alonso | Free Practice & Qualifying

FP3

1:33.051

P13

1:32.584

P13

1:31.835

1:31.615

"I'm glad to see that Lance is okay.

"My Q3 lap was good. I told the team on the radio that it would have been difficult to improve that lap time even if I'd driven round all night!

"We seemed to struggle a little in FP3: we didn't look very competitive, so we changed a couple of things on the car and improved it for qualifying – but probably not quite enough. It will be a long, interesting race for everybody tomorrow.

"We need to maximise every opportunity, but we must be realistic: there are plenty of fast cars in front of us, and we aren't starting out of position. I will try and gain some places tomorrow, but it will be a tough race."

#18 Lance Stroll | Free Practice & Qualifying

FP3

1:33.051

P14

1:32.584

P20

"I'm okay. I'm frustrated as we have a big job – in the garage and on the race track – ahead of us.

"I was struggling for grip throughout the qualifying session. We had a bad out-lap with traffic ahead of my final push and we got stopped for the weighbridge. I started a couple of seconds behind Pierre [Gasly], so it didn't play out the way we'd planned.

"When I saw my lap wasn't improving, I pushed really hard in the last corner to try and make up that extra time, and that's when it went wrong.

"Let's see what we can salvage tomorrow in the race."

Mike Krack, Team Principal

"The only thing that matters today is that Lance is okay after the accident in qualifying. To see him step out of the car unaided is a testament to the FIA's constant work to improve safety.

"After some precautionary checks in the medical centre, he was cleared and released.

"Fernando progressed smoothly to Q3 to maintain his record of qualifying in the top 10 at every race in 2023. The margins between all the teams are very tight. Fernando drove a clean and tidy lap in Q3 and will line up in seventh place for tomorrow's race.

"We will work hard to progress forward in the race and bring home some points."

Friday

#14 | Fernando Alonso | Free Practice

FP1

1:33.974

FP2

1:32.478

"Today was fun. I think the new circuit layout is an improvement: it's a bit faster and you get into a little more rhythm around the lap. I like the changes they've made.

"It was a normal Friday in Singapore – hot and humid – but we got some useful tests done on the car and with the tyres, so let's see how tomorrow goes.

"It's hard to read too much into the times – today was more about building confidence with the car and the track. I think qualifying is going to be very tight: we could be P5, P6, or we could go out in Q2 if we lose just a couple of tenths over a lap.

"We are going to have to nail the laps in qualifying tomorrow to ensure a good result in the race."

#18 | Lance Stroll | Free Practice

FP1

1:34.568

P11

FP2

1:32.390

P14

"I think the new track layout works well and is fun to drive. I don't know yet if it'll encourage overtaking though; there's not much of a braking zone into Turn 16, but we'll see what's possible on Sunday.

"Today we couldn't really find the pace we needed, so we have some work to do tonight to understand where we can improve. We'll make some adjustments to the set up and come back stronger for qualifying tomorrow."

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