Pierre Gasly will be a rookie in Singapore, having never raced around the challenging Marina Bay street circuit, but on paper the Toro Rosso driver already likes the layout.
Red Bull Racing’s future charger has scored points in two of the last three races, but Singapore’s multiple difficulties combined with his lack of experience of the venue will likely make his race weekend a tough proposition.
“My only experience of Singapore is when I attended the race as third driver for Red Bull Racing,” said the Frenchman as he previewed next week’s event.
“So at least I got to see the race at first hand and it gave me an understanding of just how hot and humid it is and what it’s like having a night race, getting up in the afternoon and going to bed in the early hours of the morning.
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“I found it quite straightforward, sticking on European time and you just have to get used to driving under the artificial lights. It’s a different rhythm, but I quite enjoyed it when I was there.
“The super-sticky conditions mean it’s the most physically demanding race of the year.”
A modern F1 driver has the luxury of getting acquainted with a circuit thanks to simulation, and there’s no doubt Gasly has put hundreds of virtual laps of Marina Bay under his belt.
But through his physical training the 22-year-old has also been simulating the hot and humid conditions associated with Singapore.
“Even if I’ve never driven the track, looking at the layout, I can see it’s the sort of circuit I like, where you can get into a rhythm with a lot of corners,” added the 22-year-old.
“It turns a lot and it’s very technical. We knew the last two races in Spa and Monza were going to be complicated but, on paper, Singapore should suit our car a bit better.
“I’m looking forward to seeing how we go. I’ve been training for the heat, wearing lots of clothes and sweating a lot, making sure I felt much too hot and I will be doing that sort of training right up until the weekend, as well as spending time in the sauna.
“Marina Bay is one of my favourite tracks to drive on the videogames, so I’m looking forward to experiencing the real thing.”
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