McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh believes Singapore Grand Prix will be 'electrifying'
By Matt Beer and Jonathan Noble
Friday, September 16th 2011, 10:58 GMT
McLaren boss Martin Whitmarsh believes the potential for DRS use and his drivers' determination to topple Red Bull will turn next weekend's Singapore Grand Prix into an "electrifying" race.
Previous Singapore events have seen a lack of overtaking at the front of the field - with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso able to hold off Sebastian Vettel's faster Red Bull for much of the distance last year - but Whitmarsh expects DRS to have a major impact in Marina Bay.
AUTOSPORT understands that the DRS detection point will be set after Turn 3, on the way out of the circuit's twisty opening complex. Notification is expected to be in the Turn 5 braking zone and activation on the exit of Turn 5, allowing DRS use on the long kinked straight towards Turn 7.
Although Vettel and Red Bull returned to winning ways in Belgium and Italy, McLaren remains convinced that it had the pace to beat the champion on both occasions, with Jenson Button having come from 13th on the grid to third at Spa and from seventh place after a poor start back to second at Monza.
"We go to Singapore feeling very encouraged about our performance potential," said Whitmarsh. "I also think we're set to continue the trend we've witnessed so far this season, with DRS enlivening races that hitherto would have been somewhat processional.
"At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, the reality is that we're fortunate enough to have two drivers who are never satisfied to merely sit behind another car; but the addition of DRS means that we should expect some truly electrifying racing this weekend.
"The track is wide enough to support close and exciting wheel-to-wheel racing and I sincerely hope that's what we see this weekend."
Button revealed that the Singapore night race was high up his list of 'must win' races, and believes McLaren's pace on tighter tracks so far this year bodes well.
"This is one of the races I'd most love to win and I'm hopeful that we'll be able to show the same sort of pace that we showed at Monaco and Hungary, where I had two of my best drives of the year," he said.
His team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who won in Singapore in 2009, also believes McLaren can get back on top next weekend.
"I think we had a car capable of winning in both Belgium and Italy, so I really want to make sure we arrive in Singapore with a good set-up, and that we're able to run with it through practice and qualifying," said Hamilton. "If it all goes to plan, we should be in good shape on Sunday.
"Even though the title is now almost out of reach I'll be pushing hard for the best possible result. I will never give up and I'll be driving to win as always."
Credit: AUTOSPORT.COM (www.autosport.com)
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