2010 Singapore Grand Prix Race day in Singapore

Singapore dazzles by night

Singapore dazzles by night © Sutton
Good evening everyone and welcome to AUTOSPORT Live for coverage of the 15th round in the 2010 FIA Formula One world championship.

The 5.073 km Marina Bay circuit will host the third Singapore Grand Prix night race, with Fernando Alonso starting from pole position and bidding to become the Prince of darkness, having won in controversial fashion at this venue during the inaugural event in 2008.

Sebastian Vettel leads Red Bull's charge from the front row, having set the pace into of the free practice sessions this weekend. Championship leader Mark Webber starts fifth on the grid and the Australian may be forced into driving a race of consolidation in a bid to preserve his points lead.

Singapore's organisers have put 50 pence in the electricity meter and an already impressive track in the daytime takes on a whole new identity at night. Clear visors allow the watching world to see right into the driver's eyes, while the bodywork of the cars glints magnificently in the artificial light - the event is most certainly spectacular.

The race itself starts at 12:00 GMT - 20:00 local time - but before then we will review Saturday's action at the circuit, in case you missed it, take a look at this afternoon's support race action and focus on some of the major talking points heading into the race.

Alonso pipped Vettel for pole

Alonso pipped Vettel for pole © Sutton
Felipe Massa was an early casualty during a hot and humid knockout qualifying session last night after his Ferrari ground to a halt at Turn 14 with a gearbox problem. The unfortunate Brazilian was on his first flying lap of Q1 and, as the red flags came out, it quickly became clear that Massa would not be able to set a time and was eliminated.

He joined the six cars from the three new teams, but this time Virgin Racing got the better of Lotus as Timo Glock posted a lap good enough to secure 18th position. The Lotus pair challenged Glock's time on their final lap but were unable to beat his 1m50.721s.

Q2 delivered the familiar battle between Mercedes and Williams for the lower reaches of the top 10. Toro Rosso has improved its STR 5 this weekend, allowing Alguersuari in particular to get much closer to the coveted 10th position. However, both drivers failed to get through as Michael Schumacher progressed to the shootout for only the second time in the last eight events. Kobayashi produced a great effort in the Sauber to edge out Alguersuari and Hulkenberg in the final moments.

The shootout was always going to be a battle between the top five in the championship and eventually the timesheet reflected just that. Sebastian Vettel made a mistake in the middle sector on his first run and was initially only seventh, while Alonso scorched his way round Marina Bay in 1m45.390s.

Vettel managed to get a clear lap on the final run and slotted into second position, demoting Hamilton to third as Webber came over the line but failed to improve on fourth. Worse was to come for the championship leader, as Button edged his way ahead of the Red Bull driver by just 0.033 seconds to grab that fourth spot.

Alonso pips Vettel to Singapore GP pole

Klien was speedy in the pits

Klien was speedy in the pits © Sutton
Former Formula 1 driver and 'spin and win' Indianapolis 500 winner Danny Sullivan joined the FIA stewards panel this weekend. The American found himself very busy, as a raft of penalties were again handed out on Saturday.

• Lotus Racing was given a reprimand after third practice for releasing Jarno Trulli 'in an unsafe manner' while Lucas di Grassi was coming down the pitlane.

• Formula 1 returnee Christian Klien was clocked in the pitlane at 92.5 km/h, exceeding the 60 km/h speed limit by a huge margin. Klien was fined €6,600. The Austrian felt the need the speed for a second time and was fined accordingly. Timo Glock and Bruno Senna also picked up fines for exceeding the pitlane limit.

• Michael Schumacher was also under scrutiny during qualifying. In Q2, race director Charlie Whiting informed the stewards panel that Schumacher set a personal fastest sector time while yellow flags were displayed. The panel heard evidence and studied the telemetry data and decided that the driver did indeed take appropriate action in reducing speed, so no action was taken.

• BMW Sauber incurred the wrath of the stewards after it released Nick Heidfeld from the pit garage in an unsafe manner into the path of Schumacher as the pair exited the pits to start the final run of Q2. The team was fined $20,000.

Here's how the championship stands heading into today's race: World Championship standings, round 14: Drivers: Constructors: 1. Webber 187 1. Red Bull-Renault 350 2. Hamilton 182 2. McLaren-Mercedes 347 3. Alonso 166 3. Ferrari 290 4. Button 165 4. Mercedes 158 5. Vettel 163 5. Renault 127 6. Massa 124 6. Force India-Mercedes 58 7. Rosberg 112 7. Williams-Cosworth 47 8. Kubica 108 8. Sauber-Ferrari 27 9. Schumacher 46 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 10 10. Sutil 45 With 25 points available for race victory, Mark Webber could find his championship lead under serious threat if Hamilton manages to finish ahead of him tonight. If Alonso wins the race and the rest finish in grid order, he will close down the gap to less than 20 points going into the last four rounds.

A non-finish must be avoided at all costs, particularly for those chasing Webber and Hamilton. If the leaders break through 200 points tonight, a DNF for Alonso, Button or Vettel would see them more than 35 points adrift.

Singapore is enjoying the best weather conditions of the weekend so far today. No rain fell during the morning or afternoon hours - in fact, hardly any rain has fallen across the city-state at all today.

With the early afternoon 'rain zone' out of the way, we are set for a dry, hot and humid 61-lap race this evening, with air temperature hovering at around 29 Celsius, with mostly cloudy skies above.

The humidity will remain high throughout the race at around 80 percent, and with this race schedule to run close to the two-hour time limit, the drivers can expect to ensure the harshest workout of the season.

Fans enjoy the spectacle in Singapore

Fans enjoy the spectacle in Singapore © Sutton
Motor racing fans love to debate and discuss the action on track, and the live forum at the bottom of the screen is your chance to let everyone know your thoughts on events as they unfold at the circuit.

• Will Fernando Alonso make it two out of two and make further inroads in the championship race?

• Can Vettel calm his act down and bring the Red Bull home for a podium?

• And how about McLaren tonight? Both drivers need the points. What should Hamilton and Button do at the start?

Tell the world what you think.

Click the SHOW LIVE FORUM link in the red bar at the bottom of your browser window if you'd like to join the debate.

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It went right for Wong with victory in Formula BMW

It went right for Wong with victory in Formula BMW © Sutton
Malaysia's Calvin Wong raced to victory in the first of today's support races in Singapore for the Formula BMW Pacific series.

While Colombian youngster Oscar Tunjo led from the start, Wong eventually found a way past the Meritus driver to claim his maiden victory in the championship, while Carlos Sainz Jr. completed the podium.

On Saturday, Russian Daniil Kvyat slipped-up on a damp part of the circuit having led the first lap from pole, handing the advantage to championship leader Richard Bradley before finally taking the lead back with a lap remaining. Wong also started his weekend well with a podium for Mofaz Racing.

Bradley has a healthy lead in the points as the series moves on to support the Korean Grand Prix next month.

The Formula One drivers parade toured round the Marina Bay circuit a short time ago, with the drivers each having a car of their own to enjoy as they waved to the crowds.

Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber received enthusiastic cheers, but the most noise was reserved for Singapore debutant Michael Schumacher.

With the parade over, the drivers went back to the team motorhomes to get some cool air and prepare for a long race ahead.

Craig Baird triumphed in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

Craig Baird triumphed in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia © Sutton
Craig Baird made it a double in Singapore as he raced to victory in both rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. The V8 Supercar regular, who is chasing down Christian Menzel for the Carrera Cup title, fought off stiff competition to take a his first two wins in the series.

Darryl O'Young and Marchy Lee shared the rest of the podium spoils in both races, with the pair swapping around in today's second event, which wrapped up the support programme at Marina Bay.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia concludes with a double header at the Shanghai International Circuit next month.

Here's how the grid will line up this afternoon: Pos Driver Team 1. Alonso Ferrari 2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 4. Button McLaren-Mercedes 5. Webber Red Bull-Renault 6. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth 7. Rosberg Mercedes 8. Kubica Renault 9. Schumacher Mercedes 10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 12. Petrov Renault 13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 14. Heidfeld Sauber-Ferrari 15. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 16. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 17. Hulkenberg Williams-Cosworth * 18. Glock Virgin-Cosworth 19. Kovalainen Lotus-Cosworth 20. di Grassi Virgin-Cosworth 21. Trulli Lotus-Cosworth 22. Klien HRT-Cosworth 23. Senna HRT-Cosworth 24. Massa Ferrari * ** * Five-place grid penalty for gearbox change ** 10-place grid penalty for use of ninth engine

Vettel starts from the dirty side of the grid

Vettel starts from the dirty side of the grid © LAT
Fernando Alonso will lead the 24-car field away on the formation lap this evening, with the clear intention of winning for the second time in a row. While the Spaniard has never finished off the podium here, the record of his Ferrari team in the last two years could not be more different - having failed to score points so far at this venue.

The start will obviously be critical, with overtaking opportunities few and far between. Sebastian Vettel will start alongside Alonso for tonight's drag race towards Turn 1 and will be hoping for a better launch than his Red Bull has delivered in recent events.

Lewis Hamilton is third on the grid, with the aim of at least dispatching Vettel by the time the pack reaches the opening complex of corners. Jenson Button may have to watch and wait to see what happens between the leading three on the opening lap, but the reigning champion does need big points to stay in the title fight.

Mark Webber has yet to finish at Marina Bay. The Australian will be looking to put that statistic to bed tonight, although he will have to watch for the advancing charge of Rubens Barrichello and Nico Rosberg off the line. Provided he can see off the challenge from the Williams and Mercedes drivers, Webber can then settle into a race rhythm and take the fight to the four in front.

Michael Schumacher starts from the fifth row of the grid and will be looking for a decent haul of points, but his main concern at the start will come from the hard-charging youngsters Kobayashi and Alguersuari.

Massa aims to charge through the field

Massa aims to charge through the field © LAT
Continuing our look through this evening's grid, we have some familiar names in unfamiliar places.

Sebastien Buemi starts from 13th position this evening and will be directly behind Toro Rosso team-mate Alguersuari on the grid. Petrov is in the mix, while Nick Heidfeld is 14th for his first race this season.

Force India suffered a terrible qualifying performance, so Sutil and Liuzzi will be hoping to move up from 15th and 16th on the grid. Last year Sutil spent the first half of the race staring at Alguersuari's Toro Rosso before losing patience. Chances are he could end up staring at the back of Buemi's car tonight if he doesn't manage to gain several positions off the start.

Nico Hulkenberg drops five spots to 17th following a gearbox change on his Williams FW32. The German has shown strong pace this weekend - on his first visit to Singapore - and he will be keen to make up places, but may find himself in the same situation that befell Sutil last year.

A spirited battle between Virgin Racing and Lotus is on the cards again tonight. The two new teams have raced in very close proximity over the last couple of grands prix and it will be very interesting to see who comes out on top. This will be a race of attrition, and as many are aware, a finish in the top 12 tonight will automatically see one of the new teams take over 10th position in the constructors' championship.

At the back, it would appear as though the HRTs are on a hiding to nothing, with Klien and Senna some way behind the Lotus and Virgin cars on pace. Felipe Massa starts from the back of the grid after his gearbox problem in qualifying yesterday. He should dispatch the six slower cars reasonably quickly, and then the long test of his patience will begin once he catches the back of the midfield battle.

The pitlane is now open for drivers to make their way around to the grid. The track will be open for 15 minutes and during this time the drivers will make one or more reconnaissance laps towards the grid.

They will want to check important basic functions such as the team radio, throttle, breaks, gearbox and engine settings. They may also play around with the wing level from inside the cockpit.

On an extremely hot and sticky night like we have tonight, the driver's friend will be the drinks bottle, so this also needs to be checked.

Sebastian Vettel leaves the Red Bull garage and heads out on his lap to the grid.

Polesitter Fernando Alonso pulls out of the Ferrari garage and heads out for a lap of the circuit.

Massa has been out for a tour and has returned to the Ferrari garage for checks on the installation of his new engine and gearbox.

The drivers will quickly find out that there is a lot of dust off the racing line.

At the start of the race last year, plumes of dust were thrown up into the air by those starting closest to the pitwall.

Vettel arrives on the grid to take up his second position starting slot. He is pushed there by the mechanics through a packed grid.

Jenson Button has stepped out of his McLaren on the grid and is off for a chat with his engineers.

Lewis Hamilton is also now on the grid, climbing out of his McLaren from his third-place spot on the clean side of the track.

Alonso has been practicing starts at the end of the pitlane but is now heading around to take up his place on the grid.

Massa is underway again after installation checks but is also popping through the pits to get his car tuned in with a practice launch.

Massa is now on his final tour to take up position at the back of the grid.

The pitlane has now closed. Any car not on the grid by now, will be required to start from the pitlane - after the rest have taken the start.

A huge crowd of spectators are packing the circuit and they rise in unison to respect the Singapore national anthem, as it rings out over Marina Bay.

Jaime Alguersuari did not make it onto the grid before the pits closed. The Spaniard is now forced to start the race from the pitlane.

Michael Schumacher is getting ready to climb aboard his Mercedes ahead of the German's first start here.

Felipe Massa is getting final instructions from race engineer Rob Smedley. He has a tough night ahead from the back of the grid.

Robert Kubica receives last-minute information and data from his race engineer, as he stands on the grid with a damp towel wrapped around his neck to keep cool.

The problem affecting Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso is cooling related. In Singapore's extreme heat, he could be in for a very early bath.

There are five minutes to go until the formation lap begins at Marina Bay.

The track temperature is 31 Celsius, with no chance of rain this evening.

Rob Smedley leans in over the cockpit of Felipe Massa is Ferrari to give his driver last-minute instructions, as he prepares for the formation lap.

The engines fire with a minute to go before the formation lap.

The formation lap begins at Marina Bay. Fernando Alonso leads the field of 23 off the grid, with Jaime Alguersuari to start from the pits.

The super-soft tyre is the widespread choice of the field, even those outside the top 10 with the freedom to select their tyre compound.