A tale of two F1 circuits

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemolo ridiculed the Singapore Grand Prix by calling it a circus. He may have said it out of frustration, but nevertheless, he may have a point.

The first-ever night race in Singapore had all the ingredients one could have hoped for: Breathtaking setting, presence of celebrities and a thrilling race. F1 fans couldn't have asked for more. Enthusiasts and pundits were quick to term the race-under-lights as the highlight of the season. The euphoria was expected, but was it justified considering that it took an accident on the part of Nelson Piquet Jr to add spice to the race? Could the GP have been as exciting had the safety car not appeared on the track after lap 14?

Ferrari boss Luca di Montezemelo doesn't have too kind an opinion of the street circuit in Singapore. He ridiculed the race by terming it as a circus and went to the extent of calling it a humiliation for Formula One. His anger and frustration was largely due to the fact that both the Ferrari cars did not finish, despite an excellent qualifying session. Would the Ferrari boss have reacted in a similar fashion if Massa and Raikkonen had managed to finish on the podium? The answer is a big no.

Nevertheless, his argument cannot be dismissed just because it was done in a fit of anger. Till Piquet's accident, the race indeed had assumed a predictable pattern with the top qualifiers comfortably pulling away from the rest of the field. In fact, many people were expecting the worst - a repeat of Valencia, probably the most boring race of 2008.

The similarities between Valencia and Singapore were striking. Both circuits were making their debut this year and more importantly, both were street circuits - narrow roads with little chance for overtaking.

The race in Valencia wasn't a race at all. In fact, it turned out to be a dull procession with almost all the cars taking the same places as they did in qualifying. The only exciting moment of the race was Kimi Raikkonen's pit-stop incident in which he took off prematurely and hurt a mechanic in the process.

However, what is worth noting is the fact that Luca di Montezemolo didn't complain about the Valencia street circuit. (Remember, Massa had won the race). True, a safety car didn't turn the race upside down. But was there a race at all? How many overtaking maneuvers were executed during the entire race? It was more of a testing session.

At least in Singapore, the fans enjoyed themselves. Never mind the fact that racing purists were appalled at what happened.

The entire debate brings into focus the introduction of new street circuits on the F1 calendar. The primary purpose of Bernie Ecclestone and Co behind this exercise, at least in case of Singapore, is to create new means of revenue generation.

The Singapore race was billed as a TV race - the night timings in Singapore made a perfect Sunday for European viewers who could watch it during the right time. And building a street circuit is a relatively easier proposition than a full-fledged track.

This is something Formula One Management should watch out for before introducing new circuits. True, making money is an important part of F1, but it shouldn't be done at the cost of genuine racing.
k_dhananjay@dnaindia.net