Singapore has bright future, says Whitmarsh
McLaren's Martin Whitmarsh happy with new Singapore track
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Tuesday, 30, Sep 2008 04:04
McLaren chief executive Martin Whitmarsh has claimed the new street circuit in Singapore has the potential to become a "Monaco of the East".
Speaking after watching his main driver Lewis Hamilton claim third spot on the podium and extend his world championship lead over Ferrari's Felipe Massa to seven points, Whitmarsh said he thought the new track was "fantastic".
"Clearly, this has been a learning year and the organisers will have spent a lot of time overcoming the unique difficulties of attempting to put a racetrack into a metropolis," he continued.
"But we've seen Monaco evolve over many years and I can see the Singapore grand prix becoming our 'Monaco of the East'.
"The commitment of the Singaporean government and the race organisers has created an enormous amount of goodwill and that will only be reflected by the teams, who will really want to make this venue work."
The race itself was a topsy-turvy affair, which saw the safety car deployed twice; Renault's Fernando Alonso notch a first victory of the season despite starting 15th on the grid; and both Ferrari drivers finish out of the points.
This prompted the Italian team's president Luca di Montezemolo to describe the venue to daily paper Gazzetta dello Sport as "humiliating" and "a track which should be used for the circus".
But Whitmarsh, whose team now lead the constructers' standings by a single point from Ferrari, said while there were elements of the circuit that should be changed the experience was overall a positive one.
"The bumps were a factor that caught everybody by surprise," he said.
"We also need to look more closely at the pitlane exit and entrance.
"I think the race organisers will probably have to extend the entrance and exit for next year, moving them further away from the apexes of corners. But I'm sure that will be changed [in time for 2009]."