One Shell of an experience

How do you celebrate your 500th Grand Prix? On the podium, of course. At least that’s how Fernando Alonso marked Shell and Ferrari’s 500th race together last Sunday night, when he took advantage of his rival’s misfortunes to snatch the final spot of the podium on the brightly lit streets of Singapore’s fantastic Marina Bay circuit.

Although it is a number that is generally avoided in these parts of the world, 13 eventually proved to be the Spaniard’s lucky number as he pulled out of the thirteenth garage (marked 12a to comply with local superstition) of the Formula One paddock, qualifying fifth and then inheriting two spots from technical failures from both championship rival Lewis Hamilton and the surprisingly competitive Pastor Maldonado. 

His teammate was not as lucky, finishing 8th after qualifying in, ironically enough, 13th, bringing up the combined world championship points haul of Shell and Ferrari’s sixty year technical partnership up to 3,518, 160 Grand Prix victories, 12 Formula One World driver’s championships and 10 constructors championships, making them the most successful partnership in the history of the sport. 

But many believe that you make your own luck in racing, because while it may seem completely random that Hamilton and Maldonado conveniently retired in front of Alonso, Shell spends 21,000 man hours a year making sure it doesn’t happen the other way around. 

As part of their technical sponsorship, Shell are the only ones who bring a mobile laboratory to the track to analyze the 40,000 kilograms of fuels and lubricants that they supply each year to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 team. A dedicated team of three scientists studies the fuel that comes out of both Massa and Alonso’s cars, giving the team invaluable knowledge of the inner workings of the most sophisticated engines to ever get strapped on to four wheels. 

Shell also developed one of the most advanced F1 simulators to give the drivers some virtual seat time and the ability to learn the tracks––something that has become even more crucial ever since the FIA’s ban on testing forced the teams off the testing tracks. 

To give us a chance to appreciate this 16-million peso Playstation, Shell invited some select members of the media to squeeze into Kimi Raikkonen’s 2009 chassis  to have a crack at the punishing streets of Singapore. 

Climbing in to a tub that was built for someone weighing thirty pounds less was like trying to squeeze toothpaste back into the tube––but it is amazing how flexible one can get when faced with an opportunity of a lifetime. I didn’t care if I had to rub myself down in oil and climb in with just my jocks if that’s what it took. I was not missing out on this. 

Everything aside from the actual g-forces, I’m assured, are exactly replicated. Pedal feel and pressure, steering feel and weight, feedback from the surface, as well as the bumps, berms and bruises that you get along the way.

It costs over a million pesos to scan a track using the most advanced GPS and optical laser scanners. The data is then uploaded and then rendered to include the images that are generated from several hundreds of thousands of high-resolution photographs, and are accurate to within 5mm. Track surfaces are then replicated to give Fernando and Felipe the exact grip levels they will experience under the lights of Singapore.

I’m strapped into a four-way harness with electronic pretensioners that replicate the pressure felt under braking. I can barely turn the wheel as my hands are hitting my inner thighs, and there’s not much room left to swipe a credit card around me, but I’m afraid to complain just in case they pull me out. 

All the memories of the time I drove the Prost F1 car in France start rushing back. The 270-degree wraparound screen becomes so natural that you forget you’re looking at a monitor. The wheel is as responsive and heavy as I remember it on the Circuit du Var and needs precise inputs. It is actually quite a challenge to wrestle this Ferrari around but I start getting the hang of it.

Coming down from 300 km/h, I come down hard on the brakes. It needs all of my weight and more to generate the 100kilograms of pressure required to get maximum braking. Despite leaving myself only 100 meters to get the job done, I’m still way to early on them and need to lift off to coast to the corner. 

I come up to a series of very tight corners and eventually the Singapore sling. The pedal feel is extremely firm and very difficult to modulate, but is set to exactly how Alonso wants it. But without the g-force to help me forward, I’m relying on lower body strength rather than body weight to get the job done and it is starting to take its toll. The trick is to come down hard when you have maximum downforce then ease off as you start losing aero.

It is amazing just how physical it is to drive these cars, and how much there is for the driver to do. I’m told that Alonso has more than 100 combinations on his steering wheel that he needs to constantly tweak throughout a lap on top of the 4,000-plus gear changes required during a Grand Prix.

I’m getting into some kind of a rhythm––although finding a flow in the Singapore track is like a ballerina trying to dance Gangnam style. I start to relax a bit. Then Boom! Spin out. One momentary lapse and I’m facing the opposite direction so I turn my wheel, flog the gas, spin the car on its own axis, counter steer a bit to catch the rear end and head back down the right way. 

The crowd cheers. I smile. Alonso steps in after me and rightfully takes back the limelight with his flawless performance. I may not have had the best time of the day but I certainly had the time of my life.

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