Red Bull Racing's Daniil Kvyat says he's much better prepared to face the sweltering conditions in Singapore this year.
The 21-year-old Russian driver suffered in last year's street race around the Marina Bay Circuit after his water bottle broke leaving him dehyrated, but Kvyat reckons that he's learned from the experience and will be stronger in 2015 after his move from Toro Rosso to Red Bull.
"Last year it was extremely tough because my water bottle didn’t work, so it was a very difficult race, but this year I think I’m much better prepared from a physical point of view so it should be fine.
"For example, Malaysia this year felt a lot more comfortable than last year and it’s similar, so I think I will be okay," he pointed out.
"It’s definitely one of the most challenging races of the championship. It’s the longest, one of the hottest, one of the most physically demanding races we face.
"Having said that I do like the track, because although it’s a street circuit it’s quite a bit quicker than Monaco."
Kvyat is also a big fan of the experience generated by the location, saying that Singapore tends to have more atmosphere than the average Grand Prix venue although he regretted that there's never enough time to really let it soak in.
"It’s difficult to find the time to go out in Singapore. When you arrive you do get to go out a bit, to go to the malls and have a look around, but to be honest it’s not something you get much of an opportunity to do because once the race weekend starts the schedule makes it pretty difficult."
The timings in Singapore are different from every other event on the calendar. Despite the long haul destination drivers effectively stay on European time for the weekend because the race itself is timeshifted from the afternoon to late night under the floodlights.
That's not a problem for Kvyat, however: "We obviously try to stay on European time, so you’re up later, but it’s fine, I don’t have a problem with switching on to night racing and the schedule."
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