Russell heading into the unknown in Singapore

©Williams

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This weekend will be the first time that Williams F1 driver George Russell has taken part in a night race at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

The 21-year-old rookie insists that he's excited rather than anxious about the prospect of a brand new challenge this weekend in Singapore.

"I am really looking forward to Singapore," he said in the team's preview. "I know it’s a great circuit.

"It’s a new experience for me and I love driving on new tracks," he added.

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"Driving in the night is a cool experience, and on top of that I am looking forward to the physical challenge of the heat and humidity."

Russell is currently the only driver on the grid not to have scored any championship points so far in 2019, despite some stand-out drives from the back of the grid. He's hoping that he will remain at Grove for another season in 2020.

His experienced team mate Robert Kubica has already had a taste of what it feels like to drive under the spotlights at Singapore. He took part in the first race at the venue back in 2008 and returned for a second time in 2009. His best result was seventh place in his final appearance here in 2010.

"Singapore is a typical street circuit in that it is very tricky," reported the Pole. "The hot and humid weather presents a challenge, and the track demands a lot from the car and driver.

"Singapore has a great atmosphere and as we race at night, it is certainly a very unique Grand Prix."

The team did better than expected last time out at Monza, a circuit which was predicted would expose the worst deficiencies of the FW42 but where they ended up finding unexpected pace albeit still outside the point.

Senior race engineer Dave Robson explained that Singapore was a very different type of track which might give Russell and Kubica the chance to make further in-roads this week.

"In complete contrast to the previous two races, Singapore is a low speed, twisty and bumpy street circuit," he said. "Downforce is very valuable.

"It can be said that Marina Bay lies roughly between Monaco and Hungary in terms of general set-up.

"Robert has raced here before in F1 and so has a good understanding of the challenges and compromises demanded by this unique venue.

"For George it will be his first-time racing in Singapore, but it won’t take him long to appreciate what a great but testing circuit this is."

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Andrew Lewin

Andrew first became a fan of Formula 1 during the time when Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill were stepping into the limelight after the era of Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Aryton Senna. He's been addicted ever since, and has been writing about the sport now for nearly a quarter of a century for a number of online news sites. He's also written professionally about GP2 (now Formula 2), GP3, IndyCar, World Rally Championship, MotoGP and NASCAR. In his other professional life, Andrew is a freelance writer, social media consultant, web developer/programmer, and digital specialist in the fields of accessibility, usability, IA, online communities and public sector procurement. He worked for many years in magazine production at Bauer Media, and for over a decade he was part of the digital media team at the UK government's communications department. Born and raised in Essex, Andrew currently lives and works in south-west London.