Jenson Button says he would like to see the Singapore Grand Prix shortened in future, much like Monaco is.
The race around the streets of Monte Carlo is limited to 260km (78 laps), whilst every other circuit on the calendar goes 40km further at 300km – including the Singapore GP.
Button says this should be changed as the demands put on a driver are worse than at any other event due to the lenght of the race, which last year took 1 hour 57 minutes and 52 seconds to complete, just shy of the maximum two-hour mark.
“It’s a very tough race because it’s long, the longest on the calendar, normally about two hours,” the McLaren driver told SportingLife.
“Mentally it’s very tiring because it’s low speed, like Monaco in a way with the barriers so close to the circuit, very bumpy, dark, so it’s very demanding for the drivers. We find it very, very tough, and after the race you are shattered.
“It’s one of the races we actually think is a little too long, that they need to maybe shorten,” he added.
Drivers tend to concentrate on acclimatising themselves to certain circuits prior to arrival, but Button says certain aspects, such as the bumpy surface, can’t be recreated.
“We do as much as we can physically, but you can’t train for the bumpiness of the circuit, so it’s tough for us. I do a lot of work in a hot climate beforehand. This year I was in Japan where it’s very humid at the moment, which is great, perfect for Singapore.”
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