Aston Martin's Chief Technical Officer, Enrico Cardile reveals the team's approach to one of the most demanding weekends of the season and why you'll have to wait until next year to see him at a Grand Prix.

F1's original night race, the Singapore Grand Prix, has shone bright as one of the sport's most eye-catching events in almost two decades on the calendar.

A race weekend that provides intense racing, requires maximum concentration, and punishes even the smallest of mistakes, it's a sensorial onslaught heightened further by stifling heat and humidity underneath the dazzling artificial lights that line the spectacular Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Before we take on this thorough examination of human and machine, Chief Technical Officer Enrico Cardile reveals what he'll be watching out for this weekend and divulges how the team will tackle the unique concoction of challenges that racing in Singapore provides.

Enrico, you've recently joined Aston Martin Aramco as Chief Technical Officer. What will be your focus on race weekends for the rest of this season?
Enrico Cardile: "For the remainder of this year I'm going to be based at AMR Technology Campus each race weekend, and there are several reasons why that's the case.

"I'm new to the team so, naturally, I'm learning and observing at this stage, seeing what we do well and seeing where we can optimise further.

"I think that process starts at base, and so I'm seeing how we're functioning in Mission Control at race weekends as we try to get every bit of performance out of the car.

"Ahead of the new technical regulations being introduced in 2026, planning and preparation is crucial; that's what my full focus is on. I'm using this season as a way of stress testing all the fantastic tools we have in place at the AMR Technology Campus, and seeing how we can make them even better and extract all the potential from them.

"It's also an opportunity for me to get to know everyone who is based at the Technology Campus, so the rest of this year really is a learning opportunity for me.

"Then, next year, I'll be going trackside more."

How do you think we'll fare in Singapore?
EC: "Obviously, you can never be totally certain how each race weekend will go because there are so many variables at play, but it is that true high-downforce circuits tend to suit the AMR25 more and Singapore is one of these.

"In Baku, we saw how a low-downforce circuit can provide challenges for us but at Monza, another low-downforce circuit, we had better pace than we perhaps expected, so it just shows nothing is guaranteed.

"We think Singapore will be a circuit that suits our car fairly well, but we'll only start to see our true pace at Marina Bay once the car hits the track in Free Practice."

Why is the AMR25 better suited to high-downforce circuits?
EC: "The circuit where we've been challenged most this year is Spa-Francorchamps, which is not only a low-downforce track similar to Baku and Monza, but it also presents quite unique corner challenges such as through Eau Rouge and Raidillon, which force us to keep a minimum ride height to avoid bottoming out.

"This aspect disturbs the performance of our car. It is a common behaviour for this generation of cars and it can vary from car to car."

Singapore is one of the most taxing race weekends for the drivers and the cars because of the heat and humidity. How does the team deal with this?
EC: "In terms of the car, you're treading a fine line between keeping it cool and aerodynamic efficiency.

"To manage car temperatures, we can open up the louvres on the engine cover and sidepods to allow more hot air to escape, and use bigger brake ducts as the brakes are used a lot in the many braking zones around the lap.

"But both can hamper aerodynamic efficiency, causing more drag and hurting straight-line speed, so that's a balance you need to strike.

"As for the drivers, taking on a lot of fluid before the race is very important to prevent dehydration because that can affect concentration, which can lead to mistakes - and Singapore punishes even minor ones severely thanks to the close proximity of the walls.

"Lance and Fernando will be trying to keep themselves as cool as possible, so they'll wear the FIA-approved cooling vests to regulate their internal temperature.

"It's a really physically and mentally demanding weekend for the drivers. It's also really intense for everyone else in the team, both trackside and back at base in the AMR Technology Campus. But it is, without doubt, one of the most thrilling of Grands Prix of the year and a fantastic spectacle under the lights."