Singapore F1 Grand Prix
Singapore for the Formula One Grand Prix
The Singapore F1 Grand Prix normally takes place over the last weekend in September. It is a night time street race, so the track is laid out across Singapore's regular roads and something like 25,000 spotlights installed, along with all the kilometres of safety fences and barriers. It’s a big operation, but right from the outset it was a huge success as a venue and became a fan-favourite on the F1 calendar.
Probably the reason that it was instantly popular was that it is such a visually spectacular event, not just the race itself, but also the show that goes with it. People are able to fly in from all over the world, lending to an atmosphere that takes in the whole city, which is buzzing, especially along the waterfronts at Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay. The race takes place round an open grassy area that faces a stage where headline acts perform on each of the three evenings. So, the jamboree becomes not just a motor-race, but more of an all-inclusive experience – a kind of Silverstone meets Glastonbury!
The first time I went to the event was in about 2011, in the days of the big V6 3-litre engines. Filing up to the seating area, people who didn’t know already did an abrupt U-turn and were sent scuttling back down the steps to buy earplugs. The noise of the engines was simply ear-splitting and could be heard all over the city. It was impossible to be near the track without some kind of protection. Nowadays the hybrid 1.6 litre engines make the cars almost as fast, but they don’t make half as much of a racket.
Once I realized that there were big screens everywhere with a running commentary, I could see that you actually don’t need to pay extra to sit in one of the stands. You can get a ‘walkabout’ enclosure ticket instead and wander all over and still follow exactly what is going on while sitting on the grass with a beer. The other benefit is that there are side stages for performances and odd festival acts taking place away from the main stage. So, you are free to explore and see what turns up.
Obviously, the more you pay for a ticket the better the vantage point, but for many seats at the side of the track, the cars simply whizz by in a blur, so you still need to depend on the loud audible patter from the screens. You know what motor racing commentary sounds like – a rapid human whine! Before the main event, they have other races, like a Porsche competition and even watching these cars it is astonishing to see how much the drivers can push it, hurtling into corners at breakneck speeds and braking late to the sound of engines backfiring. The skills on show are startling.
Around town on the Friday and Saturday nights (these are F1 practice and qualifying days), people head of the Quays where the mood is very lively indeed with restaurants and pubs overflowing with good cheer onto the walkways. If you didn’t know before then you will soon find out that Singapore is not for mid-level wallets! Your go-to drinks in the pub will likely be double what you normally pay, as will the hotels which unsurprisingly cash in on the whole weekend. If you live in Singapore, I’d guess you either pile in and join the fun or go away for the weekend if it’s not your thing. These days you also have the option of ignoring it all as they have at least turned the volume down, provided you can put up with the city transport inconveniences.
It is such an exhilarating weekend that I was thinking of going again this year and did price it all up. Thousands of pounds for a long weekend though. Really? Perhaps next year then, as I recall saying several times before.
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