The Singapore Grand Prix is a motor race on the calendar of the FIA Formula One World Championship. The event takes place in Singapore on the Marina Bay Street Circuit and was the inaugural F1 night race and the first street circuit in Asia.
The first race held at the new Marina Bay Street Circuit was the 15th round of the 2008 FIA Formula One World Championship, and was also the first night-time event in Formula One history.
In the 6th year of the night race hosted in Singapore, I finally had the chance to catch it live! I caught the qualifying race on Day 2 of the 2013 F1 night race & it was such an exhilarating experience. Our tickets for the Zone 1 Pit Grandstand area allows access to all zones 1, 2, 3 & 4. Eager to dive into the action, we arrived at Zone 4 Gate 6 (beside Fullerton Hotel) in the afternoon, all ready to explore the various zones before settling down at our seats in the Pit Grandstand.
The very noob me was amazed by the array of activities & performances. I had always thought that F1 is just about watching race cars compete! Boy, I was so wrong. There were so many entertainment events on the side line. At the Padang & Esplanade Park area, there were vintage cars on display where one can go trigger happy & snap some pictures. For those who wish to own a piece of the F1 excitement, you could purchase team merchandise from the booths. Other activities include temporary tattoo booths as well as simulator ride booths. Not forgetting the numerous stalls selling beer!
As we continued walking towards our seats, we found ourselves at Makansutra Gluttons Bay. We thought it would be a good idea to fill our tummy before catching the race since we weren't certain if the Pit Grandstand area had any restaurants or food options available.
After dinner, it was a long long stroll to our seats. We honestly did not expect such a long walk! The Pit Grandstand zone was restricted to Zone 1 ticket holders. In the Village Stage area, there were also stalls set up to sell food & drinks (Marche, Peach Garden, to name a few). At the performance stage, we caught the Sam Willows live! Finally round 9pm, the qualifying race started. The noise from the cars were deafening! I was awestruck. Without the ear plugs I'm pretty sure my ear drums will be in a sorry state.
The smell of burnt rubber was in the air, the eager anticipation & the powerful car engines speeding past the tracks, such an unforgettable experience! However, with ear plugs in our ears, we could not hear a single piece of commentary. Neither could we tell which team the race car that zooms past belongs to X_X Such a pity! Later on towards the end of the qualifiers, we left our seats & moved towards the Village Stage area, where the noise level was considerably lower, we removed our ear plugs & enjoyed the telecast on the projector screen alongside commentaries which aided our understanding of the race.
Transportation out of the F1 zone was a breeze, to my surprise. No long queues of sweaty people. We took the shuttle bus provided to Lavender MRT station off to home we go!
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