This year I was able to fulfill a long standing dream of mine, to watch a Formula 1 race live from the stands. And I did it at a landmark race track, the only night race in Formula 1 history.
Since 2008 Singapore has added another feather in its well decorated hat by successfully hosting the 1st night race in Formula 1 history. A mind boggling array of lights convert the 5.073 km Marina Bay Street circuit into a place where it seems that the sun never sets. 240,000 Formula 1 fans watch the race live at the track in Singapore, and millions across the world.
The city gets into Formula 1 mode much before the actual race, with part of the streets being blocked off from the Tuesday before the race. On Wednesday, I got lucky as the barricades were not completely placed around the track and I snuck onto the actual race track for a look. It’s an overwhelming feeling when you actually get to step on the track where you’ve watched your heroes race their mean machines. Let me put this into perspective for my cricket loving friends: imagine being allowed to walk on the cricket pitch at the Lords. Yep, same feeling. And the icing on the cake was seeing Fernando Alonso (2 times world champion) cycle around the track with his engineer. The cherry on top of the icing would have been to see Michael Schumacher, but I guess that will have to wait till some other day.
There is a lot to do at the race track, besides watching the actual race. International music stars like Mariah Carey, hip hop superstar Missy Elliot, American Idol alum Adam Lambert, etc entertain and stunts by bikers on dirt bikes enthrall the crowd. At the same time the aroma of scrumptious food and the sheen of F1 merchandise vie for your attention.
Along with Formula 1, the BMW cup and the Porsche Cup races are also held on the same day, but at an earlier time.
An hour and a half before the actual start of the race, a drivers’ parade is conducted. The Formula 1 drivers are ferried around the track in vintage cars. This is the best opportunity to see the Formula 1 drivers, as otherwise they zip by, tucked in their Formula 1 cars, faster than you can say “hello”.
As the sun begins to set, the lights come on and the track comes alive, engines roaring, loudspeakers blaring and fans cheering. You can feel the excitement rising in the stands. My own heart starts to beat faster in anticipation, and I almost forget to use the ear plugs which I had bought at the venue. Ear plugs? Why would I need those? For the first few laps of the race you might not need them, but to prevent damage to your eardrums and to save yourself from a splitting headache, its advisable to use them.
Once the race begins, the sound of 26 Formula 1 cars going at full throttle is (for lack of any other word) deafening.
My friends and I were seated in the Bay Grandstand. Our seats were just above the corner of the track, where the cars take a 90 degree left turn and go under the stands (turn 18). This was also the site of the crash of the cars of Bruno Senna (Hispania Racing) and Kamui Kobayashi (Sauber). Plus the straight before the turn was the point where Heikki Kovalainen’s Lotus car caught fire in the last few laps of the race. Besides getting a ringside view of all this action on the track, we also had a splendid view of the Marina Bay Sands Hotel and Casino (Singapore’s latest landmark). It is a 57 storey hotel, consisting of 3 towers, in the shape of packs of cards.
It was an eventful race, but in the end only 1 driver gets to stand at the top of the podium, and what a celebration it was by Fernando Alonso and the Ferrari team.
As the crowd heads home after the race, so do I, but not before soaking in as much of the atmosphere as I can. There was a sense of satisfaction on having fulfilled a dream of mine, but also a sense of curiosity, wondering when I will be able to see my next Formula 1 race. Maybe New Delhi in Oct 2011?
You can check out my rough documentary about my trip on Youtube (It's in 2 parts, as Youtube doesn't allow videos of more than 15 minutes)
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqoCgASxzYs
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4QOlBzcCOc
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