Postcard from Singapore
Friday ,23 September 2011
It’s hard to believe that this is only the fourth year of the Singapore Grand Prix, since the race has quickly established itself as one of the highlights of the season. And that is of course because it is absolutely unique
We’ve seen some wonderful new circuits built around the world over the last decade – Delhi being the latest of course – but Singapore chose to take a different route. Rather than build a permanent venue in the countryside, far away from the city, they chose to create a street circuit, one that ran across two bridges to add a little interest. And just to make it even more special, they opted to run the race at night.
It was a bold idea, one that impressed Bernie Ecclestone, and against the odds everything worked out perfectly when the first race was run back in 2008. The night aspect worked out better than anyone expected, and TV overviews of the track, showing the illuminated circuit snaking its way around the city, really captured the imagination.
It’s the things that you don’t normally see that really stand out when you watch the cars in action. There are the brake discs of course, glowing brightly on the entry to corners. Then there are the exhausts, spitting flames as the drivers back off for corners, although it remains to be seen how visible they will be in 2011 now that exhausts disappear into the diffuser!
Where you can get close enough, you can clearly see the lights on the steering wheel dash. And then there’s the firework display. In the turbo era we often saw cars trailing sparks, thanks to titanium bolts which were essentially there for show. They subsequently disappeared and in the era of the under floor plank – there to stop teams running too low – all we see these days at places of high contact like Spa’s Eau Rouge is a trail of brown dust.
But sparks are visible in Singapore. At 190mph F1 drivers discover plenty of undulations, especially on the kinked straight that heads out of Turn 5, although it is smoother than it was in the first year. You can see the cars bobbing up and down as they dash along it, and some leave a spectacular trail behind them.
The straight is one of the most surreal areas of the track. It’s also just about the only section not surrounded by fans. It runs between five star hotels and shopping malls, so the backdrop is surreal.
Like Monaco, the track also has a ‘tunnel’ of sorts. The cars actually in effect drive into a building, and the effect is like seeing them dash through a multi-storey car park.
For the fans the heart of the venue is the Padang, a huge park and sports field – home of the Singapore cricket club – which lies alongside the track, opposite some Victorian era civic buildings.
The organisers spare no effort to keep fans entertained. The whole area is turned into a sort of street festival. It’s more like a rock event, with music on a live stage and several dance floors. There are bars and food outlets all around, and even a Hard Rock cafe tent!
The unusual hours make for a challenge for the teams. Fans may be able to head off to get a bite to eat when practice finishes at 11pm, but for the teams – and the media – the work is just beginning. Visitors try to stay on European time, which means going to bed at 5-6am and resurfacing at lunchtime. And meal times have to be adjusted to suit, which can be a bit strange.
But nobody minds, because the Singapore Grand Prix remains a great event in a fantastic location. What a shame we don’t have more street races!
Credit: Force India (www.forceindiaf1.com)
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