One of only two night time races on the Formula one calendar (mainly to accommodate the Western European audience) the Singapore Grand prix is a gruelling street race that really can take its toll out on the drivers. As with any street race the walls are a feature any one tiny error of judgement when over taking or taking a bend at speed can result in the end of a race pretty quick for a driver as the damage is usually terminal for the car to continue. If you’ve ever wanted to be in this cauldron of intensity close up then joining the Singapore F1 Paddock Club can truly bring that dream to a reality and a visit to edgeglobalevents.com/f1-paddock-club/f1-paddock-club-singapore can give you a good idea at what is available to make this happen.
You can be guaranteed a great race for sure. Here are some of the highlights from the race which had its tenth birthday this year.
- The great trailing hose. The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix in 2008 saw a close contest for the drivers title between the Ferrari of Felipe Massa and the McLaren of Lewis Hamilton. Both were in contention for their first world championship and for Hamilton it would be redemption for just missing out being the first rookie to win the year before. After an accident and introduction of the safety car most drivers came into refuel to get them through to the end of the race. A release button pressed to quickly saw Massa burst out of the pits with the hose and mechanics still attached!
- Was it really a “crash”? The only reason the safety car was out is because Nelson Piquet Jnr had inexplicably crashed in a place where there was no crane. It later turned out this was deliberate to give Fernando Alonso a chance to win, which he took.
- Driver and Fireman. Heikki Kovalainen was a pretty cool Finn and he needed to be in 2010 when his Lotus engine let go and the fuel light up send fire form the rear. Ducking out of his pit lane entry he pulled over and fought the fire himself.
- Hitching a lift. The track is tough on drivers and cars but when Fernando Alonso gave Mark Webber a lift on his Ferrari back to the pits. Amusing as it was the officials weren’t.
- One corner and three cars do not mix. 2017 was a rain affected race and some had wanted to a safety car start. This was ignored and the race began with Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen flying towards the first corner with Max Verstappen stuck in the middle. Verstappen is never one to back down and he clipped Raikkonen sending him into Vettel. This was great news for Lewis Hamilton made even better when Vettel was forced to retire.
