F1 Roars Into Singapore

The last two weeks down in Singapore were—for lack of a better word—amazing. I have no doubt that I will grow to love that place, and I genuinely look forward to making my new home there. To cap off my Singaporean adventure with the Grand Prix was the icing on the cake, and I know that particular weekend will be one I look forward to each year I live in the Lion City.

I had never been to a Formula 1 race before and knew next to nothing about the sport. But the first time the cars roared by the grandstand, I was addicted to the speed and surreal sound. Each time the masterful drivers whizzed by topping speeds of 200 miles per hour, I was mesmerized.

Singapore’s Grand Prix was the first F1 race to take place at night, and the street circuit is located right in the heart of the city, so it winds past historic buildings, the modern financial district, the Singapore Flyer and the iconic Marina Bay. The atmosphere is out of this world, amplified by the blindingly bright lights and excited gathered crowd.

Sonia and I had been looking at various ticket options for weeks leading up to the race, but when we finally decided on what we wanted to buy, tickets were sold out! Thank God for Craig’s List! On the Tuesday before the race, Sonia found a listing advertising two sets of Zone 4 Walkabout tickets for a reasonable price. We snapped them up immediately, meeting the seller, named J.T., a few hours later at Dhoby Ghaut. He turned out to be from Philadelphia, and has been living in Singapore for a few years now. He bought the tickets months ago but ultimately decided to go on vacation to Sri Lanka the weekend of the race, so Sonia and I lucked out.

Several of my Hong Kong friends—Will, Tory, Blair and Vic—were also in town for the big weekend. Due to the timing of their flights, they only purchased tickets for Saturday though. And since Sonia had some work commitments to attend to, I went to the track on Friday around 4pm by myself.

Just walking around the massive park-like setting of the viewing area was great. I got to know the layout of our home for the next three days, and also got to sample the view from several different stands. You see, our walkabout ticket did not give us an actual seat to watch the race, but scattered all throughout the zone were three-tiered stands with different vantage points over parts of the circuit.

I explored some beautifully restored vintage cars dating as far back as the 1920s, and watched a talented fire dancer perform, while the deafening roar of the F1 cars grew louder and louder each time they drove by during the first practice session.

The Singapore Grand Prix has a lot more going on than just car racing. Music plays a huge role in the event, and many spectators are more excited about the live performances than they are about the automobiles. This year, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Bananarama, The Pretenders, The Proclaimers, Noel Gallagher and many other less well known musicians performed at several venues scattered all throughout the circuit. The schedule is meticulously set up so that no practice sessions or races ever overlap with the music, so as soon as the cars stop, the music starts, and vice versa. That first night, I was treated to two great shows. First up was Fuse, an electric violin duo from England who covered classic songs by Michael Jackson and Queen, among others.

But the real surprise of the night, and one of my best memories of the entire weekend, was the stellar performance of Dobet Gnahoré, a ferociously talented singer from Cote d’Ivoire. She was absolutely amazing from start to finish, singing, dancing and playing traditional African instruments. She had many members of the crowd dancing and clapping along with her. I remember thinking, “Anything else that happens this weekend is just a bonus, because I already feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth.”

Shortly after Ms. Gnahoré finished, and the drivers began their final practice session of the night, Sonia arrived, and we again watched in awe as the cars sped past. Jay Chou, a wildly popular Taiwanese singer, was the star performer that night on the main Padang stage. We briefly checked it out, but it wasn’t really our scene, so we headed back to Sonia’s house to catch some sleep so we could get an early start for Saturday. 

Saturday just might have been the most clichéd, touristy day you could possibly have in Singapore, in the best sense possible! It began with lunch with Sonia, Will, Tory and Will’s local colleague Hailin. The restaurant, named Jumbo, was situated right on the riverfront near Clarke Quay and we feasted on traditional Singaporean fare, including cereal-fried shrimp (which were absolutely delicious) and of course Singapore’s favorite national dish—chili crab.

 

The brunch club!

We then made our way to the race scene, where we secured wristbands to get into the very front Fan Zone area for the Maroon 5 concert later that night. You see, the wristbands are free, but they are distributed on a first come, first serve basis upon each day’s gate opening at 2:30pm.

Will and Tory had never been to Singapore before, and they were flying out on Sunday afternoon, so they only had a very limited amount of time in the city. To give them an idea of the circuit, we walked around Zone 4 for a little while. Then Sonia and I suggested we all go on a river cruise so they could see some more of the city. We hopped on the boat in Merlion Park, and sailed around the Marina Bay before heading up the Singapore River past Boat and Clarke Quays.

When the cruise was over, we indulged in Singapore’s single most touristy experience: a drink in the Long Bar of the impossibly elegant Raffles Hotel, Singapore's bastion of old world charm. Our friends Blair and Vic met us at the Raffles, and the six of us all headed up to the famous bar, where we got a table and ordered drinks.

Will, Tory and Blair each had the bar’s obligatory Singapore Sling, but by now I’ve had enough of the sweet, syrupy concoction and decided to try something else. I remembered a drink I had seen on the menu when I first visited with Jamie a few years back that was called 'Millionaire's Punch' or something similar. I mentioned this to our server, and he recalled the 'Million Dollar Cocktail.' No longer on the menu, he pointed out, but he was sure the bartender cold whip one up for me. Sonia ordered a Pimm's, Vic took a Tiger and it was yet another classy cocktail break in the legendary watering hole.  

The Long Bar is an old-school institution, and even though drinks there are very pricey and almost every table is filled entirely with tourists, it still has a lot of charm. The old ceiling fans, the peanut shell-littered mosaic floor and the vintage posters make it a very memorable spot indeed. And nobody could ever forget the astronomical number at the bottom of the bill when it arrives either!

After cocktail hour, we all went to the races. There were practice sessions and qualifiers scattered over the next couple of hours, and of course the music in between the driving. The first band we saw that night was The Pretenders, and they performed all of their famous hits in the intimate Esplanade Open Air Theatre. We were in the second row for the show, and it was awesome. My particular favorite will always be Back on the Chain Gang, but I loved that they chose to close the show with an energetic Brass in Pocket.

We grabbed a delicious street food dinner at Glutton’s Bay, perforated by the unmistakable roar of the powerful F1 engines, and before we knew it, it was almost time to get our places for Maroon 5’s concert. Since Sonia and I knew we would be around the following evening for the big races of the weekend, we decided to stake out a good spot for the performance. Will and Tory, knowing they would have to leave around noon the following day, decided to watch some more of the racing.

With our Fan Zone wristbands, Sonia and I were admitted to the very front of the large Padang Field, with an incredible up close view of the band! All of their hits were stellar live, and they really put on an energetic, entertaining show. Of course, they teased the crowd at the end, pretending to finish before re-emerging for a showstopping "Moves Like Jagger" that thrilled the entire field!

After the show, Sonia and I went separate ways—she to Club Street for a rooftop party, me to Arab Street to meet up with Will, Tory and some of their other friends. Arab Street, I already know, will be one of the parts of town where I go most often. It’s lined with quaint old shop houses, delicious restaurants and trendy bars. It was a nice place to finish our quintessential day in Singapore. Tory, in particular, was enamored with the area.

Sunday started with an early poolside brunch at the British Club, where Sonia is a member. She invited Will and Tory to join as well, and Blair and Vic missed breakfast but showed up a bit later to chat and relax. It’s a very special spot, at the top of a hill enclosed by lush trees, and the pool and restaurants are great.

Will and Tory went directly from the club to the airport to fly back to Hong Kong, and Blair and Vic, who did not have tickets for the race that day, decided to head off into town to find a suitable bar where they could watch all the action on television.

For Sonia and me, Sunday was another atmospheric day of racing, and as most of the qualifiers had finished, the big races were finally taking place, culminating with the showpiece event of the whole weekend, the Grand Prix! But before the race itself, Noel Gallagher, formerly of Oasis but now front man of his own group called Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, put on yet another enjoyable musical showcase, featuring not only some of his new songs but many Oasis classics as well.

Then it was time for the Grand Prix! The drivers paraded around the circuit in the vintage cars, and then they were off! We watched the first portion of the race from the grandstands in front of the Fullerton Hotel. It was crowded, loud and mesmerizing. The first time the cars went by that day, Sonia and I just started giggling, as the speed and sound were ineffably entertaining.

Short video clip I took of the F1 cars whizzing by

But it was also difficult to follow the progress of the race because of the deafening roar drowning out the commentary. So after about forty minutes of live racing, we moved to the Padang Field to watch the final portion on the massive screens they had set up there. Even though you could still hear the cars circling around the city, you could also easily pay attention to the commentary while viewing the race, so I’m glad we decided to go there for the event's second half.

Crowds watching the final race on massive screens on the Padang 

In the end, German driver Sebastian Vettel emerged victorious. Renowned British driver Lewis Hamilton had car trouble and did not finish, while Vettel's compatriot Michael Schumacher plowed into another car and forced both himself and the other driver out of the race. It was an action-packed event from start to finish, and I don't think I’ll ever forget it.

Vettel's victory ceremony at the conclusion of the race

After the spectacular post-race fireworks, Katy Perry put on the closing show of the weekend, and the excessive pageantry, pyrotechnics and costumes made it the most memorable concert of all. Every song was a famous hit, and she made the most of her venue. Having heard her on the radio for years and years, I never realized how good a live performer she actually is. In particular, her poignant acoustic rendition of The One that Got Away stood out for its sheer, heartbreaking power. Even Sonia, not the biggest pop music fan, remarked at the end that she had more respect for Katy Perry as an artist after seeing her perform that night.

Post-race fireworks

Katy Perry and Co.

Having heard about the Singapore Grand Prix weekend for almost three years now, it was certainly a pleasure to finally be able to experience it for myself—a perfect weekend to end a great two weeks in the city that will soon become my new home! Needless to say, I’ll be anxiously looking forward to the 2013 installment once I move down there in a couple of months!