Singapore revs up for 1st F1 grand prix

By Erika Tapalla
INQUIRER.net

SINGAPORE–Six months and 13 grand prix races separate this island-state from its inaugural Formula One hosting duties, and preparations are in full swing as Singapore expects to finish its first-ever city circuit by June.

From September 26 to 28, Singapore will play host country to the Formula One Singtel Singapore Grand Prix, the first fully lit night race in FIA Formula One World Championship history. Thus, heavy construction must be done in order to accommodate the needs of the participating constructors, drivers and spectators.

The main challenge Singapore faces is illuminating the night race on a street circuit. The lighting system needs to be powerful enough to simulate daytime conditions and for drivers to see the road clearly. At the same time, good lighting is needed by the spectators and cameras.

According to the race organizers, an Italian lighting expert by the name of Valerio Maioli, aided them in devising a state-of-the-art lighting system capable of delivering optimal visibility with brightness equal to almost four times that of a typical stadium. This system will also enable both the racecar drivers and spectators to witness a spectacular backdrop of the city’s famous skyline since all the buildings will be lit.

The Singapore GP will take place counter-clockwise on public roads around the Marina Bay area. INQUIRER.net was given an exclusive guided tour of the circuit which was being prepared at that time.

The circuit is 5.067 kilometers long, and referring to the circuit map, it was indicated that there would be 24 turns. A lap should ideally take a minute and 30 seconds to complete, with drivers speeding upwards of 300 kilometers per hour. The drivers will race for 61 laps for a total race distance of 309.087 kilometers.

There are many long stretches in the circuit where drivers can have the opportunity to overtake each other but one of the most difficult parts of the circuit would be the Anderson Bridge.

The Anderson Bridge, a 70-meter-long vehicular bridge that crosses the Singapore river overlooking the Fullerton Hotel, is the narrowest part of the circuit, but since it is almost as wide as the widest sections of the circuit in Monaco, road width on the circuit in Singapore would not be an issue.

Singapore is preparing for 90,000 spectators for the inaugural 2008 Formula One Singtel Singapore Grand Prix. As of March 19, 180 corporate hospitality suites accommodating 50 people each have been released, including 3,000 paddock club passes and a total of 80,000 three-day grandstand and walkabout passes. These were all given in two phases: 70,000 on February 14, Valentine’s Day; and 10,000 on March 10.

Construction work on the Pit Building, roads and other parts of the circuit was started last year and is scheduled to be completed by the end of June. Singapore is only the second country in Southeast Asia to host an F1 race, next only to Malaysia which has the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang on March 23. The Sepang GP is the second race of the season, after the inaugural Australian GP held in Melbourne on March 16. The Singapore GP will be the 15th race of the season, preceding the October 12 Japanese Grand Prix at the Fuji Speedway, the only other Asian race in the championship aside from the ones in Singapore and Malaysia.

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