by Issie Jones
As the second half of the F1 season approaches us this weekend, so does an onslaught of night races. One of these is Singapore's Grand Prix, which takes place at the harbour side Marina Bay Circuit. I was lucky enough to visit the self-proclaimed ‘home of night racing’ a few days ago while on a family holiday in Singapore.
When attempting to walk the track after the British GP earlier in the summer, I was nearly trampled to death by other fans, just to discover you could only walk about 400 meters of track. So it’s safe to say my expectations for the visit weren’t particularly high. Especially because the Singapore track has no website, no entry fee, and no definitive exit and entrance.
📸 The Marina Bay circuit pit entry.
However, we were pleasantly surprised when we could just walk off the street and onto the circuit. The circuit itself is a combination of permanent track and the roads of the city, which renders the permanent parts virtually useless for the rest of the year. Meaning that people are welcome to walk up and down the track, rent bikes to ride down it, and even go as far as into the pits.
📸 The garages in the pitlane.
We entered the circuit at turn sixteen (sort of accidentally) and made our way around it to eventually reach the garages. The track has amazing views of popular landmarks in the city, such as the gardens by the bay, the super trees, and the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
Walking on the track inspired a new kind of respect for the drivers who race in Singapore’s sauna-like conditions. Of course, this GP is always described as one that requires high endurance, but I don’t think I quite grasped how much until I was on the cusp of a heat stroke from slowly walking up and down the track. Even though locals consider this time of year autumn/the wet season, the temperature has stayed stubbornly upwards of 30 degrees and doesn’t budge much overnight.
As the race is just over a month away, the set-up of the grandstands and cleaning of the garages have begun. Because of this, the garage doors were open when we reached the pits, and we could see into them. I can excitingly report that there was... absolutely nothing in there, but it was very cool to see where the magic happens.
📸 A further view down the pitlane.
We got some pictures of the (slightly outdated, from last year) driver signs above the garage. The memory of the old team names before the changes at the beginning of this season lives on in the signs, as well as Liam Lawson’s time as an Alpha Tauri driver. Although perhaps Lawson may return to F1 sooner rather than later (sorry Daniel!).
The parts of the circuit that lie on the streets have begun to be set up with light rigs and barriers, and some parts of the road have spray paint on them to indicate track limits. Apart from that, Singapore seems largely unbothered by the approach of the Grand Prix, aside from a couple of signs near the track stating the road closures for the race on the 22nd of September.
📸 Marina Bay certainly looks different in the daylight to what fans are used to seeing under the famous lights.
Although the track is not particularly steeped in history, with its first race there being in 2008, it was amazing to experience the same conditions and sights as the drivers; hopefully one day I’ll be able to attend the actual Grand Prix!
📸 Image credits: Issie Jones!
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