Singapore F1 Grand Prix race day!

Author: Matt Preston Become a contributor

The 14th of February seems so long ago. It was that day that lead us to this one. The day we bought the tickets to the day we entered the grandstand area for the last time and saw Formula One’s first ever night race.

Ominous clouds hung overhead all day, threatening to unleash a torrent of rain at any moment. But unusually for Singapore it didn’t come. In fact we’ve hardly had any rain the whole time we’ve been here. Clouds or no clouds, rain or no rain, the temperature doesn’t change here. Always hovering around 30 degrees while the humidity rarely drops below 60%. It rises as the sun sets, hitting 79% by the time the race started.

We were set, history in the making, the cars lined up, the lights went out. 20 seconds or so later and they were screaming past us. Jostling for position, the skill of all the drivers showing as not one crashed into another on the first lap. Using every inch of available track.

Philppe Massa pulled away at the start, clearly light on fuel compared to Lewis behind him. for the first few laps none of the front guys changed position. Then, thanks to another predictable spin and impressive crash into a wall, Nelson Piquet Jnr was out of the race and out came the safety car. Some cars dived into the pits before they were allowed to, earning themselves drive through penalties (which is better than running out of fuel). Others waited for the right moment, some lucked in, others lucked out! Kimi Raikonnen dropped down the field while Lewis found himself stuck behind mid-field runners like David Coulthard.

But somehow Fernando Alonso made it to the front. Pitting at just the right time and running a strategy that gave him the lead. Lewis did his best to catch up after he’d passed DC. Nico Rosberg in the Williams, despite a drive through penalty, found himself in second.

It was a very eventful race! Massa tried to leave the pit early and ended up ripping the fuel hose out of the garage and 200 metres down the pit lane, ending up dead last and earning a drive through for dangerous driving. His team mate crashed out with just 6 laps to go, smashing into a wall, a bunch of Finnish guys sat behind us upped and left, the race was over for them.

So Lewis got 3rd. A great result considering all the events and giving him a 7 point lead in the championship. After the race it was back to the open air bar on the cricket ground to catch up with our new found Canadian friends and have a few beers. A great way to end a magical grand prix weekend in the heat and humidity of Singapore!

I’ll post a round-up next time i’m near wifi!

M&Dx