The highly anticipated Battle By The Bay between Filipe Massa and Lewis Hamilton in the inaugural Formula One night race did not materialize as most fans expected. Instead, it was two-time champion Fernando Alonso who stole the limelight and stamped his name in the history book with an unexpected but nonetheless stunning victory in this eventful first ever night race.
It was a bitter night for Ferrari as they ended the race with no point. Filipe Massa had said earlier that he will pull out all stops to win the race but nobody expected him to literally pull it all off, fuel hose included, in his horribly botched pit-stop.
The incident-packed race served up plenty of treats for the sellout crowd of 100,000 at the Marina Bay street circuit and an estimated worldwide TV audience of 500 million. There were 3 crashes, 2 safety car interventions, several lead changes and that comical pit-lane drama by the Ferrari crew, which saw Filipe Massa surrendered his pole position and eventually lost the race.
While the accolades continue to pour in to Singapore for pulling off such a spectacular show of unprecedented magnitude, I’ve compiled the below 2 videos from TV telecast for the benefits of those who have somehow missed this stunning spectacle.
The stage is set for the ultimate grandstand finish as Felipe Massa qualified for pole position (1:44.801) in the starting grid of the world’s first night race tonight, followed by Lewis Hamilton (1:45.465) and defending world champion Kimi Raikkonen (1:45.617).
Singapore’s debut on a racing calendar that draws an estimated 500 million viewers per grand prix could not have been better scripted. Besides going into the history book as the venue for the world’s first F1 night race, the SingTel Singapore grand prix could be where the 2008 World Championship was won – or lost.
McLaren driver Hamilton lead the current standings with 78 points and Ferrari’s Massa is just one point behind. With four grands prix in the season remaining – Japan, China and Brazil are next after Singapore – the drivers’ Championship is balanced on a knife’s edge.
If Massa takes the chequered flag tonight, and Hamilton finishes second, the lead will change hand with the Brazilian’s turn to carry a slender one-point advantage. With overtaking chances at a premium at the tight Marina Bay street circuit, the initiative rest with Massa tonight and expect him to pull out all stops
The season has come to the boil at the perfect time for Singapore Grand Prix. A night race that none of the competitors has faced, on a street circuit that has never been raced on. Whatever happens, the race will be a bright spot on the Formula One circuit.
Gentlemen, start your engines!
The special blazing lights that turn night into day are up, the roads were relaid with a stronger asphalt surfaced, the safety fences rigged and the grandstands erected. No stones were left unturned – such is the attention to detail and safety that even the manhole covers were custom-made in France to prevent any rocking movement when the super fast cars go over them.
After many months of preparations and $90 million later, a historic race will take centre stage in a city of diverse races. At the cross roads of the city’s rich past and present, the world’s top drivers, led by Kimi Raikonnen of Ferrari and Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, will be roaring at top speed into the history book.
The 100,000 fans that are expected in Singapore over this F1 weekend plus hundreds of millions of television audiences worldwide wait with bated breadth for the world’s first F1 Grand Prix night race to be flagged off.
F1 Fever
I must admit I’m not a regular F1 fans but the urge to be part of the historic night race was simply too tempting to resist. I was one of the 50,000 who thronged the Marina Bay street circuit to watch the drivers get the first taste of the track as they starred in the first practice session.
Trackside Actions
I was at Turn 7 (in front of Suntec Singapore International Convention & Exhibition Centre) and the unmistakeable roar of F1 engines as the super cars zoomed down one of the fastest straights along Raffles Boulevard at speed up to 300kmh was ear-piercing but it gave me such a rush! Trust me when I tell you television doesn’t do it justice. The sound was loud, wicked and scary but this is what the fans wants and paid good money for! Join me as I experienced for the first time an F1 race live and up close by the track. Be advise to turn up the volume and feel the adrenaline rush!
For the record, Lewis Hamilton topped the time charts in the first practice session with a lap time of 1 min 45.518 sec. His former teammate, Renault’s Ferando Alonso was fastest in the second practice session with 1:45.654.
As F1 fever is pushing the mercury up to boiling point for racing and motor sport enthusiasts, gamers can take heart that we have not been forgotten in this F1 Grand Prix season as the Games Convention Asia 2008 rolls into town over the weekend.
In this second edition of the GCA, the organizer wants you to Inspire Yourself in this “Digital Media Gateway of Asia”. As promised, I was there to cover the event and bring you the sights and sounds of the the virtual world at GCA 2008.
If you had missed last years Games Convention Asia 2007, or the World Cyber Games 2008 held just last month, you are in for a special gaming treat. Get a feel of the local gaming scene as I hit the show floor and lost myself in yet-to-be-released games demo and newly launched games demo like Star Wars: The Force Unleashed, Guitar hero World Tour, FIFA Online 2, to name a few.
GCA 2008 is definitely bigger and better than GCA 2007, and the show floor layout and especially the lightings inside the exhibition hall was so much improved over the poor lighting that was encountered in the same hall at WCG 2008. Join me as I walked through the show floor in the videos below.
In less than a week, Singapore will host the first night race in the history of Formula One racing and local auto racing fans, together with an estimated global TV audience of 350 million, will get to see 20 super fast cars battling it out on a street circuit of public roads around the Marina area.
While the hype to the 2008 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix gets build to a crescendo, it’s time for those among the clueless to get clued in on the sport. Here are some trivial of the pinnacle of motor sport, which will help you get up to speed and enable you to mix it up with the most ardent fans of Formula One in no time.
An F1 car is made up of 80000 components. Even if assembled 99.9% correctly, it would still start the race with 80 things wrong.
An F1 car weighs about 550kgs, less than half the weight of a Mini Cooper.
An F1 car can go from zero to 160kmh and back in 4 seconds.
The fit in the cockpit is so tight that the steering wheel must be removed for the driver to get in or out. That is why drivers cannot be too tall, they average about 1.75m in height and 68kgs in weight.
The cockpit temperature averages 50 deg C.
On average, an F1 driver sheds 4kgs in weight per GP due to the extreme temperatures.
Below the racing overalls, drivers wear undershirts, underwear and socks made of a fire-resistant material called Nomex. It must protect a driver from fire of 700 deg C for up to 12 seconds.
F1 drivers are subjected to 5G of G-force in extreme braking, 2G while accelerating and up to 6G while cornering.
Once an F1 car is traveling over 160kmh, it generates enough downforce to equal its own weight and can actually drive upside down from the top of a tunnel.
In street racing, the downforce provides enough suction to lift manhole covers. Before the GP, all the manhole covers along the circuit are welded down.
