Singapore Grand Prix
Discussion
Some tips from 2016.
There is a free pitlane walk on Thursday evening. Tickets are free by raffle. I missed this as my visit was unplanned, so went to the entry gate for this (Gate 1) and chanced it, somebody's wife/girlfriend left early and I blagged the ticket (wristband) from her.
If you don't mind getting in early and standing, you can watch for free from a walkway/balcony at Marina Square mall with a pretty good view for turn 15-16.
There are enough tickets available from private sellers if you only want to buy just one day ticket. The main site/app used for this seems to be carousell.
There is a regular hawker (food stalls) center next to the esplanade theaters that is 'locked in' by the F1 event. Great food at very reasonable prices.
Keep an eye out for appearances etc. Best for this seem Marina Bay Sands mall and Ion Orchard malls. Also Joe Saward usually has one of his nights, sadly it conflicted with the pitwalk.
There is a free pitlane walk on Thursday evening. Tickets are free by raffle. I missed this as my visit was unplanned, so went to the entry gate for this (Gate 1) and chanced it, somebody's wife/girlfriend left early and I blagged the ticket (wristband) from her.
If you don't mind getting in early and standing, you can watch for free from a walkway/balcony at Marina Square mall with a pretty good view for turn 15-16.
There are enough tickets available from private sellers if you only want to buy just one day ticket. The main site/app used for this seems to be carousell.
There is a regular hawker (food stalls) center next to the esplanade theaters that is 'locked in' by the F1 event. Great food at very reasonable prices.
Keep an eye out for appearances etc. Best for this seem Marina Bay Sands mall and Ion Orchard malls. Also Joe Saward usually has one of his nights, sadly it conflicted with the pitwalk.
I didn't get a pitlane pass in last year's raffle, so I jumped through a camera gap in the fence at turn 14 and walked round to the pits. Went past Max, Perez and a few others doing their track walks. An option if you're cheeky rather than lucky...
Having sat in Bay, T1 and Padang, some thoughts:
Bay - you can only see a very short section of track, but there are a few big screens and the atmosphere is great, looking out across to the neon-lit skyscrapers. It's also quite cool to lean over the bit of the track where the cars disappear under the grandstand - I can't think of anywhere else you can get a plan view of a F1 car in the cheap seats.
T1 - really good place to sit, you can see down the pitlane and right over to T2. Obviously, it's a bit dearer.
Padang - probably the worst place to watch - not much track visible, fences in the way, the big screens are a bit close - but Mrs HardtopManual appreciated the easy access to the Robbie Williams concert after the race.
I'm not sure if they do these "mixed seating" tickets anymore, but if they do, they're the ones to go for IMHO.
Make sure you take a look at the "small print" regarding which zones you're allowed in with each ticket - some won't allow access to some of the stages. Depends how much you're bothered about all the supporting entertainment - of which there was a lot in the pre-Liberty era, so I imagine there'll be tons of other stuff now.
Having sat in Bay, T1 and Padang, some thoughts:
Bay - you can only see a very short section of track, but there are a few big screens and the atmosphere is great, looking out across to the neon-lit skyscrapers. It's also quite cool to lean over the bit of the track where the cars disappear under the grandstand - I can't think of anywhere else you can get a plan view of a F1 car in the cheap seats.
T1 - really good place to sit, you can see down the pitlane and right over to T2. Obviously, it's a bit dearer.
Padang - probably the worst place to watch - not much track visible, fences in the way, the big screens are a bit close - but Mrs HardtopManual appreciated the easy access to the Robbie Williams concert after the race.
I'm not sure if they do these "mixed seating" tickets anymore, but if they do, they're the ones to go for IMHO.
Make sure you take a look at the "small print" regarding which zones you're allowed in with each ticket - some won't allow access to some of the stages. Depends how much you're bothered about all the supporting entertainment - of which there was a lot in the pre-Liberty era, so I imagine there'll be tons of other stuff now.
I was in Singapore for work in 2014 and got tickets for the GP.
Was lucky enough to get a pass to watch the Friday practice from a Champagne party on the Fullerton Hotel roof terrace (it is actually a building adjacent to the main hotel) with excellent views of the hairpin. Unfortunately the passes all went to high flyers for the qualifying and race though. So if money ain't an issue, that would be the way to view it for sure! With a glass of champers and a canapé in hand
I just had a general admission ticket for Saturday and Sunday and I would highly recommend getting a grandstand ticket. There was little in the way of decent viewing I could find at street level, so ended up watching most of the race from the big screen in the park (The Padang/ Esplanade Park where the concerts are held).
The concerts are a pretty cool addition - saw J-Lo and Robbie Williams when I was there Don't get that at the British GP - 50 odd quid extra to see Travis on Thursday night? No thanks.
Was lucky enough to get a pass to watch the Friday practice from a Champagne party on the Fullerton Hotel roof terrace (it is actually a building adjacent to the main hotel) with excellent views of the hairpin. Unfortunately the passes all went to high flyers for the qualifying and race though. So if money ain't an issue, that would be the way to view it for sure! With a glass of champers and a canapé in hand
I just had a general admission ticket for Saturday and Sunday and I would highly recommend getting a grandstand ticket. There was little in the way of decent viewing I could find at street level, so ended up watching most of the race from the big screen in the park (The Padang/ Esplanade Park where the concerts are held).
The concerts are a pretty cool addition - saw J-Lo and Robbie Williams when I was there
Don't get that at the British GP - 50 odd quid extra to see Travis on Thursday night? No thanks. Gassing Station | Formula 1 | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff