Singapore Grand Prix

The Singapore Flyer stands above the race course Sunday night beside the newly completed Marina Bay Sands Casino

 The Passengers watched last night's 2010 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix from an apartment office perched high above Marina Bay.  From our hosts' festive eyrie we had a commanding view of about half of the street circuit.  In the photo above the Formula One cars start underneath the Singapore Flyer ferris wheel, which hosted the pit lane, and return there after zooming past the stands of the National Stadium overlooking the water.  The photo below shows the circuit at left running between the government buildings and the dark, grassy padang.  The drivers then reemerge into view at the lowest part of the illumined track, where they make a sharp turn beside the Fullerton Hotel before racing across the straight along the bridge and past the Esplanade theatres (those shiny Durian-shaped buildings).  I tried to post photos of good quality.  Click them for a larger view.

The Marina Bay Circuit illuminated for the 2010 SingTel Singapore Grand Prix

The action was loud even from our vantage sixty-eight floors above the water.  The rain held off all day, despite a few dark, overcast moments, and racing fans were rewarded with exciting competition.  Ferrari driver and pole sitter Fernando Alonso carried the day with Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber right behind.  This was the third running of the Singapore Grand Prix, and the event is expected to become a fixture of the Formula One calendar for some time, though an extension has not been announced.

Singapore Grand Prix Sunday

The skyline is not quite right, but it's a good overall impression.

Practice runs have already begun on the Marina Bay circuit ahead of this week's Formula One race in Singapore.  The contest is a true grand-prix style race on the downtown streets of the city,  called the Marina Bay circuit: around the new casino, under the giant Singapore Flyer ferris wheel, along the Padang parade grounds and its government buildings, and beside the high rise office towers of the Central Business District.  The twist?  The race begins at night, 8:00 PM local time, which puts it in the traditional  Sunday afternoon motorsport timeslot in Europe: 1:00 PM in Britain, 2:00 PM on most of the Continent.  The BBC has a slideshow of the preparations here.  

The Singapore race is happening amid a big-time title chase featuring some of Formula One's most recognizable drivers. Unfortunately, we have had afternoon rain showers every day this week, including now as I write.  Though the evenings have been dry, the tropical humidity lets all that moisture linger and is creating tough conditions on the racetrack.

The Passengers plan to watch the event tomorrow from a friend's downtown apartment that happens to overlook part of the racing circuit.  At the very least it will be loud.