Friday, September 24. We emerged from Singapore’s City Hall MRT terminal, anxious to make our way to our Grand Prix seating area. Then we heard an unearthly wail, thundering down Esplanade drive.
Formula One had returned to Singapore. It was my first experience watching an F1 race live. Despite my misgivings about whether it was better it versus say watching on TV from a comfortable bed, I can say that it is absolutely worth every second of every session. The sight of the gloriously-lit cars zooming down the main straight alone makes the senses tingle.
But it is actually the sound that conveys the controlled fury on a F1 car. Nothing can quite prepare you for it.
It was great to see Michael Schumacher (admittedly my reason for even going to this race) reach the top 10 in qualifying, although race day didn’t pay off again. Also, it was heartening to see Nick Heidfeld return, although race day didn’t pay off for him, either, thanks to Michael.
One of the highlights was the pre-race parade of drivers. Each was driven in the appropriate classic car. Weber, Hamilton, and Massa greeted the crowd enthusiastically, while Alonso was a little bit grumpy, as usual.
The race itself was one of the more thrilling segments of the season, with Vettel’s unceasing chase of Alonso throughout the 61 laps. There was some cheering when Hamilton retired; must be those guys in the red shirts. Two safety car periods bunched up the field, and Heiki Kovaleinen’s putting out the fire of his own Lotus was also a spectacular (and unfortunate) sight. Alonso ultimately took the win, his second in three Singapore GPs. (Let’s try to forget the circumstances of that first victory.)
We didn’t get to catch the other attractions: Mariah Carey, Adam Lambert, or my favorite act, the Chippendales, but the entertainment was reportedly world-class all the way.
Here are some of the sights from the 2010 Singapore GP.
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