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Walking further down the road, at a turn I saw a huge crowd standing behind a fence. I told myself "Is this what i think it is?" I peeped in and I saw fans getting autographs from Sergio Perez! YES, it was the Paddock entrance. Fans were lined up to catch a glimpse of their favorite drivers. I ran towards the entrance screaming "CHECO CHECO", but sadly, he had already walked in. Here is the pic I managed to take of him (look carefully, you can see him) rl:





I joined the group of fans. They informed me that before Perez, few other drivers have already walked by. Dang! But many more to come! YAY!





Moments later, a golf cart rolled down the road. IT WAS KIMI!! All the girls in the crowd went bezerk, screaming out his name! He didn't stop for autographs (He never does). I ran behind the golf cart, and screamed out his name. He looked at me, waved and said " Yes, halloo!!". lol:








Next up was Karun Chandok. He didn't get the same reception as Kimi (nobody did), but he stopped for autographs and selfies!






Nico Hulkenburg came in immediately after Karun. This guy is TALL!!






After a while, a black Chrysler stopped in front of the entrance. Exit Sebastian Vettel. He waved and said " Sorry, I'm in a hurry". That didn't stop everyone from trying to get his autograph/picture!






Marcus Ericsson stopped and gave autographs/ posed for photographs for everyone who approached him.








Felipe Massa showed up and the crowd chanted "Felipe baby" with the Italian accent! He gave a few autographs and left when the mob around him got bigger!








Romain Grosjean came in quick, stood for a few photographs and left. I was lucky to get a snap with him.






Kevin Magnussen showed up next. He gave a few autographs. Didn't pose for selfies. Maybe he is camera shy!!






Next up, I did not expect to see him here. It was Jean Alesi. It was an absolute honor to see this legend in person!






Joylon Palmer walked right by, saying " I'm in a rush". Nobody budged or chased him down. Guess he didn't expect such a lukewarm response :uncontrol






Sauber Team Principal Monisha Kaltenborn stopped for autographs and pictures!







Valtteri Bottas walked in with his wife. He smiled and waved at the crowd. Said " Sorry, I have to go, I am late"






Ex-Manor driver Rio Haryanto came in. Another camera shy fellow :D






All hell broke loose when this man walked in. Fernando Alonso!! He waved at the crowd and walked towards the Paddock. He had no intentions of stopping. But people jumped over the barricades, to try and take pictures with him or get autographs!








Nobody else showed up for a long time. But people were patient. The sun beating down on us HARD!

Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner walked in holding a briefcase. Stopped for everyone. Posed for photographs and gave autographs!








Sauber driver Felipe Nasr walked by.





Torro Rosso driver Danil Kvyat walked in. Gave autographs to a few people and moved on.







Finally, both the Manor Racing drivers Pascal Wehrlein and Esteban Ocon walked in. Not many people knew Esteban (poor chap), so he walked in. Wehrlein stopped for most of the fans.








I saw a few more drivers but couldn't click their photos. Here is a list:

People I saw:

Lewis Hamilton: He came in a minivan. Nobody expected him to be in it. The van parked right in front of the Paddock entrance. He jumped out of the van and ran right in. Guess it's because he didn't do well in Saturday's qualifying!

Esteban Gutierrez: The Haas driver walked in when Massa was around. So he breezed right past the mob.

Sir Jackie Stewart : He smiled and waved. Said " I'm too old for this!!"



People I missed:

Nico Rosberg: He came in early. He cycled all the way from his hotel to the Paddock. Talk about being fit!

Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen : Redbull had a promo event inside the Paddock, so both drivers were in even before the circuit opened!

Carlos Sainz Jr. : He walked in just before Sergio Perez.

Stoffel Vandoorne : Walked in before I arrived.

Jenson Button : Nobody saw him!! Maybe he used a secret entrance!!

The crowd at the paddock entrance got smaller and smaller and eventually it was just me and two other McLaren fans standing, hoping that Jenson Button would walk by. But it was already too late, so we waved the white flag and moved out.

I walked down the road to the Zone 1 entrance. A very nice location, less crowded compared to Zone 4 Padang. There was an F1 village in Zone 1. It had the usual food stalls, merchandise stores and seating areas. There were some street acts like the Funky Love Squad and Living Statues. I sat there for a while, grabbed some snacks and drinks. Standing for 3 hours in the sun just to get autographs/photos did take a toll on me!! I also bought a survival kit. Consisted of a pair of 3M earplugs and a poncho. Money collected was for charity:)













































The time was 6:15 P.M. The drivers track parade was scheduled to start in 15 minutes. I made a quick dash for my seats on the grandstand. I reached my seat just in time. My seat was right opposite the Mercedes and Ferrari garages! YAY!. The podium and Finish line were also right in front of me. Awesome seats; did a small happy dance :Cheering:

The Safety Car was parked in behind the finish line with a sea of classic cars behind it. The each driver would be taken around the track on one of these classic cars. The drivers name would be pasted on both sides of the car. Behind them was the Medicar. Here are a few shots from the parade!

Safety Car




Daniel Ricciardo





Lewis Hamilton







Kimi Raikkonen





Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen













Danil Kvyat






Fernando Alonso






Valtteri Bottas






Carlos Sainz Jr.






Jenson Button







Nico Hulkenberg





Sergio Perez






Romain Grosjean






Felipe Massa







Kevin Magnussen







Esteban Gutierrez







Marcus Ericsson and Joylon Palmer







Felipe Nasr






Pascal Wehrlein






Esteban Ocon







Sebastian Vettel







Medicar






Race Control







Everyone, including the track marshals, stood and waved as the drivers passed by. I made sure I screamed out every driver's name as they passed by to grab their attention. And yes, it did work!! They either wave back or give a thumbs up! :D

The drivers took one lap around the track and got off in front of the pit lane. From there, they walked back to their garages via the paddock.

Twenty minutes after the driver's parade, race officials walked down the starting grid and placed placards on the grid positions. The placards had the driver's name and race number with their national flag embedded in the number. Moments later, the grid girls walked down the grid holding the driver flags. The grid girls for this race were Singapore Airlines stewardesses. Each grid position had one stewardess holding the placard and one holding the flag.

The Pit gates parallel to the track opened. Team mechanics walked out pushing out the tires on the heating machines, along with several other equipment. Simultaneously, the cars drove out from the garages via the pit lane and took a lap of the circuit. They stop at the finish line i.e. end of the grid, and are pushed to their respective grid markers. Reporters and camera crew were on the grid conducting interviews. Meanwhile, mechanics were ready preparing the tires, checking the pneumatic guns etc. The atmosphere was truly exhilarating!!

























































Yep, that's Niki Lauda in the Mercedes garage!!

The race was scheduled to start at 8:00 P.M. Teams did their final preparations on the grid. The grid girls walked off the track. Mechanics installed the new tires, got the covers off. Drivers who were in their cars closed their visors and they were off for their warm up lap. Right after the cars got off the grid, the team mechanics on track ran back into the pits.


















The cars came out of the final turn and moved slowly towards their respective grid positions. Once all the cars were at their positions, the marshal behind the grid crosses the track holding the flag signalling that all the cars are in position. The cars were revving their engines and that noise was something else!!

The five lights turned red one by one. And as Martin Brundle says " It's lights out and away we go!!"







The cars pulled out of the grid immediately. The pack was followed by the medicar. BAM, before turn one Nico Hulkenberg took a hit and was out of the race. Couldn't see the crash clearly but did see the debris and smashed car down the track! As he walked back to the pits, the crowd applauded him for his efforts. His bad luck at Singapore continued to haunt him. The safety car was deployed immediately. This meant Singapore GP gets to keep its record for having a safety car deployed every year!

Cars zoomed by, lots track and pit action. Two hours didn't seem like a long time at all!! Here are a few shots from the race:

Two laps to go, things were heating up between Nico Rosberg and Daniel Ricciardo!! One lap to go, the gap was getting smaller!! People were no longer sitting; everyone was standing, cheering on!! I kept my eyes on the last turn. Swooping out from the last turn was Nico Rosberg closely followed by Daniel Riccardo. Rosberg crosses the line and weaves down the straight to celebrate! Fireworks went off immediately!! Beautiful sight indeed!


















I could see Rosberg park under the podium and celebrate with his team. Unfortunately I couldn't get a clear shot of these moments. But there was something more important about to happen. The track marshals were going to open the gates to the track!! People started crowding at the gate. Once it was deemed safe, the gates were open. Flocks of people ran out. Since my seat was right next to the podium, i was one of the first people out on the track. The German national anthem playing in the background, people ran towards the podium. Many of them climbed the high fence to get a better view. Let's just say, I was comfortable standing on the ground :D



















Trophies were handed out to the winners and the champagne celebrations had begun! The drivers were interviewed by Martin Brundle. After the interview, the drivers waved at the crowd and walked off. By then, the crowd on the track was MASSIVE!

We were free to roam around the track. The crowd was huge. People walked around taking pictures and collecting marbles (degraded tire debris). I always thought marbles would be lying freely on the track, but i was wrong. They are hard, tough and stuck to the ground. Collecting them did require some effort!







I walked down the track straight, took some photos before they closed the main straight. I was able to take some pics of the cars lined up at the pit entrance which were to be inspected by the FIA.













All of us walked down the track towards Zone 4. Walking down the track under the race lights was a surreal experience. Something any F1 fan will cherish for a lifetime :)
















So I finally managed to take a pic with Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton :D

















The ushers cheered us on and waved goodbye! A good bunch of kids :)

After a long walk, I finally reached Zone 4 Padang ground. The post race concert was IMAGINE DRAGONS ! The concert had already started, but I was hungry and dehydrated. Rushed straight to the food stalls to grab a quick bite and water. Being the last day, some stalls slashed their prices to get rid of their stock. For example, the track prices for a Tiger Beer wass S$13, one stall was selling 2 for S$10 !! A cheeseburger with fries was S$18, they sold it for S$14! Sweet deals everywhere!!:cool:

Ate and re-hydrated, it time to party to Imagine Dragons. Had made friends with a few fans earlier, I joined them for the concert. Great bunch of people!

What an electrifying concert!! Everyone around me was in high spirits.Great show!!







































The band closed the concert with their hit single 'Radioactive'. After the concert, everyone slowly moved out of the track via the exit gates. As usual, they scanned our tickets on exit. I took the MRT home.







I think I can confidently say that this was the longest and hands down, best Sunday of my life. Words can't describe how amazing that day was :)

Special Mentions

Before I conclude this article, I would like to thank certain people for making these three days what it was:

1. My friend Abhirama Prasad. Thanks for letting me stay at your place!

2. The people of Singapore: Your kind and friendly nature makes your country a safe and enjoyable place for tourists. Thank you!

3. Track Ushers: Thank you for helping and guiding all of us at the venue.

4. The fans: The amazing atmosphere was all thanks to you guys!

5. 100Plus : This isotonic drink is a life saver!! Thanks for keeping me hydrated :uncontrol

6. Team BHP: Thank you for letting me publish my experience on this forum.

EPILOGUE

Without any doubt, these were the best three days of my life. A dream of mine became a reality. Words cannot describe how I feel looking back at those three days of madness. If you are a Formula 1 fan, do not think twice. This trip is totally worth it!

Will I go again for any other F1 race? Yes! Watching a race live was an exhilarating feel! The different number of people and fans you meet and the experience cannot be substituted in any other way!

Will I go to Singapore for another race? People asked me this question and without any hesitation, my answer was a firm YES! A very well organized event in a beautiful country. Why not? :)

Majula Singapura

Very well written. The pics are really awesome and yes witnessing F1 in front of you is totally a different experience when compared to watching it on TV.
This writeup brings back fond memories of 3 F1 GP's I attended as a Race Official in India. Truly, the F1 week is really worth waiting for. On thursdays, In Indian GP track walk use to take place followed by a shakedown in which safety car and medical car will take lap after lap of the circuit. This use to be followed by drivers autograph session, followed by 3 days of F1 circus on the track.
I was a track marshal in first gp, then a radio marshal in 2012 followed by chief post in 2013.
Really hope F1 returns back to India. BIC is one wonderful track.
After reading this writeup I do wish to attend Singapore GP next year as a racs official if lucky or else as a spectator.:)

Thank you Anubsar! Unfortunately, the driver's autograph session for the Singapore GP is by invite only. You need to win a competition to win those passes. I wasn't lucky this time, hopefully next time :)

Great report, the first GP experience is undoubtedly the most memorable!

The Singapore GP is one of the best races from a spectator experience point of view - they really go all out to fill the time in between the on track action. Plus, you are a lot closer to the action since it is a street circuit.

Agree with anubsar - you should consider volunteering as an official if you can. You clearly have the passion for it!

Thanks you McLaren Rulez :) If given the opportunity, I would definitely volunteer as a marshal! Lets wait and see