F1

Over the past 3 days, me and some friends helped out at the Singapore Formula 1 Grand Prix. Our job: Ice Boys. Our mission: Deliver ice to the various vendors around the Marina Bay Circuit Park. With ice packs weighing 18kg each and vendors asking for 30 (or more) packs at once plus my fingers getting frosted numb now and then, I wouldn't say it was a very cool job (pardon the pun). But on the bright side, it also gave us a chance to experience the world's first Formula 1 night race up close. 

The first day was the most shit. Rain + Mud + Ice Packs x 100 (at least) = I should not have taken this job. The Formula BMW, Aston Martin and Porsche Carrera practice sessions in the afternoon however, helped to bring back some job motivation. It was interesting to note how different each car sounded - the Aston Martin having a low sounding pitch and crude engine roar, the Porsche Carrera having a higher sounding pitch with a more refined roar compared to the Aston Martin, and finally the Formula BMW having a higher sounding pitch and deafening roar. It was only until the Formula 1 practice session later that night that I realized the vast aural difference. Compared to the above cars, the Formula 1 cars had an even higher sounding pitch infused with pure raw power. And when I say raw, I mean raw (like sashimi). As they raced along the track, they screamed like banshees and I revelled at how awesome they sounded as their engine roars crescendoed as they passed by. EEEEEEEEEYEEEAAAHHHHHH!!!!!! 

Grandstands at the Start/Finish Point

The second day was mostly the same except that it turned out to be a really hot sunny day. That's when I started being thankful for carrying ice packs. There were qualifying races for the various categories throughout the day but the highlight was the Formula 1 qualifying race which would determine the starting line-up on the race day. The qualifying race wasn't so much of a race - each driver was racing to clock the fastest time to secure the top spots in the starting line-up. There were a number of engine stalls, spins and skids (especially at Turn 7) which brought 'wow's' and 'oh's' from the crowd and spectators flocking to snap photos of the stunned vehicle and its driver. It was quite a satisfying night but little did I know that the following race day would provide even more 'wow's' and 'oh's'...

Spectators gather near Turn 14 at the Esplanade

Race day. Da big day. This was it. Massive crowds. Double the ice required as compared to the previous two days. The day was occupied with the races for the various categories and finally when it was time for the Formula 1 race, me and my friends hurriedly finished our ice deliveries to catch the action. I didn't mention it earlier on, but with all the buildings in the CBD lighted up, it was really a picturesque backdrop complementing such a grand event. I had never seen City Hall bathed in light and looking so regal. The race soon started and the non-stop roars of the F1 cars as they raced by one after another really hyped up the atmosphere. Things were constantly being hyped up throughout the two-hour race with events such as Piquet's early spin-and-crash, Massa's fuel tube blunder at the pit stop, crashes at Turn 13 and Raikkonen's fateful skid-and-crash at Turn 10. Hamilton made some daring moves and was pretty constant while Alonso was just brilliant. 

After the race, I concluded that all the mental-cursing, ice-lugging, sun-burning and finger-numbing was really worth it. I seriously enjoyed the race that night. Hey, we got 4 more years right?

P.S. I know the photos really suck. I didn't have my camera on hand throughout the 3 days so I had to use my crappy 2.0 megapixel handphone camera (which also sucks at night shots so no night shot pics). Pity.