What IF the lights go off mid-race in Singapore? Stories with Steve Slater

Have you ever wondered, what IF the lights go off mid-race at the Marina Bay Circuit? How does a driver reorient himself with the direction of the race after a spin? 

Well, it's race week for the 2023 Singapore Grand Prix. We've got some of the best Singapore Grand Prix stories with Steve Slater, the 'voice of F1' for Star Sports, Fox Sports and many more.

In this episode of the Inside Line F1 Podcast, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah are in conversation with Steve Slater, who was a consultant with the Singapore Grand Prix organisers for several years.

Why are so many corners 90-degrees? Why is the Singapore Grand Prix a 'night race'?

Yes, lots of fun questions and insights from Steve himself.

Tune in!

(Season 2023, Episode 47)

Follow our hosts on Twitter: Steve Slater, Soumil Arora and Kunal Shah

Image courtesy: Red Bull Content Pool

**Summary of the Inside Line F1 Podcast Episode 47:**

- The episode delves into the intricacies of the Singapore Grand Prix, a night race held on the Marina Bay Street Circuit.


- Steve Slater, a veteran F1 commentator and consultant for the Singapore GP, joins the podcast to share his insights and experiences.


- **Lighting and Track Design:**
- The unique lighting system of the Marina Bay Circuit is discussed, with its strategically placed projectors that illuminate different sections of the track, providing drivers with orientation and creating a distinctive light and shadow effect.
- The careful planning and negotiations involved in establishing the street circuit are highlighted, considering factors such as minimizing disruption to businesses and maximizing the showcase of Singapore's landmarks.
- The challenges of setting up and dismantling the circuit within a short timeframe are mentioned, including the remarkable feat of completing the process by 6 am the following morning.


- **The Singapore GP Experience:**
- The unique atmosphere of the Singapore GP is attributed to its city-center location, allowing for easy access via public transportation.
- The vibrant hospitality scene, with its luxurious suites and top-notch culinary offerings, is a major attraction for race attendees.
- The iconic Marina Bay Sands hotel, with its rooftop bar overlooking the circuit, is mentioned as a prime spot to witness the race.


- **Steve Slater's Involvement:**
- Steve Slater shares his experiences working with the Singapore GP organizers and Star Sports TV, providing live coverage and commentary for the races.
- He recalls the excitement of witnessing the first F1 car on track during the inaugural Singapore GP in 2008, driven by Giancarlo Fisichella in a Force India.


- **Controversies and Memorable Moments:**
- The infamous "Crashgate" incident during the 2008 Singapore GP is briefly discussed, highlighting the manipulation of the race to benefit Fernando Alonso.
- Steve Slater shares his involvement in bringing a Ferrari Formula One show car to the Marina Bay Sands hotel, requiring careful disassembly and reassembly to fit it into the freight elevator.


- **Unique Challenges of Working at a Race:**
- The demanding nature of working during a race weekend is emphasized, with commentators and journalists often watching the race on TV screens rather than directly from the track.
- The post-race atmosphere is described as a sensory overload, with the heat, humidity, and vibrant lights creating a distinctive ambiance.
- The late-night work hours for journalists, who must file their reports and conduct interviews after the race, are mentioned.


- **Additional Insights:**
- Drivers taking ice baths in dustbins after the race is mentioned as a common practice to aid in recovery.
- Steve Slater highlights the importance of the Singapore GP as a showcase event for the country, attracting high-net-worth individuals from around the world. # Inside Line F1 Podcast: Singapore Grand Prix Special with Steve Slater

## Introduction

- The Singapore Grand Prix is a unique and challenging race on the Formula One calendar.
- It is the only night race on the calendar and is held on a street circuit in the heart of Singapore.

## History and Evolution of the Singapore Grand Prix

- The Singapore Grand Prix was first held in 2008 and has been a popular event ever since.
- The race is known for its stunning city backdrop, challenging circuit, and exciting atmosphere.
- The race has been won by some of the biggest names in Formula One, including Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, and Fernando Alonso.

## Challenges and Uniqueness of the Singapore Grand Prix

- The Singapore Grand Prix is a challenging race for drivers due to its tight and twisty layout and the high temperatures and humidity.
- The race is also known for its unpredictable weather conditions, which can make it difficult for drivers to maintain grip and control.
- The race is also unique in that it is held at night, which creates a unique and atmospheric experience for fans.

## Memorable Moments from the Singapore Grand Prix

- The Singapore Grand Prix has produced many memorable moments over the years.
- Some of the most memorable moments include Fernando Alonso's emotional victory in 2010, Nico Rosberg's win in 2016 on his 200th Grand Prix start, and Kevin Magnussen's fastest lap in the last two Grands Prix.

## Singapore Grand Prix as a Model for Future Street Circuits

- The Singapore Grand Prix has been a successful event and has served as a model for other street circuits around the world.
- The race has shown that it is possible to hold a Formula One race in a city center and that these races can be both exciting and safe.
- The success of the Singapore Grand Prix has led to other cities expressing interest in hosting Formula One races.

## Conclusion

- The Singapore Grand Prix is a unique and challenging race that has become a popular event on the Formula One calendar.
- The race has produced many memorable moments over the years and has served as a model for other street circuits around the world.
- The future of the Singapore Grand Prix is bright, and it is likely to continue to be a popular event for many years to come.

[00:00.000 -> 00:26.480] Now imagine this, the 2023 Singapore GP, heading into the final lap, Max Verstappen has dominated
[00:26.480 -> 00:27.840] the race so far.
[00:27.840 -> 00:33.480] But on the first corner of the last lap, Carlos Sainz has made a major lunge and yes, he's
[00:33.480 -> 00:34.920] taken the lead.
[00:34.920 -> 00:40.880] He's on course to become the first non-Red Bull driver to win this season and the crowd
[00:40.880 -> 00:42.720] is going wild.
[00:42.720 -> 00:44.120] Can he hold on to it?
[00:44.120 -> 00:45.600] He takes turn one really well.
[00:45.800 -> 00:47.680] He goes past turn two cleanly as well.
[00:47.880 -> 00:52.080] But before he gets to turn three, boom, the lights go off.
[00:52.560 -> 00:55.960] Can something like this actually happen at a night race like the Marina Bay Circuit?
[00:56.320 -> 01:00.320] Well, it's a realistic possibility and one that we actually must talk about.
[01:00.560 -> 01:01.440] There is this.
[01:01.520 -> 01:06.500] There is also so many other circuit specific things about the Singapore GP that we'd love for you to know about
[01:06.720 -> 01:10.920] Like why there's so many 90-degree corners and if a driver spins off
[01:11.020 -> 01:15.440] How do they reorient themselves in the direction of the race because it's so bright
[01:15.460 -> 01:20.920] You can't know which way is the right track and which way is the wrong way of the circuit actually and also
[01:21.000 -> 01:25.600] Why do teams and drivers actually wake up in the afternoon and how did they
[01:25.600 -> 01:30.800] actually get a Ferrari race car on top of the Marina Bay Sands hotel?
[01:30.800 -> 01:35.980] All of this and more was revealed to us by Steve Slater, the voice of F1 in Asia.
[01:35.980 -> 01:39.920] He was one of the consultants who worked with the Singapore GP promoters for many many years
[01:39.920 -> 01:44.000] and he also was the voice of the Starsports F1 broadcast.
[01:44.000 -> 01:46.800] He's been on the Insideline F1 podcast many many times and he always was the voice of the Starsports F1 broadcast. He's been on the Inside Line F1 podcast many, many times,
[01:46.800 -> 01:49.960] and he always has many interesting stories to reveal.
[01:49.960 -> 01:52.360] So let's listen in, shall we?
[01:52.360 -> 01:55.400] I should actually dive in immediately to the circuit
[01:55.400 -> 01:59.400] because Singapore, when we initially think about it,
[01:59.400 -> 02:00.520] there are so many great memories.
[02:00.520 -> 02:02.540] I mean, from the very beginning,
[02:02.540 -> 02:04.840] we saw the circuit deliver an absolute classic,
[02:04.840 -> 02:10.160] a controversial classic, yes, but there's's been great great stories from every single race. But
[02:10.160 -> 02:15.360] I suppose Steve there's one story before the first race that's really been very intriguing.
[02:15.360 -> 02:21.120] You mentioned something in our pre-race recording or pre-episode recording or the meeting you
[02:21.120 -> 02:26.900] record that way. I'm just so flustered by the story I can't even get my words correct. But it was something about the lighting of
[02:26.900 -> 02:30.800] Singapore and I remember as a child right I was around five years old I
[02:30.800 -> 02:34.060] remember reading in all the articles that the drivers faced no problems
[02:34.060 -> 02:38.840] whatsoever with the lightings at Singapore. I was intrigued. How's that
[02:38.840 -> 02:42.380] possible? It's a night race. Formula One has never done a night race but what's
[02:42.380 -> 02:46.260] the story behind it? How did it never happen? The problem, that is.
[02:46.260 -> 02:48.180] Well, it really is a case.
[02:48.180 -> 02:49.860] It was a step into the unknown.
[02:49.860 -> 02:51.380] Despite everything that was done,
[02:51.380 -> 02:55.460] I was involved with Singapore Grand Prix from 2007.
[02:55.460 -> 02:59.140] And the lighting is a key part of what was done.
[02:59.140 -> 03:01.300] We even had to convince Formula One journalists.
[03:01.300 -> 03:04.300] I was actually helping establish the press operation
[03:04.300 -> 03:05.200] at that time.
[03:05.200 -> 03:07.840] And we actually flew out a large number of journalists
[03:07.840 -> 03:10.120] to actually show them how the lighting would work
[03:10.120 -> 03:11.960] and how the track would work,
[03:11.960 -> 03:13.320] because they were really quite worried.
[03:13.320 -> 03:14.800] What happens if all the lights go out
[03:14.800 -> 03:16.220] halfway through a race?
[03:16.220 -> 03:17.960] Well, actually it couldn't happen
[03:17.960 -> 03:19.520] because the way it's all wired
[03:19.520 -> 03:23.700] is that there are probably 3,000 lighting rigs
[03:23.700 -> 03:26.040] around the circuit, projector lighting,
[03:26.040 -> 03:28.320] which is a little bit like the LED headlamps
[03:28.320 -> 03:31.480] on a high-value car.
[03:31.480 -> 03:34.500] And every single lighting unit is focused
[03:34.500 -> 03:36.360] into a different bit of the track.
[03:36.360 -> 03:37.920] And all the lighting units, of course,
[03:37.920 -> 03:39.280] are below the tree line,
[03:39.280 -> 03:42.200] so you don't get these big stadium floodlights
[03:42.200 -> 03:44.600] like you get in some of the other circuits now.
[03:44.600 -> 03:50.420] These are lights that are much closer to the track, typically around about four to
[03:50.420 -> 03:54.700] eight meters above the track, and they shine into the track they're designed so
[03:54.700 -> 03:58.500] they don't dazzle the drivers, but also one of the interesting things is they
[03:58.500 -> 04:02.560] give a light and shadow to one side of the car, and that gives the driver an
[04:02.560 -> 04:07.340] orientation. He knows which way he's going around the racetrack which sounds stupid but if you spin out of the
[04:07.340 -> 04:11.220] racetrack and you had just flat white lighting there's a real danger a driver
[04:11.220 -> 04:16.380] could set off going the wrong way and it was very carefully thought out as a
[04:16.380 -> 04:20.940] brilliant Italian engineer Valerio Maioli who who did all that work and of
[04:20.940 -> 04:25.440] course he's also the man who invented the LED light flags that
[04:25.440 -> 04:28.320] you now see around all the Formula One circuits.
[04:28.320 -> 04:34.080] Wowee, I'm so amazed to hear about the tree part. Now that you know about it, it sounds
[04:34.080 -> 04:38.140] like common sense right, that you would put your lightings below that but just to think
[04:38.140 -> 04:43.080] about how they initially did it, it's amazing but just how many years did it take for the
[04:43.080 -> 04:45.100] whole plan and the entire lighting
[04:45.100 -> 04:45.940] to all come about?
[04:45.940 -> 04:47.860] Because you're saying 2007,
[04:47.860 -> 04:49.980] surely it must be even further than that
[04:49.980 -> 04:51.660] when the plans must have actually been made, right?
[04:51.660 -> 04:53.780] Because this was back in 2008,
[04:53.780 -> 04:55.540] something that had never ever been done
[04:55.540 -> 04:57.260] ever before in Formula One.
[04:57.260 -> 04:59.980] Well, it was actually at the very beginning of the 2000s
[04:59.980 -> 05:03.460] that the Singapore Grand Prix team
[05:03.460 -> 05:05.520] was actually first established.
[05:05.520 -> 05:08.080] And initially they were looking at actually building
[05:08.080 -> 05:11.800] a purpose-made race track out by the Changi Airport.
[05:11.800 -> 05:16.800] And that didn't prove successful.
[05:17.280 -> 05:18.240] And then the discussions,
[05:18.240 -> 05:20.140] I certainly became part of the discussions
[05:20.140 -> 05:23.200] in about late 2006,
[05:23.200 -> 05:28.480] when the track design was pretty well already finalized and they were
[05:28.480 -> 05:35.040] then negotiating with, amongst other things, a couple of thousand shopkeepers who have to close
[05:35.040 -> 05:42.000] their business for four days and they were making the case to government. It has been a really
[05:42.000 -> 05:46.800] carefully thought through race concept from beginning to end.
[05:46.800 -> 05:51.200] It has one of the most successful Formula One paddock clubs, for example, which is bringing
[05:51.200 -> 05:56.120] in high net worth people from all the way around the Pacific Rim and of course from
[05:56.120 -> 05:59.680] further afield from the USA and from Europe.
[05:59.680 -> 06:07.440] So it's a showcase for Singapore as much as it is anything else. And yeah, that all really started around about 2006
[06:07.440 -> 06:09.960] and then had the first race in 2008.
[06:09.960 -> 06:12.200] And when we were preparing for this episode,
[06:12.200 -> 06:14.200] you also mentioned your involvement
[06:14.200 -> 06:16.800] in designing a couple of corners on the circuit.
[06:16.800 -> 06:20.120] Now, what was that like?
[06:20.120 -> 06:22.640] Of course, I hope they at least looked at the suggestions.
[06:22.640 -> 06:25.040] But just what was the original layout
[06:25.040 -> 06:28.400] supposed to be like and do you think they've gone for the best one possible?
[06:29.120 -> 06:33.200] They went for the best possible with minimising the impact on the main city.
[06:33.200 -> 06:36.640] It would have been wonderful to have run race cars down Orchard Road,
[06:36.640 -> 06:41.200] the main shopping street in Singapore with all the big shopping malls either side.
[06:41.200 -> 06:44.080] But can you imagine the disruption that would have on the businesses?
[06:44.080 -> 06:48.080] Because when the tourists arrive here for the Formula One Grand Prix and 40 percent of the
[06:49.440 -> 06:54.880] the tickets are sold to overseas visitors, they also want to go shopping so you can't really blank
[06:54.880 -> 07:00.640] out the main shopping area. Likewise there was some temptation to try and run down past Chinatown
[07:00.640 -> 07:06.440] and some of the middle India and some of the other areas, which are more tourism hotspots.
[07:06.440 -> 07:09.080] But again, you'd have disrupted the whole business quarter
[07:09.080 -> 07:12.320] and you can't really ask 20 international banks
[07:12.320 -> 07:14.360] to close their skyscraper offices.
[07:14.360 -> 07:16.400] So they form the backdrop to the Grand Prix,
[07:16.400 -> 07:19.200] which basically runs around the big sport
[07:19.200 -> 07:21.200] and recreation ground in the center of Singapore,
[07:21.200 -> 07:24.140] the Padang, and then into the Marina Bay area,
[07:24.140 -> 07:25.280] past the theater and around Marina Bay area, past the theatre
[07:25.280 -> 07:32.000] and around the Bay area itself, and then running back up Raffles Boulevard, which has a number of
[07:32.800 -> 07:36.880] shopping malls which actually stay open even when the Grand Prix is in place. It's slightly weird
[07:36.880 -> 07:40.880] walking through a shopping mall with the Muzak going doo-dee-doo-dee-doo-dee-doo,
[07:40.880 -> 07:49.600] the sliding doors open at the end and there's a sound of a Formula One car going past then the sliding doors shut again. Only in Singapore do you get that experience.
[07:51.200 -> 07:55.520] Who would even want to shop during that time? But I remember something similar happening in Hong Kong
[07:55.520 -> 08:01.680] as well because there's an Apple store at the Hong Kong metro station that's just behind one
[08:01.680 -> 08:08.480] of the corners of the Hong Kong Formula E circuit and there were actually people buying their phones when the race was on. I mean not that you could hear the cars inside the
[08:08.480 -> 08:13.120] store as much as the Formula One cars but still quite quite something but there's more stories
[08:13.120 -> 08:18.880] folks coming up as a part of this episode. I actually am very very curious about the entire
[08:18.880 -> 08:26.080] permissions element of it because let's be honest right this apart from Monaco this has to be probably one of the
[08:26.640 -> 08:31.520] biggest events that Formula One has ever done kind of like the Las Vegas of the past if that kind of
[08:31.520 -> 08:36.400] puts it into context for some of the new listeners joining in just how big of a logistical nightmare
[08:36.400 -> 08:41.760] was it and and still continues to be this to this day. It is a massive logistical challenge
[08:41.760 -> 08:48.040] for the organizers and they they have this very limited setup period
[08:48.240 -> 08:50.720] and multiple breakdown period on the Sunday night.
[08:50.720 -> 08:52.500] They have been working probably
[08:52.500 -> 08:54.400] for the past week or so setting up.
[08:54.400 -> 08:56.420] There's a lot of work being going on setting up,
[08:56.420 -> 08:58.920] which actually doesn't disrupt the traffic particularly.
[08:58.920 -> 09:01.000] Some car park entrances get blocked off
[09:01.000 -> 09:02.200] and things like that.
[09:02.200 -> 09:06.720] But the real work starts on the Tuesday before the Grand Prix
[09:06.720 -> 09:10.120] and the lighting rigs will have already started to go up
[09:10.120 -> 09:12.440] and you get lane closures on the roads and things like that.
[09:12.440 -> 09:13.840] This is a city centre road.
[09:13.840 -> 09:16.320] I mean, Raffles Boulevard is normally five lanes of traffic
[09:16.320 -> 09:20.360] with everything from buses and trucks through to mopeds.
[09:20.360 -> 09:24.920] It really is an amazing activity and they work through the day
[09:24.920 -> 09:25.800] and through the night,
[09:25.800 -> 09:28.560] putting the barriers in, putting the lighting rigs up,
[09:28.560 -> 09:31.120] putting all the other support facilities up.
[09:31.120 -> 09:33.040] The only permanent bit of racetrack
[09:33.040 -> 09:35.560] in Singapore Grand Prix and Marina Bay Circuit
[09:35.560 -> 09:37.240] is the start finish straight.
[09:37.240 -> 09:39.000] And that's actually for 51 weeks
[09:39.000 -> 09:40.600] that they are used for storage
[09:40.600 -> 09:42.040] and also used for other events,
[09:42.040 -> 09:44.540] such as bicycle marathons and things like that.
[09:44.540 -> 09:49.980] So it really is an amazing job. and at the end of the Grand Prix they literally
[09:49.980 -> 09:54.240] as the drivers are on the podium they have started to take down some of the
[09:54.240 -> 09:59.000] barriers and some of the lighting catenaries and things like that and by
[09:59.000 -> 10:03.300] six o'clock the next morning normal traffic will have started to resume on
[10:03.300 -> 10:05.200] all the roads that make up the circuit.
[10:05.200 -> 10:06.080] Are you kidding me?
[10:08.000 -> 10:13.600] Yeah, the only bit that has a delay is the area around the Padang area in front of the National
[10:13.600 -> 10:17.840] Museum of Singapore. And the only reason that's delayed is because there's a live music concert
[10:17.840 -> 10:25.040] until 2am. Yep. Yep. And they've always got the biggest bands over there that makes it extra special.
[10:25.040 -> 10:32.600] But 6am, I still can't quite believe it myself because I know motorsport teams are quick
[10:32.600 -> 10:34.480] at completely packing up their stuff.
[10:34.480 -> 10:39.160] I mean, if you just manage to stick around at the end of any weekend, even the local
[10:39.160 -> 10:43.900] club championship, if the races are done by five, by what around seven, mostly everyone's
[10:43.900 -> 10:45.520] packed up and ready to go.
[10:45.520 -> 10:46.560] It's remarkable.
[10:46.560 -> 10:48.560] But among many other things, right,
[10:48.560 -> 10:51.040] this is just one of the things that makes Singapore so special.
[10:51.040 -> 10:53.920] But the lights, yes, they make up for one thing.
[10:53.920 -> 10:57.280] But just what really makes up the heart of Singapore Grand Prix?
[10:57.280 -> 10:59.840] I mean, just what makes it so special for you?
[10:59.840 -> 11:02.920] More than anything else, the people.
[11:02.920 -> 11:07.240] It's the only Grand Prix circuit where you can take the Metro to your grandstand seat.
[11:07.240 -> 11:09.280] And the Metro is brilliant.
[11:09.280 -> 11:11.800] I mean, we decided a few years ago
[11:11.800 -> 11:14.820] when we were doing live coverage with Star Sports,
[11:14.820 -> 11:17.040] that actually the easiest way to get to the paddock
[11:17.040 -> 11:18.320] wasn't to try and take a car
[11:18.320 -> 11:20.200] or certainly wasn't to take a taxi.
[11:20.200 -> 11:23.600] It was actually take the Metro to Marina Bay Station
[11:23.600 -> 11:25.840] and then walk in from there and you just
[11:25.840 -> 11:30.640] get to meet everybody. You've got the race fans, the marshals, we're all going in at the same time
[11:30.640 -> 11:36.000] and then you know we all dive off into little bits of the paddock and various pieces but it really
[11:36.000 -> 11:40.320] is just a fantastic community and it's also a great one because you get all the journalists
[11:40.320 -> 11:45.120] from Australia that you don't get to meet normally. Then you get all the journalists from Europe coming in,
[11:45.120 -> 11:47.560] a few journalists from the USA as well,
[11:47.560 -> 11:50.280] and also the journalists from across Asia.
[11:50.280 -> 11:54.340] And again, the F1 press room is almost like a reunion.
[11:54.340 -> 11:57.320] It's great, and it's got great hospitality there as well.
[11:57.320 -> 11:59.840] Everybody eats and drinks within the,
[11:59.840 -> 12:01.640] there's a press hospitality area.
[12:01.640 -> 12:02.720] That works really well.
[12:02.720 -> 12:05.120] Then you've got the hospitality,
[12:05.120 -> 12:07.200] which is some of the most epic hospitality
[12:07.200 -> 12:08.400] anywhere in the world.
[12:08.400 -> 12:10.080] Looking straight down on the pit lane
[12:10.080 -> 12:14.200] from the first and second floor hospitality suites.
[12:14.200 -> 12:17.720] And they have something like 3,000 hospitality guests
[12:17.720 -> 12:19.360] for each of the three days.
[12:19.360 -> 12:22.760] In a typical average ticket price is probably about $1,500.
[12:22.760 -> 12:24.880] So that's a big money earner.
[12:24.880 -> 12:25.960] And they get a great service.
[12:25.960 -> 12:27.640] So you've got the top chefs in the world
[12:27.640 -> 12:31.640] actually have served those VIP guests.
[12:31.640 -> 12:32.840] And of course the top chefs come
[12:32.840 -> 12:35.640] because they want to come to the Grand Prix.
[12:35.640 -> 12:38.680] Is that basically the definition of heaven?
[12:38.680 -> 12:40.280] Could you ask for more?
[12:40.280 -> 12:42.920] It just gets better and better every year.
[12:42.920 -> 12:46.000] And I know very well that the Grand Prix team,
[12:46.000 -> 12:48.840] I'm not involved in it actually for the first time this year
[12:48.840 -> 12:50.920] because obviously with the natural break,
[12:50.920 -> 12:52.960] they reformatted some of the areas.
[12:52.960 -> 12:55.360] And I, for the last six or seven years,
[12:55.360 -> 12:56.640] had worked as the Formula One,
[12:56.640 -> 12:58.860] won the Formula One paddock club hosts.
[12:58.860 -> 13:01.040] And, you know, interviewing drivers
[13:01.040 -> 13:02.040] and various things like that.
[13:02.040 -> 13:03.760] So I'll be sitting on the sofa.
[13:03.760 -> 13:07.280] Well, I won't because I'm going to do the watch along. I was going to say I'd be otherwise sitting on the sofa with a
[13:07.280 -> 13:12.800] beer in my hand watching it, but we'll be doing the watch along so that's going to be just as much fun.
[13:13.360 -> 13:17.920] Actually which makes me want to ask you, what was your involvement like through all the years
[13:17.920 -> 13:22.400] of the Singapore Grand Prix? I've heard that it's more on the PR side but can you just give us a
[13:22.400 -> 13:26.320] detailed insight into what it actually was and just how detailed
[13:26.320 -> 13:29.000] was it just to get all the journalists on and manage
[13:29.000 -> 13:29.520] everything?
[13:29.520 -> 13:30.920] Because as you rightly mentioned,
[13:30.920 -> 13:33.340] Singapore kind of becomes a hotspot for most people, right?
[13:33.340 -> 13:34.640] Most Asian journalists?
[13:34.640 -> 13:37.320] Yeah, well, the Singapore Grand Prix
[13:37.320 -> 13:40.400] have a very good media team that actually
[13:40.400 -> 13:42.880] run the press office and all the press operations.
[13:42.880 -> 13:46.240] It's all very slickly coordinated as you imagine.
[13:46.240 -> 13:48.840] And I was also working with Star Sports TV.
[13:48.840 -> 13:51.080] So we would have do the live TV
[13:51.080 -> 13:53.200] from the track and from the paddock.
[13:54.800 -> 13:59.800] And I did that from 2008 to 2013 races.
[14:00.120 -> 14:03.480] After that, I was working with Singapore Grand Prix
[14:03.480 -> 14:05.040] in the Formula One paddock.
[14:10.400 -> 14:14.400] So I've been around a lot of it. I mean I have to say for me having been involved in some of the logistics and the planning and the setting up of the press office and various other things like
[14:14.400 -> 14:19.040] that in the early days, the biggest one, the biggest buzz I had is the one thing that you
[14:19.040 -> 14:23.760] wouldn't have normally seen which was on the Friday evening practice session, the very first
[14:23.760 -> 14:30.080] practice session, the first F1 car out on the racetrack, Giancarlo Fisichella in the Force India.
[14:30.080 -> 14:33.440] It's the only time ever I think I've ever jumped up and down with excitement watching
[14:33.440 -> 14:34.440] a Force India.
[14:34.440 -> 14:35.440] Sorry.
[14:35.440 -> 14:48.440] Oh well, can't be that wrong, isn't it, Kunal? Well, can't be that wrong, but it's so interesting
[14:48.440 -> 14:51.100] to hear everything that went in the background
[14:51.100 -> 14:53.520] to make the Singapore Grand Prix happen.
[14:53.520 -> 14:56.680] And after, I would say, Silverstone,
[14:56.680 -> 15:00.760] which was a natural home race of the Force India team
[15:00.760 -> 15:06.560] because of the base just next to the circuit, we had the Indian Grand Prix,
[15:06.560 -> 15:09.120] which was the real home race, right?
[15:09.120 -> 15:14.760] But truth be told, after the Indian Grand Prix went away, the one race we activated
[15:14.760 -> 15:17.520] the most in Asia was the Singapore Grand Prix.
[15:17.520 -> 15:22.720] The one race where we had our own paddock club, which sold out all the tickets was the
[15:22.720 -> 15:29.360] Singapore Grand Prix. So I'm not surprised that Steve has a different view to the same thing,
[15:29.360 -> 15:32.000] but with the same result that he expected as well.
[15:33.120 -> 15:37.920] And I've got to say, I was so pleased for Force India that they got Giancarlo out first car on
[15:37.920 -> 15:42.560] the track. So he was the first F1 car around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, because that really
[15:42.560 -> 15:45.960] was a very special moment for a lot of people.
[15:45.960 -> 15:51.640] And a lot of Indian Grand Prix fans and also marshals and officials were working with the
[15:51.640 -> 15:53.400] Singapore Grand Prix team.
[15:53.400 -> 15:58.040] So that was absolutely tremendous as well.
[15:58.040 -> 16:02.760] I would say that the first Singapore Grand Prix that Force India raced at, I was not
[16:02.760 -> 16:03.760] at the team.
[16:03.760 -> 16:05.440] But otherwise, I could have corroborated
[16:05.440 -> 16:11.920] the statement to say if this was done on purpose to get maximum visibility for the car and the team
[16:11.920 -> 16:17.520] and the sponsors because hey everybody is literally waiting for the moment you just described Steve.
[16:17.520 -> 16:23.360] Oh it was and you know and it was also he got out quite a little bit ahead of some of the other cars
[16:24.000 -> 16:25.920] and he was the sole car visible
[16:25.920 -> 16:31.440] on the track going up for Raffles Boulevard up to Turn 13 for example. So it really was,
[16:32.000 -> 16:37.520] you know, it was a special sight and a great sound and it was quite interesting actually,
[16:38.720 -> 16:42.720] the, you know, the rest of the pack then headed out onto track and of course we now know that
[16:42.720 -> 16:50.080] there was a bit of controversy in the race itself but it really it was a dramatic race from the very beginning.
[16:50.800 -> 16:56.320] Actually, I really want to touch upon that subject as well. I mean I know it's not 100%
[16:56.320 -> 17:01.440] relevant to what we're talking about but I suppose judging from what you've said you must be there
[17:01.440 -> 17:10.560] at 2008 Singapore Grand Prix right at that race that race where we saw crash gate to take place and for those of you who aren't quite aware, Nelson Piquet Jr of Renault
[17:10.560 -> 17:15.440] was ordered to crash his car at a strategic time to make sure that Fernando Alonso would get an
[17:15.440 -> 17:20.800] advantage, his teammate that is, and so that he would end up winning from I think it was P15 or
[17:20.800 -> 17:29.080] 17 something of that sort but it was a memorable win I actually had posters of that race on my wall until a couple of years ago that got gifted
[17:29.080 -> 17:33.240] to me by someone from Renault so that's pretty interesting but when you were
[17:33.240 -> 17:38.360] there was there any sort of inclination or any feeling that you got that okay
[17:38.360 -> 17:42.640] this might be potentially fixed because who knew that a year later it would just
[17:42.640 -> 17:49.040] end up being one of the biggest scandals in F1 history? And I think it was a scandal and certain
[17:49.040 -> 17:53.720] people in Formula One rightly should hang their head in shame for actually
[17:53.720 -> 17:57.560] trying to manipulate a race. I think the one man who was totally innocent in all
[17:57.560 -> 18:01.840] of this was Fernando Alonso. I don't think he would have bought into it had
[18:01.840 -> 18:06.800] he been aware of it. They'd made an early pit stop for Alonso and
[18:06.800 -> 18:13.280] then the accident happened a few laps later and there were a few raised eyebrows when Alonso made
[18:13.280 -> 18:19.360] a very out of sequence pit stop but nobody worked out or had worked out and I'll be honest it's only
[18:19.360 -> 18:23.440] with the benefit of hindsight you can actually see what happened with that strategy there.
[18:23.440 -> 18:28.720] And even then you know there was still a fighting chance that Felipe Massa would have come out of the pit lane
[18:30.160 -> 18:34.480] close enough to Alonso to be able to challenge him in the latter part of the race. The only problem
[18:34.480 -> 18:38.640] was he came out the pit lane dragging his refueling hose because the Ferrari mechanics
[18:38.640 -> 18:43.120] hadn't disconnected it before he set off. So I do have a great photograph in my archive of
[18:44.080 -> 18:46.480] Massa's mechanics trudging back up
[18:46.480 -> 18:51.200] the pit lane with the refueling hose on their shoulder because he'd had to stop at the pit exit,
[18:51.200 -> 18:56.960] otherwise he'd be penalized. But yeah, trying to drag the refueling rig down the pit lane
[18:56.960 -> 19:00.320] with him wasn't the greatest Ferrari pit stop, even by modern standards.
[19:03.360 -> 19:06.160] Well, they've certainly set a standard back in the day, right?
[19:06.160 -> 19:10.320] I mean, it starts from the 50s by just actually forgetting that you have to change tyres and
[19:10.320 -> 19:14.560] not fight in the pit lane, as we've heard in so many of their old Le Mans stories as
[19:14.560 -> 19:15.560] well.
[19:15.560 -> 19:19.840] But that was actually one of my first Formula One memories, Massa not having the best pit
[19:19.840 -> 19:23.280] stop, Raikkonen crashing out in that race as well.
[19:23.280 -> 19:25.680] You've had so many Ferrari memories over there as well.
[19:25.680 -> 19:27.760] 2010 also pops up to mind.
[19:27.760 -> 19:30.080] But when speaking to you before this episode,
[19:30.080 -> 19:32.880] I also understood that you have worked with Ferrari
[19:32.880 -> 19:34.520] as a part of this race as well, sir.
[19:34.520 -> 19:36.640] So what was that whole experience all about?
[19:36.640 -> 19:38.640] Well, not just during part of this race.
[19:38.640 -> 19:43.480] I was very lucky that I established Kingpin Media
[19:43.480 -> 19:45.000] or Kingpin Singapore, or Kingpin Singapore,
[19:45.060 -> 19:46.800] or Kingpin Asia, I beg your pardon,
[19:46.800 -> 19:50.360] based in Singapore from 2010,
[19:50.360 -> 19:52.180] worth working with Singapore Grand Prix.
[19:52.180 -> 19:53.880] And like any PR agency,
[19:53.880 -> 19:55.800] you're out there bidding for other work as well,
[19:55.800 -> 19:57.160] including international cricket
[19:57.160 -> 20:01.240] and the Ferrari franchise in Singapore.
[20:01.240 -> 20:03.120] And we were actually the press officers,
[20:03.120 -> 20:05.280] so PR people for Ferrari
[20:05.280 -> 20:09.400] Singapore for things like the launch of the Ferrari California and various other
[20:09.400 -> 20:14.320] things so again what a privilege to be able to go and play with all the toys in
[20:14.320 -> 20:18.600] the toy box really. We waited did you get to drive them on track as well
[20:18.600 -> 20:22.320] potentially? Not on track but I did drive some of the cars we did some
[20:22.320 -> 20:31.120] Ferrari drive outs to Sepang for example and various other things. We also worked with Ferrari's press team to actually get, or their PR team,
[20:32.400 -> 20:38.400] the, you know, the fantastic Marina Bay, I'm trying to think of the name of the complex,
[20:38.400 -> 20:43.920] the three towers linked with the roof garden, the Marina Bay Sands. Marina Bay Sands, that's right.
[20:43.920 -> 20:45.440] Yeah, now on the very end
[20:45.440 -> 20:51.200] of that, looks like the stern of the boat, there is a fantastic bar and balcony overlooking the
[20:51.200 -> 21:00.080] circuit and working with Ferrari's media team, we partly dismantled the Ferrari show car,
[21:00.640 -> 21:06.120] got it into the freight lift and got it up onto the 36th floor and onto that
[21:06.120 -> 21:10.620] balcony and then reassembled it and the look of Felipe Massa's face when he
[21:10.620 -> 21:14.760] walked into the bar and saw a Ferrari Formula One car on the 31st floor was
[21:14.760 -> 21:25.240] something special. How? There must be so many moving parts but But it's... You take the suspension off,
[21:25.240 -> 21:26.480] you take the nose and the tail off,
[21:26.480 -> 21:27.720] the car doesn't have an engine in
[21:27.720 -> 21:29.280] because it's just a show car.
[21:29.280 -> 21:31.400] It's amazing where you can get them.
[21:31.400 -> 21:33.240] It took a bit of fitting in the lift.
[21:34.480 -> 21:37.360] Wowee, must be some experience there
[21:37.360 -> 21:38.200] for all the guests as well,
[21:38.200 -> 21:40.720] because that is the place to be, right?
[21:40.720 -> 21:42.760] I mean, you can actually watch the race
[21:42.760 -> 21:44.840] as it unfolds from that very place.
[21:44.840 -> 21:45.320] What is
[21:45.320 -> 21:49.680] the experience like being there? I've never been there on race day, I've been working
[21:49.680 -> 21:55.880] somewhere else. So where were you on the race day, just in the media box? We'd normally
[21:55.880 -> 22:01.460] do a session in the paddock, in the media area, and then because we were doing a studio
[22:01.460 -> 22:07.140] show and everything else, about an hour before the race, maybe an hour and a half before the race start,
[22:07.140 -> 22:10.540] we'd jump on the MRT, the Metro,
[22:10.540 -> 22:12.640] or we'd even hitch a ride on a motorbike
[22:12.640 -> 22:13.760] or something like that,
[22:13.760 -> 22:18.040] and get out to Lorong Tuan out in the northeast of Singapore
[22:18.040 -> 22:20.640] where the Starsport Studios were,
[22:20.640 -> 22:22.140] and we'd do the rest from the studio.
[22:22.140 -> 22:25.800] So, it wasn't until about 2017 that I
[22:25.800 -> 22:29.800] actually haven't got to see a race no 2013 that I even got to see a race track
[22:29.800 -> 22:32.960] side and before that we were always locked in the in the bunker in the
[22:32.960 -> 22:42.520] studio. Oh that kind of... if you're working for television you've got to work where you work.
[22:42.520 -> 22:47.200] That's true that's true I mean it's just the way things are changing these days.
[22:47.200 -> 22:49.320] And most people now don't even get to get
[22:49.320 -> 22:50.360] that close to the circuit.
[22:50.360 -> 22:52.000] So that's quite something.
[22:52.000 -> 22:56.720] Well, I've been very, very lucky to have been part of it
[22:56.720 -> 22:58.680] and part of the pilot and part of everything else.
[22:58.680 -> 23:01.760] And sorry, did I say a hand in the air there?
[23:01.760 -> 23:05.160] Just to add, you know, when you work at a race,
[23:05.160 -> 23:07.360] you've got to work where you work at the race.
[23:07.360 -> 23:10.200] And that's a very interesting thing you just said, Steve,
[23:10.200 -> 23:14.000] because I worked with Force India for over 100 races
[23:14.000 -> 23:16.440] and visited several of them.
[23:16.440 -> 23:18.960] And people used to get shocked when
[23:18.960 -> 23:21.160] I would say that, hey, I go to a race,
[23:21.160 -> 23:24.480] but I watch the race on television.
[23:24.480 -> 23:25.800] And they're like, what?
[23:25.800 -> 23:29.080] And I said, yeah, because you are working
[23:29.080 -> 23:30.620] while everyone is racing.
[23:30.620 -> 23:32.820] And literally the two hours of the race
[23:32.820 -> 23:34.640] is the time when you don't work,
[23:34.640 -> 23:36.720] but otherwise you're always just working.
[23:36.720 -> 23:40.440] So, whenever, even now when people are watching races
[23:40.440 -> 23:42.600] or they attend races and they're in the paddock,
[23:42.600 -> 23:44.360] you go to one of the motor homes
[23:44.360 -> 23:48.240] or the media or the hospitality centers and you sit
[23:48.240 -> 23:52.840] and watch the race on television because from the paddock, unless you're at a
[23:52.840 -> 23:56.440] circuit like Spa or something where you can see Eau Rouge and Ré-de-Lyon and stuff,
[23:56.440 -> 24:01.960] you don't always get to see the racetrack. So that was something that a
[24:01.960 -> 24:06.720] lot of people almost could never fathom when I used to explain it this way.
[24:06.720 -> 24:09.280] But I'm glad you have the same story, Steve.
[24:09.280 -> 24:10.160] Yeah, absolutely.
[24:10.160 -> 24:12.680] I mean, the number of times even when I've been trackside,
[24:12.680 -> 24:14.800] I'm not looking out the window of the commentary box
[24:14.800 -> 24:15.840] to see what's going on.
[24:15.840 -> 24:17.960] I'm watching the TV coverage, because my job
[24:17.960 -> 24:20.240] is to actually interpret what everyone else is
[24:20.240 -> 24:21.480] seeing on the screen.
[24:21.480 -> 24:23.980] It's no good for me saying, hey, I'm looking out the window,
[24:23.980 -> 24:27.120] and I can see something you can't, because that's going to make everybody really miserable.
[24:28.240 -> 24:31.920] I'm actually going to be trying to translate what is going on on that screen and trying to give
[24:31.920 -> 24:35.440] somebody a bit of feedback on to what's happening, bit like on our watch a lot.
[24:35.440 -> 24:38.640] That's true. Yeah, absolutely. But it must be quite something when you're
[24:39.200 -> 24:43.760] watching the race from the TV. And then as soon as it's done, maybe you just get out of your motorhome
[24:43.760 -> 24:48.880] or commentary box and then all of a sudden you get to feel the buzz just what's that feeling all like because
[24:48.880 -> 24:52.960] it's only of course when you're not watching on a screen it's like you're part of a different
[24:52.960 -> 24:58.160] bubble but the moment you get out there is it too much of a sensory overload because Singapore all
[24:58.160 -> 25:02.880] the lights all the people the sound of the cars it's obviously one of the I think more compact
[25:02.880 -> 25:09.000] barracks that we have in the Formula One calendar as well. So obviously, it makes it a bit trickier for everyone. So
[25:09.000 -> 25:13.200] just that whole experience might be quite something, I suppose. I can't quite find the
[25:13.200 -> 25:16.160] right word for it. It is. And don't forget, it's quite warm and
[25:16.160 -> 25:20.160] quite humid as well. So we're talking a 30 degree plus temperature usually even late
[25:20.160 -> 25:28.120] into the evening. So that creates that ambience. The sun setting at about 6.30 to 7 o'clock in the
[25:28.120 -> 25:33.640] evening as everything is getting ready for the race start and the track gets darker and darker, the track lights
[25:33.640 -> 25:40.640] become more focused. It does create a really special atmosphere. There's no two way about it. And the you know,
[25:40.640 -> 25:46.040] tracks like Abu Dhabi their flood lighting is like stadium lighting
[25:46.040 -> 25:51.880] in a soccer stadium it's tens of meters high these huge white burning lights and
[25:51.880 -> 25:55.360] Singapore's lighting is more intimate because it's lower it's closer to the
[25:55.360 -> 26:00.520] track it gives that shadow and it really is I think just a special atmosphere
[26:00.520 -> 26:04.400] that no other circuit has actually been able to reproduce. Speaking of the
[26:04.400 -> 26:07.120] atmosphere at Singapore I've also noticed many drivers actually
[26:07.120 -> 26:13.040] going for ice baths in a dustbin after the race. Have you seen that happen after the race?
[26:16.160 -> 26:19.840] Again, one of the interesting things is, particularly when you're working as a journalist,
[26:19.840 -> 26:24.320] when the drivers all start chilling out and they've had their debriefs and then they're
[26:24.320 -> 26:27.520] sitting in dustbins of ice or whatever, that is when the journalists all start chilling out and they've had their debriefs, and then they're sitting in dustbins of ice or whatever,
[26:27.520 -> 26:29.360] that is when the journalists start work.
[26:29.360 -> 26:30.820] Because they've got their deadlines
[26:30.820 -> 26:34.840] to do in writing their reports or filing their reports online.
[26:34.840 -> 26:38.120] And most of the journalists don't actually
[26:38.120 -> 26:40.320] get out of the press room until after about 2 o'clock
[26:40.320 -> 26:41.080] in the morning.
[26:41.080 -> 26:44.560] So that's when the work starts for those guys.
[26:44.560 -> 26:46.840] And it must go on until late at night, right?
[26:46.840 -> 26:50.760] Because I read in one of the really fun Formula 1 books
[26:50.760 -> 26:54.120] that I've read, it's called The Mechanic by Mark Priestley,
[26:54.120 -> 26:57.200] that whenever they went to the Singapore Grand Prix,
[26:57.200 -> 26:58.000] they used to party.
[26:58.000 -> 27:01.000] I mean, they used to finish work by around, what, 12 or 1
[27:01.000 -> 27:02.000] o'clock in the night.
[27:02.000 -> 27:03.840] And then all the mechanics and drivers
[27:03.840 -> 27:09.360] actually went down to party. So for all the journalists who are quite often the last people to leave, that
[27:09.360 -> 27:14.080] must be a very, very, very long day.
[27:14.080 -> 27:18.200] Some drivers and some of the teams, well most of the teams will try and stay on Western
[27:18.200 -> 27:26.060] European time. So they won't even get out of bed until say 11 or 12 o'clock Singapore time, get to the
[27:26.060 -> 27:32.880] track 3 or 4 o'clock, then have their breakfast at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon and they
[27:32.880 -> 27:38.480] operate on the Western time and then yes as you say for them 3 o'clock in the morning
[27:38.480 -> 27:42.640] is the same as 6 o'clock in the evening in European time.
[27:42.640 -> 27:46.720] So that is the slightly bizarre and surreal way they
[27:46.720 -> 27:51.520] work. I've never really done that. I've sort of gone half and half with this a little bit,
[27:51.520 -> 27:57.520] have a lie in in the morning, but yeah, certainly eating supper at 4am is not entirely unusual.
[27:57.520 -> 28:01.760] And I'm actually going to add more to this because, you know, at Force India,
[28:01.760 -> 28:07.300] we had an interesting situation, like you explained, Steve, you either take the Metro to the race or you walk.
[28:07.300 -> 28:12.700] And we were in one of the hotels on one of the roads right next to the circuit.
[28:12.700 -> 28:18.740] And it so happened that the hotel had planned repairs, right?
[28:18.740 -> 28:20.900] And like any hotel would need repairs,
[28:20.900 -> 28:26.240] and they had planned to start the repairs at 9 or 10 a.m. in the morning, right?
[28:26.880 -> 28:32.080] And I remember the team actually started complaining because, hey, that was the time to
[28:32.080 -> 28:38.880] sleep. That was midnight in Central European time, which was what the race was basically modeled on.
[28:38.880 -> 28:49.600] And the reason why Singapore is a night race is so it starts at a regular time in Europe, which is primarily the base of fans,
[28:49.600 -> 28:55.120] at least before Drive to Survive happened. And I remember Andy Stevenson, the sporting director now
[28:55.120 -> 29:02.480] of Aston Martin, who as the team manager would be responsible for looking after the team, was
[29:02.480 -> 29:06.140] furious because he said, you guys have been hosting the team
[29:06.140 -> 29:07.080] for so many years.
[29:07.080 -> 29:10.280] You all know exactly when the team would wake up
[29:10.280 -> 29:12.580] and sort of have breakfast and so on.
[29:12.580 -> 29:15.020] How is it that you all can undertake repairs
[29:15.020 -> 29:16.920] during the week of the Singapore Grand Prix?
[29:16.920 -> 29:20.120] And I believe we actually ended up shifting
[29:20.120 -> 29:23.060] a large part of the staff to another hotel
[29:23.060 -> 29:25.560] just so that they wouldn't be disturbed
[29:25.560 -> 29:26.960] during their night's sleep.
[29:26.960 -> 29:30.440] And talking of time zones, Steve, you said you did half.
[29:30.440 -> 29:32.320] I was actually living on three time zones.
[29:32.320 -> 29:35.120] It was Singapore time zone because, you know,
[29:35.120 -> 29:38.320] we have, you know, we used to do a lot of activation.
[29:38.320 -> 29:40.840] The Force India show car would be at Orchard Road
[29:40.840 -> 29:43.520] and worked very closely with the organizers
[29:43.520 -> 29:45.960] and, you know, the marketing
[29:45.960 -> 29:50.760] department of the government who was actually activating this race, right?
[29:50.760 -> 29:53.520] So I was living on Singapore time zone.
[29:53.520 -> 29:59.440] I was living on Indian Standard Time because the marketing offices were based in India.
[29:59.440 -> 30:06.920] And then, of course, the factory was based in the UK, right? So we were literally all over the place,
[30:06.920 -> 30:10.360] but that just sort of was an added challenge
[30:10.360 -> 30:12.160] of the Singapore Grand Prix.
[30:13.400 -> 30:17.320] It is, it truly is, it's an amazing circuit.
[30:17.320 -> 30:20.960] So it posed challenges that no one had ever come across
[30:20.960 -> 30:26.620] in Formula One before, but at the end of the day, every year it
[30:26.620 -> 30:31.060] seems to be worth it. Is the Singapore Grand Prix the most challenging,
[30:31.060 -> 30:36.620] demanding, scary racetrack on Formula One calendar? It's the busiest, it's not a
[30:36.620 -> 30:41.220] Spa, it's not a Monza, but it has a lot of 90-degree corners because actually
[30:41.220 -> 30:47.360] when you build a racetrack in the city you really have to because you they get a bit upset if you start locking down hotels and
[30:47.360 -> 30:52.560] museums and churches and things. So it does have to fit the street profile of
[30:52.560 -> 30:58.640] the city and it truly is a city centre track. I mean I've actually
[30:58.640 -> 31:05.920] stayed in hotels that are literally 150 meters away from the circuit.
[31:05.920 -> 31:09.720] And it is quite a bizarre thing to come out and find
[31:09.720 -> 31:15.840] that there's a debris fence in front of your hotel entrance.
[31:15.840 -> 31:19.080] Yeah, as crazy as it may sound to say, guys,
[31:19.080 -> 31:21.920] I've got a Grand Prix that I can see literally from my window,
[31:21.920 -> 31:23.720] it does have its pros and cons.
[31:23.720 -> 31:26.360] But in terms of memories from that circuit,
[31:26.360 -> 31:28.120] you've obviously shared great times
[31:28.120 -> 31:30.280] with the Ferrari team working on their PR.
[31:30.280 -> 31:32.480] You've obviously spoken about the time
[31:32.480 -> 31:33.800] where you helped out, I mean, not helped out,
[31:33.800 -> 31:36.160] but yes, helped out in the media organization,
[31:36.160 -> 31:39.440] but also your insights on the logistical element
[31:39.440 -> 31:41.000] of Singapore, but just what stands out
[31:41.000 -> 31:43.840] as one great memory that you carry from the circuit,
[31:43.840 -> 31:48.960] be it on track or off, because in a way, I can imagine Singapore creating tons of both of them.
[31:50.400 -> 31:57.440] There's a couple, going back to 2010, I'm thinking the genuine emotion of Fernando Alonso
[31:57.440 -> 32:03.200] when he celebrated the victory for Ferrari there. His second win, and of course the first one had
[32:03.200 -> 32:07.840] been so much tainted, he'd felt so proud of having won the Singapore Grand Prix,
[32:07.840 -> 32:10.880] and almost it was snatched away, the 2008 victory,
[32:10.880 -> 32:12.640] although it stands on the record books,
[32:12.640 -> 32:15.200] because it was then said, oh, well, the Renault team had cheated.
[32:15.200 -> 32:20.240] He really, that really did actually hurt Fernando,
[32:20.240 -> 32:24.000] and his genuine passion on the podium,
[32:24.000 -> 32:26.800] having won it properly and vindicated himself
[32:26.800 -> 32:28.180] in his own eyes.
[32:28.180 -> 32:30.700] That was pretty special because just before that,
[32:30.700 -> 32:34.320] about 20 minutes before that, right as the race finished,
[32:34.320 -> 32:37.000] we had Heikki Kovalainen and Elotis arrive
[32:37.000 -> 32:40.360] with the car on fire, just on the outside
[32:40.360 -> 32:42.880] of where the flag marshals were,
[32:42.880 -> 32:47.080] and actually snatched a fire extinguisher off a marshal
[32:47.080 -> 32:51.000] who was standing there with his mouth open a little bit and put the fire out himself.
[32:51.000 -> 32:57.640] So that has to be one of the most interesting F1 chequered flag moments ever.
[32:57.640 -> 33:01.800] And he was high school, just like all the Finns always are, right? And that was the
[33:01.800 -> 33:05.800] year I remember when the Lotus F1 team, not Lotus-Renault,
[33:05.800 -> 33:08.800] let's not get confused, but the Lotus, the green Lotus F1
[33:08.800 -> 33:11.360] team, actually had an Angry Birds logo with Hekiko
[33:11.360 -> 33:12.240] lining on the helmet.
[33:12.240 -> 33:16.000] So a seven-year-old me was actually going bonkers.
[33:16.000 -> 33:17.320] What a crazy race.
[33:17.320 -> 33:19.720] This has to now be all the way through.
[33:19.720 -> 33:23.280] It is, and also thinking back to 2016,
[33:23.280 -> 33:27.920] which was when Nico Rosberg arrived and it was going
[33:27.920 -> 33:30.840] to be his 200th Grand Prix start.
[33:30.840 -> 33:35.360] And Nico is another guy who wears his heart somewhat on his sleeve.
[33:35.360 -> 33:41.040] And his, because he had a fantastic battle with Lewis Hamilton.
[33:41.040 -> 33:46.840] He also then had to hold off Daniel Ricciardo, who was the fastest man actually on the track in the Red Bull.
[33:46.840 -> 33:49.720] And that was very much a Mercedes strategy race.
[33:49.720 -> 33:54.720] They got the strategy absolutely right and gave Nico his win
[33:55.280 -> 33:56.760] on his 200th Grand Prix.
[33:56.760 -> 33:59.120] That was a pretty special moment.
[33:59.120 -> 34:01.840] And you know, I'm gonna add my special moment out here.
[34:01.840 -> 34:04.900] Just like I said, you know, it was a home away from home,
[34:04.900 -> 34:05.600] but another home
[34:05.600 -> 34:12.320] in in Asia and the Singapore Grand Prix was special because I believe this was the first time
[34:13.040 -> 34:20.480] that Force India actually scored the fastest lap in a race point with Adrian Suttle and I remember
[34:20.480 -> 34:28.080] we were all like I said in the hospitality watching the race on TV. Vijay Mallya was on the pit wall.
[34:28.080 -> 34:32.200] He walks in and he's, of course, extremely excited
[34:32.200 -> 34:35.280] because we got the fastest lap of the race.
[34:35.280 -> 34:37.460] It was one of those races where, I can say this now,
[34:37.460 -> 34:39.440] but there are times when midfield teams
[34:39.440 -> 34:41.440] don't know what's the right thing to do.
[34:41.440 -> 34:43.560] So they split strategies, right?
[34:43.560 -> 34:45.760] And Adrian was running as high as fourth,
[34:45.760 -> 34:50.960] we split strategies. Unfortunately, he got the wrong one, but he still got the fastest lap of
[34:50.960 -> 34:54.960] the race. And he walks in and he's like, is this the first fastest lap of the race we scored?
[34:55.600 -> 35:00.880] And we were all puzzled saying, oh my God, nobody knew this because, you know, we had never scored
[35:00.880 -> 35:08.080] it before. But I believe then it turned out that it was actually the second fastest lap of the race
[35:08.080 -> 35:10.500] because at Monza the year before,
[35:10.500 -> 35:12.160] I believe the first one was scored.
[35:12.160 -> 35:17.160] But just the sheer joy of racing in the city was so good.
[35:17.360 -> 35:19.720] And Singapore is actually the model
[35:19.720 -> 35:21.520] on which a lot of other street circuits
[35:21.520 -> 35:24.960] have based themselves on, like Vietnam was trying to do.
[35:24.960 -> 35:28.080] And I think the future of motor racing
[35:28.080 -> 35:30.600] might very well be this, that you take a city,
[35:30.600 -> 35:33.440] you activate it, get the government involved,
[35:33.440 -> 35:36.680] so you don't have to travel a couple of hours
[35:36.680 -> 35:41.680] by road to a mountain to watch a Grand Prix race and so on.
[35:42.160 -> 35:51.000] So it's a good mix of the traditional circuits like Spa and then the benefits of the urban racing scene that Singapore would offer.
[35:51.000 -> 36:08.640] I 100% agree with you and I hope other, we've had it of course repeated at Baku. It's not going to quite be the same I would think in Las, because Las Vegas has parking lots big enough to run great Grand Prix's in.
[36:08.640 -> 36:11.680] But it'll still have a street atmosphere, I think.
[36:11.680 -> 36:12.960] And that would be great to see.
[36:12.960 -> 36:19.120] There have been discussions in the past about Vietnam and even Thailand,
[36:19.120 -> 36:21.360] both of which would be street circuits.
[36:21.360 -> 36:22.720] And let's see what comes on.
[36:22.720 -> 36:27.120] You know, we're going to have a 24 race calendar for 2023,
[36:27.120 -> 36:29.440] but there's no reason why we can't have some new circuits
[36:29.440 -> 36:33.120] coming in as part of that, including Las Vegas.
[36:33.120 -> 36:35.120] The interesting thing I would also say, though,
[36:35.120 -> 36:37.760] from your memories of Force India,
[36:37.760 -> 36:40.800] this is a circuit, because of its unusual nature,
[36:40.800 -> 36:43.360] where a midfield team can sometimes
[36:43.360 -> 36:45.680] spring a bit of surprise.
[36:45.680 -> 36:47.720] Back in 2009, when Lewis Hamilton
[36:47.720 -> 36:52.680] scored his first victory at the Marina Bay Circuit,
[36:52.680 -> 36:54.480] anybody remember who came second?
[36:54.480 -> 36:57.040] Timo Glock in a Toyota.
[36:57.040 -> 36:59.920] I think that was probably the best result Toyota ever got.
[36:59.920 -> 37:01.800] Or maybe, no, they did grab a couple of wins.
[37:01.800 -> 37:04.360] But even so, that was still a pretty impressive one.
[37:04.360 -> 37:07.760] And the last two Grands Prix, maybe I shouldn't do this.
[37:07.760 -> 37:09.480] Maybe you may need it as a quiz question.
[37:09.480 -> 37:12.320] But can you remember who set the fastest lap
[37:12.320 -> 37:14.320] in the last two Grands Prixs?
[37:14.320 -> 37:15.200] Hang on.
[37:15.200 -> 37:17.640] That must be 2019 and 2018, right?
[37:17.640 -> 37:19.240] Yeah.
[37:19.240 -> 37:21.200] For 19, I get a feeling it might be
[37:21.200 -> 37:22.880] Charles Leclerc, because he was on fire
[37:22.880 -> 37:23.800] on that particular race.
[37:23.800 -> 37:24.300] He didn't win.
[37:24.300 -> 37:25.040] He got pole position.
[37:25.680 -> 37:26.720] He did get pole position.
[37:26.720 -> 37:31.440] But no, fastest race lap went to Kevin Magnussen in the Haas, both races.
[37:32.000 -> 37:36.080] What? You're kidding me. Back when Haas was actually fast.
[37:39.360 -> 37:44.240] So there is always that opportunity for somebody to come through the field and get it. Certainly,
[37:45.040 -> 37:47.920] if not on the podium, at very least get the fastest lap.
[37:47.920 -> 37:52.640] Yeah, remarkable how crazy things have been in Singapore in terms of midfield teams.
[37:52.640 -> 37:57.280] In a way, Singapore is one of the only modern classics, if you can call it that way?
[37:58.000 -> 38:07.500] I think it is very much a modern classic. And, you know, for the first 10 or 12 years of its history, it's certainly been a big part of my life.
[38:08.480 -> 38:11.280] But not only that, it's just, it's a great place to go.
[38:11.280 -> 38:16.280] I mean, Singapore itself is a fantastic location to go to.
[38:17.560 -> 38:20.480] It's what I would call Far East 101.
[38:20.480 -> 38:23.000] You can experience pretty well everything
[38:23.000 -> 38:25.880] that you're gonna get elsewhere in the Far East or
[38:25.880 -> 38:34.760] in China, in Singapore, in bite-sized chunks. And it's not just the Chinese or the Southeast Asian
[38:34.760 -> 38:51.000] cultures that you can experience there. There's a fantastic, very strong Indian culture and the Little India area is very famous for its food, its lifestyle and everything else.
[38:51.000 -> 39:00.000] And remember this, it's also a very good place where people of Muslim faith can feel safe coming to.
[39:00.000 -> 39:07.700] Don't feel threatened like you would do going to some European or North American countries. And that's really important because this is where all
[39:07.700 -> 39:11.700] these different faiths, denominations, cultures all come together and live
[39:11.700 -> 39:16.080] together 365 days of year in Singapore. It's not just about the Grand Prix
[39:16.080 -> 39:20.660] weekend. Actually, slightly off topic, but the way Singapore has modelled their
[39:20.660 -> 39:24.420] housing model, if you could put it that way, to arrange every one of different
[39:24.420 -> 39:28.800] faiths all together, that's also an amazing study to actually work on it
[39:28.800 -> 39:31.320] has to have a small population but that's something that they've done so
[39:31.320 -> 39:35.720] well along with constructing a great Grand Prix circuit a circuit that's
[39:35.720 -> 39:40.680] actually created so many great stories. Now that just gets me all the more
[39:40.680 -> 39:44.040] excited for Singapore well if you're just about as excited for the Singapore
[39:44.040 -> 39:45.120] GP and you
[39:45.120 -> 39:50.120] are going to be in Mumbai this Sunday, you better join us for our special Inside Line Pit Stop this
[39:50.120 -> 39:56.120] Sunday at Versova Social because it's going to be F1 Stats Guru and myself hosting a really exciting
[39:56.120 -> 40:06.100] pre-race and post-race show along with an F1 quiz as well. There's going to be lots of food, lots of drinks, lots of banter, F1 quizzes, prizes and of
[40:06.100 -> 40:11.920] course, hopefully, a really, really fun race at the Marina Bay Circuit as well.
[40:11.920 -> 40:15.840] Join us by checking out the link in the description of this episode where you can buy tickets
[40:15.840 -> 40:16.840] to the event.
[40:16.840 -> 40:20.920] And folks, in case you enjoyed this episode, don't forget to leave a like, don't forget
[40:20.920 -> 40:26.000] to subscribe to the Insideline F1 podcast and to share this episode with all your friends and family members.
[40:26.000 -> 40:27.000] Take care everyone.
[40:27.000 -> None] Bye bye. you