As I will be heading down to Singpore later this week, the race video preview is here earlier than usual. So here is the preview of the first Formula 1 night race - 2008 Singapore F1 Grand Prix.

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This video edit features
- photos from Singapore
- interviews with Nico Rosberg, Christian Danner, the Toyota guys Timo Glock, Jarno Trulli, Dieter Gass, Richard Cregan and John Howett
- flying (virtual) lap on Singapore street track with Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel
- and the man with the magic light switch

Warning - the noise level of some parts of this video edit is purposely higher.

This video is also available on F1Wolf Group on Facebook and Dailymotion

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Norbert Haug

Kotenok is another F1Wolf reader who went to see some live racing action last week. Kotenok went to the DTM days on the Barcelona track and during his walk around the paddock stumbled upon Norbert Haug, the main Mercedes guy in McLaren operation. He did not hesitate and decided to ask Mr. Haug some questions for this website (although he forgot to tell him the name of this site ). The interview was conducted in German, so what you read here is translation:

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The Countdown to Singapore Grand Prix continues with another refreshed older post, this time Part 3 of track walk. This is how the Singapore GP track and the facilities looked back in June. This post was originally published on F1 Wolf on June 13, 2008.

It’s has been half a year since I walked the Singapore F1 track. The pictures in Part 1 and Part 2 posts are from December 2007. So it is about the time to have a look how things have changed … Last weekend my envoys in Singapore Bob, Yvonne & fatfish hopped in a small blue racing car to drive around and take some pictures. Here is how it looks in Singapore with little over 3 months to go before Singapore Grand Prix:

It was a cloudy day so we have a chance to see how the track may look in the wet.

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As a part of the Countdown to Singapore Grand Prix I am refreshing some older posts on the Singapore GP topic. This is the second part of the walk around the Singapore track, originally published on F1Wolf on December 5, 2007. Stay tuned for part 3, that will show how the track looked only few months back.

The Part 1 of the Walk Around The Singapore Formula 1 Track finished at the Turn 15. You can check the location on this map from f1Singapore.com.

Right after the cars take the right Turn 15 the short stretch of the Raffles Avenue will open up in front of them, here is the view:

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As a part of the Countdown to Singapore Grand Prix I am refreshing some older posts on the Singapore GP topic. Here is the second one, originally published on F1Wolf on December 5, 2007 - my walk around the Singapore track as it looked that time. You may wait till tomorrow for part 2, or may simply click on the link at the end of this post and check out the rest of the track right away.

I went to Singapore last weekend for a short weekend break. One of the reasons I picked Singapore as a destination was to check out the place and the future F1 street circuit. I downloaded and printed out this circuit map from f1Singapore.com, took my camera and started walking.

I took off at point nearest to my hotel, this intersection:

If you look at the track map, these are the turns 8 and 15, this is the part of the track that drivers will pass twice. Photo is taken from the hotel room window with the everpresent trees blocking the perfect view.

The track runs anticlockwise, and exactly in the oposite direction of the normal Singapore traffic.

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As a part of the Countdown to Singapore Grand Prix I will be refreshing some older posts on the Singapore GP topic. Here is the first one, originally published on F1Wolf on September 2, 2007 focusing on the history of the Singapore Grand Prix. Yes, there is history.

Singapore will be hosting its first Formula 1 race in 2008 but it will not be its first Grand Prix. The Singapore Grand Prix was a regular feature in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The Formula Libre & Australian AF2 rules races were held on a Thomson Road clockwise 4.865km long clockwise street circuit.
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Last week I was interviewed for the radio show Pit Stop with Kenny James on Power 98 FM in Singapore. The interview was over the phone and here are the bits of the show that somehow include me.

Why did I have to pick Force India as a possible winner in Singapore in case it is a wet race ? Hey, but if that happens remember who said that .

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I found this ITV video today and what has been said there is pretty much how I felt when I walked the track back in December (check the Part 1 and Part 2 post on my walk around Singapore track).

It is going to be great, can’t wait .

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Mika Hakkinen was in Singapore today driving a McLaren F1 car on the street that is part of the F1 street track in the Lion City. Here are few videos:

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Night Formula 1 races - the latest obsession of Mr. Ecclestone. Singapore will host one later on this year, the organizers in Australia are under massive pressure from the F1 supremo to hold their race in the night if they want to keep the Formula 1 Down Under beyond 2010. The lighting companies are getting ready, developing and testing night race lighting systems. Is it all worth the effort and money ?

I am going to disregard the environmental issues as I consider those just a populist talk. Yes, it may not go in line with the green message the F1 is trying to send out. But there is much more energy used (or wasted ?) every day by lighting up football stadiums, airconditioning various indoor arenas, freezing the ice for skating or ice hockey… No one complains about that, no one sends skaters to skate on frozen lakes …

After this weekend I however do question the need to force the organizers, will it be in Australia or anywhere else, to spend wast amounts of money to set up the lighting systems. Why ? Because I watched the MotoGP night race from Qatar. If that is supposed to be what the TV viewers get for all the money spent by organizers, then I do not think it is worth it.

First the overall experience - Either there were no spectators (would not surprise me) or the “wall” created by lighting eliminated them from the picture. It did feel very weird. All one could see around the track were the run off areas and hundres of lamps.

The TV picture was far from good. All the lights around the track were pretty disturbing, the picture was not very clear. There were also parts of the track with strong light reflection - and that was on a dry track … Now imagine places like Malaysia and Singapore, where the chances of rain are higher than chances of sunshine …

It might have been great experience for those on the track, it was far from great on TV … But isn’t the TV the main reason behind the night races idea ?

It may not be that bad on the street track in Singapore. The city backdrop, tighter space, spectators closer to the track may be the factors that will make that night race a great TV event. But should the night race happen in Sepang on the track, I am afraid the TV experience will be similar to Qatar MotoGP race…

I may be wrong, F1 might have hired better people to set up the lighting for Formula 1 races and there will be no problems at all. All may be perfect. But would not it be wiser to wait for at least the first night race in Singapore to happen and evaluate the pros and cons, before pushing and forcing people elsewhere to commit to huge investments just to keep one guy happy ?

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