Today was my first opportunity to see the full extent of the transformation of Singapore’s streets into a F1 race track. I must say that they have done a great job, particularly with the track lighting which is bright and yet not too harsh. It is particularly impressive seeing all the historic buildings in close proximity to the track.
My grandstand seat is not particularly good, being one of the last to be sold, and is near to a not-particularly interesting bend in the track, and rather a way from the giant TV screens which you need to see to follow what is happening elsewhere on the circuit. However, I used this practice day as a chance to wander around other parts of the track, and there are many alternative viewing points that give you an interesting perspective on the race.
I was also using this first day to get a feel for how to do motor sport photography. Not as straightforward as you might think. For a start, the general public has to view the race though the protective barrier, so every shot has a mesh grille superimposed on it. (Only the professional photographers have access to unrestricted vantage points.) Then you have to work out how to actually capture the car in your shot, using a fast panning technique. This takes some practice to perfect, and for every successful shot, I had to discard five failures. Happily, digital photography makes this a less painful process. Finally, you have to get the camera settings right. It is no use using auto exposure, auto focus, etc as these just do not work in this environment. Everything has to be set manually, which again takes some practise.
In between each racing session, there are plenty of other things to do, including sampling some of the regional foods on sale at the nearby hawker stands, and listening to musical performances on one of the several stages dotted around the race track area. Also many stalls selling F1 merchandise, but I did not feel inclined to fork out £40 for a tee shirt just to show that I supported Lewis Hamilton.
And then of course, there are the cars themselves. They look much brighter in real life than on TV, and nothing can prepare you for the engine noise. (I will be wearing earphones today). But that is all part of the atmosphere of being at a live event.
More Grand Prix photos
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