Formula 1 is coming to Singapore.

On September 26 – 28, 2008, Formula 1 is coming to Singapore.
The race is the 15th leg on the 2008 FORMULA 1 race calendar and it will be the first street circuit held in Asia for the Formula 1.
With the circuits of Malaysia, Bahrain, Singapore, Japan and China there are now five races held in Asia.

It will be the first time in history that a Formula 1 race will be held at night.
A total of 1600 special lighting projectors will be placed all around the track, spaced every 4 meters to give the drivers optimal visibility.
Singapore will be introducing a street circuit that can compete with the one in Monaco.

The race will take place in the heart of the city, around the Marina Bay area and the circuit will pass landmarks such as City Hall, The Esplanade, The Padang and the Fullerton Hotel , with most 5-star hotels only a few minutes away.

The circuit promises to be fast and spectacular and will run anti-clock wise, like the circuits in Brazil and Turkey and is 5.067 km long, including 14 left turns and 10 right turns.

The race will be run over 61 laps with accelerating speeds of up to 300km/h on the Pit Straight, St Andrews Road and Esplanade Drive, and above 300km/h on the Raffles Boulevard.

Around half a Billion people will watch while the McLaren drivers Hamilton and Kovalainen will compete against the Ferrari’s of Räikkönen and Massa on the streets of Singapore.

The race will start at 8pm to ensure that it can be broadcasted at a convenient time for European fans.
Around 80.000 to 100.000 paid crowds will be able to watch the race around the circuit.

But Tickets don’t come cheap at 168 Singapore dollar for a walkabout to 1,388 Singapore dollar for a ticket at the Premier Pit Grandstand.
The Formula 1 Grand Prix will draw over a 100 000 tourists to Singapore and it is needles to say that the Hotel industry is at an all time high and shortage of rooms will drive prices sky-high.

It is by far the biggest sports event ever held by Singapore and it’s estimated that the race will generate about S$100 million and with the current five year deal with Formula One Management, there is no doubt that it will be the number one on the of things to do in Singapore for the next few years.