Round 'n Round - Singapore F1

(This one's for you, Chris C!)

To quote a new friend: "and she said #carsarelame." This was my attitude going into Singapore's rambunctious F1 weekend. F1 is a cool concept because they drive at unreal speeds, but I never was that interested in it. We had thought about attending Singapore's F1 race but had decided it was too expensive to go.

And cue Jordan's boss! Two passes landed in our lap. These were not just any passes, either - they were as close to all-access as you could get without having box seats. We would never have spent this kind of money on these seats, but were very fortunate to have them gifted to us!

The passes got you anywhere you wanted to go in the racing zone, which is very expansive. 

We were at the far right in the pit grandstands, probably 200 meters from the starting line. Here they are, all lined up. 

We also had access to the entire track area - all the grandstands and walking areas. We didn't take advantage of that because when I tell you it was the hottest I have ever been, I am not exaggerating - I have been to Kenya, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Jakarta, and many other hot places - but this 3 hours at the F1 track were the hottest I think I have ever endured. I was dripping sweat the whole time. Please observe the sweat beads. 

So I never realized how cool F1 racing is in general! They go SUPER fast (150mph average speed). They are also extremely loud. Here they are starting the race. Well, all of them except the one poor redbull car that didn't start! He was wheeled off and didn't rejoin the race. 

Luckily we had ear plugs, otherwise I think I would have lost hearing! 

One of the coolest thing about the race is how incredibly fast the pit crew changes tires. Talk about unsung heroes! This one was considered "long" at 6.5 seconds, and apparently one of the wheel guys had to deal with a stuck bolt. You have to look over the far wall to see the car in the pit.

Here is the end, where Vettel won. He led the whole time by quite a margin, but it was fun to see him finish. The crew's reaction was darling!

I have to hand it to Singapore, they don't do anything half-assed. The final lap was accompanied by fireworks from all directions.

What was less expected was the grounds crew swinging open the gates and allowing all of us to flood the racetrack! We followed suit and joined the crowd to greet the winners and watch the ceremony. And oh, was it a ceremony!

The rush was pure pandemonium, by Singapore standards. 

And they did the obligatory ceremony, champagne and all! 

This was a really fun time that we won't forget soon. Heck, when else can you selfie from the middle of an F1 racetrack??

...And sit on the racetrack...

And see this kind of mayhem in Singapore!

But, for once, Singapore did not plan properly for something. After the race, we all walked down the track toward the evening's exclamation point - the Bon Jovi concert at the Padang Park (see the map previously). While it was cool to walk down the racetrack...

Singapore forgot to leave a gap in the gate and we had to crawl out of a hole, ropes-course style!

Once we escaped, we were upon the Bon Jovi concert, which was arguably one of the cooler parts of this whole experience! We couldn't get close, but we watched from afar as they performed some of their catalog mainstays - "It's My Life," etc. They also performed a song from their new album to crickets in the audience. It was generally a good time though. 

I have to say - well done, Singapore! It was a great party and a seamless event. With the exception of the idiot that somehow got onto the track during the race, causing a safety car and, arguably, costing Ricciardo the race.