After the success of night racing, it is easy to imagine the commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, coaxing China, Japan and even perhaps India, if it should join the championship schedule, to follow the example of Singapore, writes Alan Henry.
Singapore’s maiden Grand Prix on the demanding Marina Bay City circuit served up a kaleidoscope of entertainment, with the spotlights around the track supplemented by car after car throwing up cascades of sparks from their titanium skid plates as they slammed and shimmered over the bumps.
Yet this innovative event did not simply deliver a gripping and wildly unpredictable race, it may well signal a path towards a new generation of GPs held under lights in order to maximise the sport’s commercial potential.
It is unlikely to trigger great enthusiasm for such races in Europe. The notion of Nurburgring in the early spring, a cool enough venue at mid-day at that time of the year, running an evening race under lights is fanciful in the extreme. But in Formula One’s most emergent business area, the Pacific rim, it is easy to imagine the commercial rights holder, Bernie Ecclestone, coaxing China, Japan and even perhaps India, if it should join the championship schedule, to follow the example of Singapore.
For the moment Ecclestone confined himself to praising the new event. “I am completely satisfied with the job the organisers have done in every way, shape and form,” he said. “They have done a simply magic job with the track here and there are no complaints at all. When I originally suggested the notion of Grand Prix racing under lights people had thought I had gone mad, but the whole Singapore experience has raised the standards for everybody.”
Those sentiments were reflected by the team principals Ron Dennis, of McLaren, and Frank Williams. “Clearly this race has given Formula One a very powerful (promotional) tool and a lot of analysis will clearly now be done to establish which is commercially the best time to have the races shown on television,” said Dennis.
“The race has probably gone a long way to establishing Singapore as a destination city rather than a place that you simply pass through. It is not just a new experience but a big step in the history of Grand Prix racing. Everything has been proven now and we can take this model and apply it to anywhere in the world — either to bring the race to Europe at a time when people watch it, or even within Europe to make it more spectacular.
“With a bit of thought you can imagine we will see firework displays, all sorts of things that we can use now to glamorise F1 more.”
Williams is convinced that Singapore has a chance of replacing Monaco as the most prestigious race on the Formula One calendar. “It has a good chance of challenging Monaco for being the jewel in the crown of Formula One,” he said. “That is the most accurate thing to say. They have great weather, a very good track and the grandstands packed. I think there is a lot of enthusiasm out there.”
© Guardian Newspapers Limited 2008
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