Watching F1 live is…boring

By Les Tan

There we were at Turn 8, my sons, wife and I. We were about to witness history – the Singapore Grand Prix, the first Formula One race to run at night.

It was 7pm and the cars were starting their practice laps. We could hear the roar of the engines in the distance. The first car showed up around the bend and all hands went up…to snap a picture with their cameras. The sound they made was ear-splitting. The ear plugs we bought for $2 made it bearable. Those without are deaf now.

Then the next car showed up and disappeared round the next bend in seconds. Then the next, and then the next. The Ferarri showed up. Some folks cheered. Another Ferarri showed up, fewer cheered. After awhile, everyone stopped cheering.

Nobody knew who was who and what was going on. There was no commentary. Some of us turned to look at the big screen in front of the grandstands far away but it was a silent movie. Only those in the grandstands could hear the commentary.

We got bored and decided to find another spot just after Turn 14. There were viewing platforms about 1.5m off the ground and you could just see the car above the concrete barrier. If you were at the ground level, you could see only the top half of the car.

You saw everything through a metal barricade. It was obviously there for safety reasons but aesthetically it spoiled the view. My eldest son got bored. He wanted to go and watch it on the giant video screens and he found the sound way too loud. My second son got high on the sound. He was enjoying it.

We moved again. This time we got onto the Esplanade Bridge. The cars tore by at full throttle. Again gone in a blink. No commentary, no idea what was going on. We moved on to Anderson Bridge, Turn 13. The cars slowed to a crawl to take the tight corner, slow enough to read the words on the car.

We found another viewing platform. Watched a few cars go by. Then everything went quiet. The first practise session was over and they would resume in an hour. We decided we weren’t going to wait for an hour and see the same thing.

Verdict? It’s ok, even boring at times. It’s hard to see much at ground level. It’s better to watch it on television at home. Perhaps grandstand seats would be better.

We got a call from someone at one of the hospitality suites that cost $1,388 per head. “Opulent,” we were told. Free flow of food and alcohol.

Some have, some have not. What to do. That’s life.

REDpoll

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