A gigantic crowd watching really fast cars in the middle of a concrete jungle- a lovely way to spend a Sunday evening. Here are the race pictures from Singapore’s inaugural Formula 1 night race.

A Ferrari fan hydrates as the Singapore Central Business District looms in the background. 

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton was an overwhelming crowd favourite.

Woman in front of a canvas.

An hour before the start of the race- no such thing as a bad time to read the papers.

The Esplanade Bridge bathed in light, minutes before the race commenced. Lighting the track was a feat in itself- 108,423 metres of power cables, 240 steel pylons, and around 1,600 light projectors with a total power requirement of 3,180,000 watts were used (source). All the preparation paid off. Race winner Fernando Alonso’s comment after the race: “it felt like we were in the daylight.”

The race begun with Massa in pole position. Ferrari looked unbeatable as Massa pulled away from the pack.

As the cars came around turn eleven in the first few laps, a myriad of LCD lights rose above the heads of the spectators- and when their arms got tired from holding the cameras up, the lights started to sway. It looked like a school of choral fish swishing about. Never seen more compact digital cameras in my life. 

Coulthard negotiates turn eleven as spectators participate in the artistic direction of my photography. 

Singapore’s relative humidity averages at 84.4%. Imagine how this guy felt.

Screens were erected in the Padang. Was a pretty sight as the cars roared round the field (note the stands on the left facing the track).

Lewis Hamilton behind fauna and barrier. Hamilton was characteristically fast and finished 3rd, putting him seven points ahead of Massa in the overall standings. Massa finished 13th due to a pit lane fiasco involving a hose that didn’t know when to pull out.

The crowd was massive and Singapore’s curiosity for F1 was evident. People squeezed into gaps between bushes and laborously carried chairs around to stand on- all to get a better glimpse of the track.

Jensen Button accelerates out of the Esplanade corner. 

Fernando Alonso, minutes away from his upset win at the Singapore Grand Prix. 

A crowd gathers outside a bar at Suntec City to watch the post-race celebrations. 

So that concludes my photojournal on Singapore’s first F1 race. Hope you’ve enjoyed it! 

Final standings:

1.  F Alonso (Renault)
2.  N Rosberg (Williams)
3.  L Hamilton (McLaren)
4.  T Glock (Toyota)
5.  S Vettel (Toro Rosso)
6.  N Heidfeld (BMW Sauber)
7.  D Coulthard (Red Bull)