It’s more than just the distance. Filipino F1 fans love the Singapore Grand Prix as it’s one of the most unique race weekends on the calendar.
If you are a fan of Formula 1 and you are from the Philippines, then you know that there is one particular race that could more easily make your dream of watching live come true. It’s the Singapore Grand Prix — this is why this race is a Filipino F1 fan favorite.
But, there is a lot more to love about the Singapore Grand Prix apart from being just a quick flight away from Manila. This race weekend is one of the most special ones on the F1 calendar because, and anyone who’s experienced it live can attest to that.
Here are three reasons why Filipino F1 fans love the Singapore Grand Prix.
Filipinos can handle the heat
Most, if not all Formula 1 drivers regard the Singapore Grand Prix as the most demanding race on the calendar for several reasons. For one thing, as a street circuit, driving in Singapore entails near-perfection, as one slip-up could land a driver in the walls. But the factor that makes this race incredibly challenging has more to do with the heat and humidity.
As a country sitting close to the equator, Singapore is very hot — one of the main reasons why the race is held at night. However, even without the sun, temperatures still run higher than other race tracks, making it a very physically demanding race. F1 drivers can lose as much as three kilograms of body weight because of how much they sweat during the two-hour race.
Luckily, however, the weather in Singapore is not too different from that of the Philippines. This is one reason why Filipino F1 fans love the Singapore Grand Prix; while weather may be a concern for fans coming in from other countries, Filipinos probably don’t worry too much about this part of the experience. Instead, they can focus all their attention on racing.
You can get up close to your favorite drivers
Because Singapore is the race destination with the hottest temperatures, many Formula 1 drivers arrive early to adjust to the weather. And Singapore is a tiny country, so when the drivers use up their free time exploring, it’s very easy to run into them in parks, malls, or restaurants.
Just this year, several Filipino F1 fans ran into Yuki Tsunoda riding a boat in a mall. Lando Norris once got a haircut somewhere in Singapore. And George Russell has also been spotted playing padel outside of the track, trying to get used to working out in the heat. In Singapore, there are a lot of opportunities to run into your favorite drivers outside of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
On top of this, given that it is such a small country, almost every Filipino F1 fan knows what hotels the drivers stay at for the Singapore Grand Prix, and some of them even stake out these hotels in hopes of getting to see the drivers up close before the race starts.
More than just racing
Another reason why many Filipino F1 fans flock to the Singapore Grand Prix is because it is more than just a race — it’s a whole experience. Throughout the event, F1 fans get to treat themselves to all that the Grand Prix weekend has to offer, and there are activities to enjoy all day long apart from the practices, qualifying sessions, and of course, the race itself.
A ticket to the Singapore Grand Prix means you could get access to the concerts they host at the Padang Stage (big stars like Rihanna, Katy Perry, and The Killers have performed in Singapore in the past), the meet-and-greet events, the side races, the driver’s parade, and many more. You could spend almost your entire day at the Marina Bay Street Circuit and you wouldn’t run out of things to do.
While the Singapore Grand Prix is the closest F1 race to Filipino fans, the enjoyment is more than just the distance or travel time. When you go to this particular race weekend, you can fully immerse yourself in a weekend filled with nothing but Formula 1.
Banner image from Singapore Grand Prix on Instagram.
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