Final turn of Grand Prix gets Foo excited every time

SINGAPORE - The night race along downtown Singapore has wowed audiences across the world since 2008.

Lawrence Foo also gets goosebumps every time the Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix roars to life along the streets of Marina Bay and the Padang.

Foo is the Technical and Race Operations Director of the Singapore GP.

He always pays special attention to the final turn.

"The last turn is the best part of the race for me," said Foo, whose annual mission is to convert the heart of Singapore's downtown into a motor sports circuit fit for the finest drivers on the planet.

"The way the cars negotiate that turn is almost hard to believe - they just slingshot by. It really catches me every time."

That final corner is not the fastest of the race, which enters its sixth year here from this Friday to Sunday.

The first three turns of the Singapore GP see the cars enter the braking point at approximately 290 kmh.

But they are not the most challenging.

That accolade goes to the notorious triple-apex chicane at Turn 10, known as the "Singapore Sling".

It was named after the famous local cocktail when fans participated in the "Name the Turns" contest in 2009.

Turn 1 was christened "Sheares" because of the bridge there and Turn 7 was named "Memorial" due to its proximity to the World War II Civilian Memorial.

Formula One stars Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel had previously criticised the left-right-left Turn 10 as "the worst corner" in Formula One.

Motorsports' governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), finally paid heed to the drivers' pleas for the chicane to be modified this year.

Previously, drivers had three high curves to get through the corner. Now, two of those humps have been removed to make it a safer left turn. With the transformation of the chicane into a simple corner, speeds will increase as the cars head towards the Anderson Bridge.

"It's definitely the most challenging turn of the track," Foo said.

"Every year we work on that turn the most, but we never found the magic alignment. This year, significant changes have been made, so let's see.

"These drivers are the best in the world; they adapt to any track very well."

The drivers are slated to cycle around and recce the track on Wednesday, before the practice session on Friday.

Even as the "Singapore Sling" is smoothened out, the 23-turn, 5.073-km Marina Bay Circuit is still considered by many as one of the toughest on the F1 calendar.

"Even on a race simulator, the circuit appears tough," Foo said.

"There are no big run-offs, the track is twisty and narrow and, being a street circuit, it is inevitably bumpy.

"If it does rain on race night, the drivers are in for a real test. In fact, the whole system will be tested. We will have to see how the lights function. But we are prepared for all this, of course."

Layout planning of the course and compound begins as early as December, and it involves staggering numbers.

Some 10,000 workers and personnel are required to install 100km-long power cables, 240 steel pylons and 2,700 concrete barriers.

Almost 3.5 hectares (35,000 sq. metres) of barriers, fences and lights are stored in a Tampines warehouse, before being transported to Marina Bay for installation.

Work begins in May and the first pieces of infrastructure are the 1,500 lights required to light up the circuit at night. It is only in August when the spectator stands and safety barriers take shape.

The final piece of construction is the overpass which transports spectators from the Padang.

That happens on Tuesday, a day before all the road closures.

"The last few days before the race weekend, you just hope for good weather, so everything can get done," Foo explained.

"When the race starts, the stress actually disappears; you just get caught up in the momentum of things.

"This is a dream job, for sure - because I never thought the Formula One- would come to Singapore.

"Once it was as far-fetched as the Olympics being staged here.

"Since none of us can be the drivers, the next best thing is to help put it all together."

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