{"id":505536,"date":"2025-10-17T01:04:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:04:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505536\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T01:04:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T01:04:36","slug":"going-full-throttle-at-the-singapore-grand-prix","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/505536\/","title":{"rendered":"Going Full Throttle at the Singapore Grand Prix"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/strong><\/p>\n

Our Executive Editor Ben Barna heads to Singapore with Marriott Bonvoy<\/a> for the Singapore Grand Prix, the first-ever night race and one of the crown jewels in the Forumla One calendar. What followed was an F1 fever dream.<\/p>\n

\u2014\u2014\u2014<\/p>\n

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2025<\/strong><\/p>\n

4:50 AM<\/strong>
After the longest direct flight in the world\u201419 hours from JFK to Changi\u2014I check into the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore. The lobby is empty, it\u2019s dark outside, and I\u2019m slightly delirious and wide awake. I didn\u2019t get to see the famous Jewel featuring the world\u2019s largest indoor waterfall at Changi Airport\u2014the number one thing people mentioned when I told them I was going to Singapore\u2014but I vow to see it on my way out. Sleep is not an option, so I answer emails from my room on the 23rd floor and wait for the sun to come up.<\/p>\n

6:50 AM<\/strong>
The sun rises right on time, and the view from my room reveals itself: a network of highways that loop around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, which is the track for the Singapore Grand Prix. Because it\u2019s one of F1\u2019s eight street races, most of the roads around the hotel are closed, barricaded, or just off-limits to pedestrians. To the right is the Singapore Flyer, one of the world\u2019s largest Ferris wheels, and beyond that are dense clusters of apartment buildings that seem to stretch on forever.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

7:13 AM<\/strong>
Breakfast at the Ritz-Carlton is a wow. Congee with a dozen toppings, fresh-cut tropical fruit on ice, miso soup, dim sum, grilled fish, Indian curries, and omelets on demand. It\u2019s obscene, but I try to act civilized.<\/p>\n

11:00 AM<\/strong>
I meet the group in the lobby: Jacob, a fellow New Yorker with Marriott Bonvoy; Tae Lee, a Korean artist here for Cool Hunting; and Greg, our local guide-slash-fixer from the agency 160over90. Jacob tells me some of the other guests we\u2019ll be seeing this weekend actually redeemed Marriott Bonvoy points for this whole experience through the brand\u2019s Moments platform, where points can unlock access to things like Paddock Club passes, pit lane walks, and team meet-and-greets. Basically, money-can\u2019t-buy perks paid for in points.<\/p>\n

11:31 AM<\/strong>
It rains on and off, and Greg casually drops that the Singapore government is cloud seeding, literally spraying chemicals into the sky to make it rain and clear the air ahead of the race. Everyone reacts accordingly.<\/p>\n

4:51 PM<\/strong>
After seeing the sights\u2014Haji Lane, New Bahru, a cat caf\u00e9 hidden on the third floor of a nondescript building\u2014we try our luck at Atlas, Singapore\u2019s temple of gin. It\u2019s a palatial Art Deco cathedral of bottles and brass. The wait is over an hour, which feels both absurd and expected.<\/p>\n

5:29 PM<\/strong>
We end up at Mr. Stork, a rooftop bar nearby, while we wait for our table. The view from the top is staggering. Beyond the skyline, the harbor is dotted with hundreds of ships. My jet lag fades away.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

6:09 PM<\/strong>
We finally make it to Atlas, where I order one of the best martinis on earth while Greg fills us in on Singapore trivia, like the country\u2019s quiet Chanel bag craze. He tells us to count how many we spot the next time we\u2019re in a mall. Even though I spend half the weekend inside one (downtown Singapore is basically a network of connected malls), I forget to.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

8:10 PM<\/strong>
Alexis from 160over90 hands us our Marriott Bonvoy and Mercedes-AMG Petronas Paddock Club passes for the night\u2019s practice round. Every F1 race has a Paddock Club, the ultimate hospitality suite perched above the garages and pit lane. It\u2019s a sensory-overload fantasyland where the world\u2019s most privileged fans sip champagne alongside executives, sponsors, celebrities, influencers, team insiders, and, somehow, me.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

8:33 PM<\/strong>
We arrive at the Mercedes-AMG Petronas lounge, our home base for the weekend. It\u2019s a private sanctuary for the team\u2019s VIPs, partners, and invited guests that somehow feels both corporate and chic. There\u2019s a buffet, a cheese station, an open bar, and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the pit lane and track. It\u2019s only night one and no meaningful racing has taken place yet, but the room is buzzing.<\/p>\n

9:03 PM<\/strong>
We\u2019re handed bright orange VIP lanyards granting access to the garages and pit lane, a perk typically reserved for sponsors and Marriott Bonvoy Moments members who cashed in points for access that most people could never buy. Just like that, we\u2019re inside the belly of Formula 1. As a devoted Drive to Survive watcher, it\u2019s both strangely familiar and completely surreal to be walking past the same garages I\u2019ve only seen on Netflix.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

9:51 PM<\/strong>
One of the Mercedes team members sits us down for a briefing on performance and strategy. On Drive to Survive, it\u2019s all drama and rivalries, but here we\u2019re seeing the real thing\u2014how data drives split-second decisions that mean the difference between victory and defeat. My jet lag starts to creep in, but I push it down with another vodka soda.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

12:00 AM<\/strong>
Since the Mercedes team is staying at the Ritz-Carlton, the hotel\u2019s lobby bar, Republic, is the unofficial afterparty spot for the weekend. A bunch of people are heading to Ce La Vi on top of Marina Bay Sands. I try to rally with a few espresso martinis, but my jet lag finally wins and I go to bed.<\/p>\n

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4<\/strong><\/p>\n

12:25 PM<\/strong>
After a morning visiting one of Singapore\u2019s famous hawker markets and wandering around Chinatown, I meet Tae and Jacob at Gardens by the Bay, one of the landmarks that\u2019s bolstered Singapore\u2019s reputation as a city of the future. It\u2019s basically a high-concept botanical garden, anchored by the towering Supertree Grove and two massive glass conservatories: the Cloud Forest and the Flower Dome.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

12:43 PM<\/strong>
Inside the Cloud Forest, there\u2019s a Jurassic World exhibit that I thought would be corny but which I\u2019ll admit impressed me. The animatronic creatures looked just like they do in the movies, especially the T-Rex, which I couldn\u2019t stop filming.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

1:53 PM<\/strong>
We head up to the SkyPark, the sweeping observation deck that connects the three towers of Marina Bay Sands and houses the most jaw-dropping infinity pool I\u2019ve ever seen, perched high above the city. We grab drinks at Spago, where I spot its owner, Wolfgang Puck, a few tables over, entertaining guests.<\/p>\n

4:30 PM<\/strong>
Back at the Ritz, we head to the pool, where we meet Aita, an art-world connector who knows Tae and works at the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Berlin. She invites us on a boat tomorrow with Max and Monique Burger, Swiss collectors and philanthropists who visit Singapore every year to commemorate their son, who died here in 2011. We accept immediately.<\/p>\n

6:06 PM<\/strong>
We\u2019re back at the Paddock Club for qualifying. For the uninitiated, it\u2019s the timed session that determines the starting order of the race. The fastest lap earns pole position. Since the Singapore Grand Prix is a tight street circuit with almost nowhere to pass, qualifying is everything. A good grid spot can make or break a weekend for a driver.<\/p>\n

7:25 PM<\/strong>
Speaking of drivers, George Russell, the young Brit who took over Lewis Hamilton\u2019s seat at Mercedes after his move to Ferrari in 2024, stops by the lounge for a quick Q&A before hitting the track. He\u2019s effortlessly charming and camera-ready, sharing details like keeping his body clock on one time zone no matter where he is. He semi-jokes that when he dreamed of being an F1 driver as a kid, he never imagined how much time he\u2019d spend doing things like this. As he leaves, a few guests chase after him for selfies.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

8:11 PM<\/strong>
Throughout the Paddock Club, world-class restaurants are running pop-ups free to anyone with access, though each comes with a long line. We skip the waits and eat in the Mercedes lounge instead, where the food is better than it has any right to be: lobster, shrimp, veal loin, scallops, ribeye. It all hits.<\/p>\n

10:07 PM<\/strong>
George Russell takes pole! The Mercedes lounge erupts\u2014applause, high fives, champagne flutes clinking. Mercedes has only notched one win all season, so the energy feels electric.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

11:59 PM<\/strong>
Back at the Ritz, the celebration takes over the lobby bar. Tae and I step out for a cigarette, and he spots Carlos Sainz\u2019s girlfriend waiting for a car. \u201cShould I ask for a selfie?\u201d he says. I tell him yes, purely so I can watch it unfold. He nails it.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nSUNDAY, OCTOBER 5<\/strong><\/p>\n

10:30 AM<\/strong>
We meet Aita, Max, Monique, and their crew in the Ritz lobby. Everyone\u2019s warm, chic, jet-setty, and makes us feel like we belong. When Max and Monique find out I\u2019m friends with Jon Rafman, whose work they collect, they light up. Instant connection.<\/p>\n

11:07 AM<\/strong>
After a sprinter van ride, we arrive at the boat at Keppel Bay. In front of us is a glassy, avant-garde complex of glass towers that grabs my attention for the simple fact that I\u2019ve never seen anything quite like it. I later learn that it\u2019s Reflections at Keppel Bay, Daniel Libeskind\u2019s residential masterpiece.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

11:37 AM<\/strong>
Over Coronas, Monique tells me about her philanthropic work and the art gala she\u2019s organizing at the Hamburger Kunsthalle next March, A Night in Berlin. I\u2019ve never been to Berlin, but suddenly I have a reason.<\/p>\n

1:24 PM<\/strong>
Lunch is a feast: grilled fish, satay skewers, kale salads, charcuterie, shrimp nachos, couscous, cheesecake\u2014it never stops coming. The talk turns to chatbots. I learn that the best one out there is called Perplexity, and it\u2019s expensive. A lovely Swiss guy named Tobias, who was Toto Wolff\u2019s right hand for seven years, sends me a free link.<\/p>\n

6:15 PM<\/strong>
We\u2019re back at the track for the big one and decide to try one of the restaurants before the race starts. The shortest line is at Memories of Sant Pau, a revival of the three-Michelin-starred Spanish restaurant Sant Pau. It\u2019s playing all the hits\u2014jam\u00f3n, croquettes, pan con tomate\u2014and somehow everything tastes like it was made in a professional kitchen instead of a Formula 1 paddock. I ask chef Carme Ruscalleda how she pulls off food this good in the middle of such chaos. \u201cBecause it\u2019s from the heart, and it\u2019s honest,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

6:49 PM<\/strong>
I take a moment to stargaze. About an hour before the race, I spot Max Verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, and Charles Leclerc lingering by the garages, all gearing up to try and knock George Russell from the top spot.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

8:00 PM<\/strong>
It\u2019s lights out and away we go! We watch the start of the race from the rooftop of the paddock, the engines screaming to life as they accelerate across the starting line. It\u2019s a deafening, full-body rush of adrenaline that hammers home the point: F1 is best experienced IRL.<\/p>\n

8:41 PM<\/strong>
Everyone in the Mercedes lounge is locked onto the screens as George Russell continues to lead the race. There\u2019s tension and an eerie calm in the air. Someone explains to me that even though Russell\u2019s chances look great, it\u2019s best not to get too excited. This is F1, and anything can happen.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

9:22 PM<\/strong>
With about 20 laps to go, I start to hear murmurs that we might be escorted downstairs to watch the final laps from inside the Mercedes garage. Sure enough, we\u2019re handed those bright orange VIP lanyards, and off we go. We walk downstairs and into the inner sanctum of the Mercedes garage. It\u2019s eerily quiet as we take our seats behind Toto Wolff, the billionaire team principal and one of the most powerful figures in the sport. My brain can\u2019t quite comprehend where I am or how I ended up here. Netflix cameras are rolling just feet away, capturing Toto for the upcoming season of Drive to Survive. It feels like I\u2019ve stepped through the screen and into the show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

9:41 PM<\/strong>
George Russell wins the Singapore Grand Prix, an unbelievable moment that feels like an out-of-body experience given my vantage point. I snap a quick selfie with Toto and run out into the pit lane toward the podium as fireworks burst into the night sky. It is pandemonium.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

10:18 PM<\/strong>
Back in the Mercedes garage, the Mo\u00ebt is flowing, the trophy is in front of me, the crew is working on the cars, and Toto is giving interviews. Soon, we\u2019ll be heading back to the Ritz to celebrate, but nobody seems ready to leave quite yet.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

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