F1 Grand Prix: Something great is happening in Singapore

In the runup to the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix, events organizer Singapore GP announces that it will be releasing 70,000 tickets and official passes on Feb. 14 at 9 am (Singapore time GMT+8). The first batch of Singapore GP tickets will consist of 15,000 walkabout passes and 55,000 grandstand seats at strategic locations throughout the circuit.

Where to get tickets

Three-day passes to the Singapore GP are priced from S$168 (walkabout) to S$1,388 (Premier Pit Grandstand). They include a separate ticket for each race day and can be used by three different people over the three days. However, tickets cannot be interchangeable on the same day.

All prices include the relevant processing fee and Goods and Services Tax. Singapore GP patrons will receive a printed confirmation at the time of the booking, which they can then use in June to claim the plastic commemorative tickets and lanyard currently on hold for security reason.

Singapore GP bookings can be made through OmniTicket Network outlets located at Forum Shopping Centre, Marina Square Shopping Centre, and Singapore Visitors Centre at Orchard Road, or via Singapore GP sales counters at post offices across the island.

Online, F1 patrons can log on to the official Singapore Grand Prix website for tickets reservation, seating chart, grandstand descriptions, and details on the historic F1 races at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix.

Where to sleep

Singapore GP is set to break cover on a street circuit around the Marina Bay area. With downtown Singapore as backdrop, spectators get a glimpse of the exotic garden city of Singapore with its quaint mix of historical landmarks and modern-day buildings.

Marina Bay is the district in Singapore that flanks the sheltered waters off the Raffles Boulevard, Beach Road, and Esplanade Drive. Across the district are Singapore hotels that range from budget to luxury.

The Singapore Beach Hotel on Beach Road offers room-per-night as well as long-term hotel accommodation at special rates, which can be luxuriously economical for the lengthy schedule of Singapore GP events.

Over at downtown Singapore, where Singapore GP fever is most likely to be evident on island residents, Singapore visitors can opt to stay at the upscale classic accommodations of Claremont Hotel in Singapore.

The hotel in Singapore of Claremont is in the vicinity of Farrer Park, near in the heart of Singapore while accessible from the rest of the island through the Farrer Park MRT Station.

Need a crib near enough to feel the rush of Singapore GP yet not isolating from other must-sees in Singapore? YWCA Singapore offers its Fort Canning Lodge to Singapore visitors looking for rooms within reach.

The YWCA Singapore Hotel is located on the outskirts of the Fort Canning Park, adjacent to Orchard Road that leads to downtown Singapore, and to Fort Canning Road that heads toward the get-go flag of Singapore SG at Raffles Boulevard.

What to expect

The 5-km street circuit of Singapore GP features wide tracks and sharp turns that can only make overtaking and cornering all the more electrifying. At 300 kph on average, F1 entries from Ferrari to Mercedes will rev up in the heart of Singapore’s garden city with the charming blend of old and new buildings in the background.

The 2008 F1 Singapore GP races are scheduled to run at nighttime, so expect the Marina Bay area in Singapore to be bathed in light at night and exude an impression of a city full of activities that it never sleeps. Clark Quay and the Esplanade are just around the corner, so expect as well a zoom-zooming nightlife well into sunup.