Round 15: Singapore

Justin:

I've fallen in love with F1 all over again.

No matter what gripes one might have with the current rules and regulations and all that stuff, when you see F1 live you are instantly reminded as to how bloody awesome our sport is.

Though, people with earplugs in Singapore....that is sad. You don't need them! Try out the V8's from 2013 and before...those will make your ears bleed!

The Singapore #F1NightRace is truly unique. It is intense, in your face, jam packed and a truly beautiful thing.

I was in the Waterfront Esplanade grandstand, which gave me a pretty good view (and a welcome breeze from the water) of a slower corner and I witnessed up close the cars accelerating out of the corner (just as they slide towards the barrier, they power and squirm away - amazing!).

Even the engine noise, whilst quieter than 2013 and before, is still pretty meaty and deep (more so than those last year in Hungary). When the exhausts face you as the cars power out of the corner, it's all pretty impressive.

The absolute poetry of a car going through a corner right on the edge, riding the kerbs on the outside right next to the barrier, before powering away - It is something to savour. Wow.

The drivers are artists, the track is their canvas, the car is their paint brush.

Nico Rosberg continued his winning run that started in Belgium and carried on in Monza.

He dominated Lewis in qualifying and in the race. It was probably just as much Hamilton not finding a correct setup as it was Rosberg having the qualifying lap of his life as he said afterwards. 0.7 seconds ahead of your teammate is a lifetime in F1.

It was a pretty fun race, where for a while you had interest up front as the first four cars stayed within touching distance.

Elsewhere there was a lot of fun - Vettel storming through from last to 5th should get a special mention, as should Alonso storming the start and going up to 5th until around half way through, eventually finishing 7th.

I'll share a couple more pictures I took here. The one of Alonso above is definitely getting framed on my wall, as are the two below.

Onto Malaysia! Sadly I didn't have the time or money to stay in Singapore for a few more days and leap across to take in the Malaysian Grand Prix too.

PS - I saw none other than the legend that is Damon Hill on my flight out. I should have asked him to sign my copy of his autobiography. No matter, he liked a Tweet I sent about it, so it's all good.