After five successful years, it was highly unlikely that Formula One would say goodbye to Singapore. The two cities may have water in common, but Valencia this ain't.
But with the F1 circus rolling into town for what could have been the last time were the race contract not extended, paddock people were keeping their fingers crossed that we weren't making our last visit to the much loved Singapore Grand Prix.
While some fans complain that the Marina Bay Circuit doesn't offer much in the way of overtaking, finding Singapore detractors in the F1 paddock is an impossible task.
We like the food, the people, the city, the culture, the vampire hours, and the once-in-a-season fun of racing at night.
And we remember a lot of good racing at this circuit (where overtaking does happen), not least Robert Kubica's stellar performance on these mean streets in September 2010.
So when news emerged that Bernie Ecclestone and the Singapore race organisers had called a special press conference for Saturday evening, we braced ourselves for confirmation of a contract extension. Because why would Bernie and co. hold a press conference to announce the race was finished?
Sure, Singapore had been pressing for a lower race hosting fee in light of the changing global financial climate (and their position of power as the Monaco of the east in F1 business terms), but that's no reason for FOA to bring an end to one of the most popular events on the calendar.
"We're very happy with what we've got in Singapore,” Ecclestone told reporters. “All of us without exception like being here and that made it difficult to negotiate. We eventually got there."
The Singapore Grand Prix contract has been extended to 2017, and while Marina Bay is likely to remain the backdrop of the race, the organisers admitted that they were open to the possibility of revising or moving the circuit, although no plans to do either are currently in place.
But with the F1 circus rolling into town for what could have been the last time were the race contract not extended, paddock people were keeping their fingers crossed that we weren't making our last visit to the much loved Singapore Grand Prix.
While some fans complain that the Marina Bay Circuit doesn't offer much in the way of overtaking, finding Singapore detractors in the F1 paddock is an impossible task.
We like the food, the people, the city, the culture, the vampire hours, and the once-in-a-season fun of racing at night.
And we remember a lot of good racing at this circuit (where overtaking does happen), not least Robert Kubica's stellar performance on these mean streets in September 2010.
So when news emerged that Bernie Ecclestone and the Singapore race organisers had called a special press conference for Saturday evening, we braced ourselves for confirmation of a contract extension. Because why would Bernie and co. hold a press conference to announce the race was finished?
Sure, Singapore had been pressing for a lower race hosting fee in light of the changing global financial climate (and their position of power as the Monaco of the east in F1 business terms), but that's no reason for FOA to bring an end to one of the most popular events on the calendar.
"We're very happy with what we've got in Singapore,” Ecclestone told reporters. “All of us without exception like being here and that made it difficult to negotiate. We eventually got there."
The Singapore Grand Prix contract has been extended to 2017, and while Marina Bay is likely to remain the backdrop of the race, the organisers admitted that they were open to the possibility of revising or moving the circuit, although no plans to do either are currently in place.
RSS Feed
