When Formula 1 was preparing for the first Singapore Grand Prix 16 years ago, many working within the sport were not convinced that a night race on a city track would ever work.
“When people see this, they will realize it wasn’t a stupid idea,” Bernie Ecclestone, the chief executive of Formula 1 at the time, said in 2008.
Now, one quarter of the 24-race Formula 1 calendar takes place under lights. And many Formula 1 races have added elements Singapore included from its beginning. Some even drew direct inspiration from this event.
“We have a lot of respect for what the Singaporeans do,” Martin Whitaker, the chief executive of the Saudi Motorsport Company that runs the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, another night race, said on Sunday. “They run a fantastic event. They’re a very good benchmark on which to aim at. We very much appreciate what they do and, in many ways, are envious of what they can achieve.”
In 2008, Singapore was one of two new Formula 1 races. The other was held in Valencia, Spain, but that event did not last. Singapore, however, became a Formula 1 classic.
