From The Straits Times    |

Photo: jaychou/Instagram

We have reached the finish line (and the bottom of our glasses) at the F1 Singapore 2018. Fists were pumped, bottles were popped, champagne was sprayed and parties were held with a bang (cue hangover). Now that the dust has settled, it’s time to review all that happened during this fun-filled and exciting three-day extravaganza. If you’ve missed out on the action, here’s a round-up of what went down on- and off-track this year, in case you #fomo.

 

Lewis Hamilton nabs his fourth win

Photo: The Straits Times

Hamilton stormed to victory from pole position on Sunday, marking a great milestone as this makes it his fourth win at the Marina Bay circuit (his three other triumphs were in 2009, 2014 and 2017). With this win, the Mercedes driver ties with Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel (who managed to only get third place this year) for being the most successful driver in the Singapore races, so this begs the question: Will either claim their fifth next year and come out tops?

 

Force India had a really bad day

Photo: The Straits Times

What a disastrous start for the Force India team. Esteban Ocon collided with his team mate Sergio Perez on the opening lap after the latter attempted an overtake at turn three. Ocon hit the wall — a crash that forced him to retire immediately. “Sorry guys there was no room,” Perez told his team over the radio. Perez and Ocon have tangled on several occasions last year, which prompted the team to impose orders forbidding them from racing each other. While the ban was relaxed, the team is considering reinstating it again after Sunday’s clash. Drama!

 

The drivers’ react to the race on their social media accounts

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lewis Hamilton (@lewishamilton) on

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Max Verstappen (@maxverstappen1) on

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Kimi Räikkönen (@kimimatiasraikkonen) on

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Valtteri Bottas (@valtteribottas) on

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Nico Hülkenberg (@hulkhulkenberg) on

 

Of course, a race didn’t happen if it wasn’t posted on social media. From posts of gratitude and reflection to quirky behind-the-scene insights, our favourite drivers showed they had a great time at the #SingaporeGP this year.

 

ALSO READ: THE BEST FORMULA 1 AFTER-PARTIES TO CHECK OUT THIS WEEKEND

 

Another year, another food review

Photo: Aston Martin Red Bull Racing/YouTube

Do you remember last year’s hilarious video of a durian taste test by Red Bull drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo? (“It burns!” Ricciardo concluded.) The hilarious duo are back at it again this year, this time with one of Singapore’s classic dishes, the chilli crab. Like before, they were tasked to crack open its shell with an assortment of different tools, from the cracker to a mallet. Ricciardo took to the challenge with gusto, while Verstappen just hovered around looking helpless. In fact he was so repulsed by the crustacean dish that he almost threw up. “This is actually pretty cruel on Max because he doesn’t like seafood,” explained Ricciardo. Oh fella, you’re missing out.

Bonus: The pair also enjoyed the Singapore skyline while on a leisurely trishaw ride along the Marina Bay Street Circuit. A little slower than what they’re used to, we’re sure.

 

Jay Chou brought the house down with his gig

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Jay Chou (@jaychou) on

 

Always a crowd’s favourite, the Taiwanese singer-songwriter thrilled a 45,000-strong crowd with nifty dance moves and an electrifying performance of new and old hits, such as Turkish Ice Cream (2016), Nunchucks (2001), Dad, I’m Home (2001) and Initial D’s theme song All the Way North (2005). Joanna Dong, who was coached by him on music competition Sing! China last year, joined him on stage for jazzy renditions of Cowboy on the Run (2007) and Sailor Afraid Of Water (2011) — Singapore represent! Off-stage, Chou was seen hanging out at Sim Lim Square and Madame Tussauds Singapore with fellow pop star and homegrown singer JJ Lin. Their presence set the hearts of fans racing, we heard.

 

Spotted: Crazy Rich Asians stars were out and about in Singapore for F1

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Michelle Yeoh 楊紫瓊 (@michelleyeoh_official) on

Photos: Amber Lounge/Facebook

Michelle Yeoh, who plays steely Singaporean matriarch, Eleanor Young in Crazy Rich Asians (CRA), was seen touring the race circuit and greeting fans on Sunday. She also reunited with her co-stars Koh Chieng Mun, Janice Koh and Selena Tan, and even met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong together with one of the film’s producer John Penotti. Fellow CRA stars Constance Lau (à la Radio One Asia) and Fiona Xie (who plays Kitty Pong) were spotted at Amber Lounge on Saturday evening. Lau donned an elegant V-neck, long-sleeved maxi dress in quetzal green — very timely with Pantone’s Fall/Winter colour trend this year — while Xie was in a tailored camel pant-suit that showed off her assets. Liv Lo, the wife of Henry Golding (who plays Nicholas Young), also turned up at the after-party, sans Golding though. Dressed in an eye-catching gold tassel dress, she certainly looked like a million bucks.

 

Even royalty came out to play

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Mateen (@tmski) on

Photo: xplacidacidx/Instagram

Prince Mateen of Brunei was seen enjoying the races, and even schmoozed with Fiona Xie! (She posted this Instagram Story of her together with the Prince and other friends.) We guess speedy races are his thing, since he made a trip to Singapore for last year’s Grand Prix too. It is unclear where her story was taken, but her outfit suggests it was also on Saturday night. Goes to show, the girl’s got friends in high places!

 

The party fizzled out, briefly

Photo: Amber Lounge

Amber Lounge is known for its highly anticipated after-parties and glamorous fashion shows, but for a brief moment, the lights went out, literally. The place plunged into darkness (and silence) midway through the fashion show, where models (some of them the alumni of The New Paper New Face) were showing pieces from designer Nida Shay. Still, we’ve got to give props to the models. Despite the lack of music or lights, they bravely continued their walk down the runway. The lights went back on after 5 minutes, which prompted the host, radio personality Shaun Tupaz, to quip that the show was “so hot, even the power went out”. Nice recovery.

 

Lewis Hamilton partied after his win

Photo: The Podium Lounge/Facebook

Nobody deserves a good time more than Hamilton, who had admitted in post-victory interviews that it had been a challenging race and he was “spent”. So it’s no wonder he chose to unwind after the race at The Podium Lounge’s after-party (seen here with Podium Lounge founder Robbie Hoyes-Cock). After all, this champion has been working hard — he chalked up 7 wins so far during this season’s Formula 1. We don’t know how he celebrated his win, but we hope it involved plenty of champagne.

 

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