Reactions
The international media and many of those directly involved in Formula One praised the staging of the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix highly. Fears which were previously expressed about the weather, visibility and narrow nature of the circuit itself all proved unfounded. Organisation of the event itself was widely deemed to be impeccable as the ushering, transport, and security services all ran like clockwork. However, the drivers did complain about how bumpy the track was, particularly off the racing line, which made overtaking difficult on a street circuit hemmed in by barriers.
Sports supremo and Formula One's commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone heralded the Singapore Grand Prix as the "new jewel in the Formula One sports crown", a phrase often used to describe the Monaco Grand Prix circuit. He described Singapore as an example to follow and would make people reconsider their opinions of Asia.
| “ | For years I've been saying go East, not West. When you think about it, most parts of Asia where people have visited, they sort of put everything in one basket - 'Singapore is the same as India, Malaysia and Thailand'. That's how they feel because they don't know any better. Hopefully this will open people's eyes and they'll say, my God, Singapore really is alive and well. | ” |
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— Commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone |
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Several other prominent Formula One personalities were quoted as saying,
| “ | The guys here have done an absolutely unbelievable job. The effort that has gone into this circuit in the last 12 months is nothing short of phenomenal. I think of the spectacle of a night race, but not only have we got a night race, we have also got a great circuit, a really challenging circuit. They have just raised the bar considerably for a new circuit and the spectacle of racing at night in a big city such as Singapore is really exciting. | ” |
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— Red Bull racing team principal Christian Horner |
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| “ | It has a good chance of challenging Monaco for being the jewel in the crown of Formula One. That is the most accurate thing to say. They have great weather, a very good track and the grandstands packed. I think there is a lot of enthusiasm out there. | ” |
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— Williams team boss Sir Frank Williams |
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| “ | It is not just a new experience, it is a real big step in the history of grand prix racing because it has been done so well. Everything has been proven now and we can take this model and apply it to anywhere in the world - either to bring to Europe the race at a time when people watch it, or even within Europe to make it more spectacular. | ” |
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— McLaren Group chairman Ron Dennis |
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| “ | I think it is a big, big step forward for Formula One. The pictures, the atmosphere is really one of a kind and this gives a completely new experience to all the viewers worldwide but also to the spectators. That is very positive and the whole scenery I think is unreal. It is like in a movie and I think it is a big, big step. I think Bernie pushed very hard, so thanks to him. | ” |
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—Mercedes Motorsport chief Norbert Haug |
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| “ | The most impressive thing for me is what an amazing job they have done here in Singapore to prepare the circuit. I cannot particularly fault it. I think they did a tremendous job, so I feel everyone deserves a real pat on the back because it is really impressive." | ” |
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— McLaren F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton |
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| “ | Of course, when you race on a track that would work better as a circus rink or something along those lines, anything can happen, because the real show was put on yesterday by the safety car. This is humiliating for the F1 world. During the next few weeks, I would like discuss this with all the other teams. | ” |
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— Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo |
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Locally, Sunday's F1 night race on the local MediaCorp TV Channel 5 drew more viewers than the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony in the previous month, becoming the highest-rated programme for the year. The average ratings for Sunday’s race were 17.8 per cent, or 789,000 viewers, as compared to 17.3 per cent (765,000 viewers) for the opening of the Beijing Games. The world’s inaugural F1 race under floodlights is reported to have been watched by an estimated global TV audience of about 400 million.
Read more about this topic: 2008 Singapore Grand Prix
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