BERNIE Ecclestone switched off the lights and walked out of the room in London three weeks ago, leaving entrepreneur Ong Beng Seng and his confidant Colin Syn and Singapore Government officials literally in the dark.
Everyone laughed. They knew the Formula One supremo was joking, though they also knew he was trying to gain a concession.
In the end, much of the problems that had brought Ong and Syn to London were settled.
The incident reflected not only the relationship between Ong and Ecclestone but also how much of their negotiations were conducted.
As Syn revealed yesterday: "It's a people thing, it's so easy you know.
Bernie's way of doing business is a handshake."
That point was mentioned at Friday's press conference to announce that Ong's Singapore GP Pte Ltd had been given the rights by Ecclestone to stage Formula One races.
"I've known Mr Ong for many years. If it wasn't for him, there wouldn't be the possibility of a race.
"We have five countries waiting to be hosts. It's because of our friendship over the years that he has persuaded me to come to Singapore."
But the Briton, who was speaking via a teleconference from Barcelona, was less enamoured with what he perceived as the Government's preference for things to be in black and white.
He said: "It's not been easy, I must be honest with you. Normally - without being rude - to deal with government officials isn't too easy."
At that point, Mr S. Iswaran, the Minister of State for Trade and Industry who chaired the conference, interjected: "Be kind Bernie, be kind."
"I'm trying to be honest," Ecclestone responded, to the laughter of the audience.
Perhaps Mr Iswaran, having dealt with Ecclestone - whom he called a 'tough negotiator' - and Ong during a protracted 12 months of discussions, had imbibed their infectious spirit.
To be sure, Teo Hock Seng, Syn and Michael Roche - the chairman, deputy chairman and executive director of Singapore GP Pte Ltd, which will manage F1 in Singapore - showed much of that spirit too yesterday.
They were laughing and joking, as they recounted the last 12 months and the relationship between long-time friends Ong and Ecclestone.
Negotiations between the two, according to Komoco Motors managing director Teo, were like a game of chess.
"They are two top businessmen," he said. "For them, it's a battle of wits. Not trying to outwit each other, but in the sense of wittiness, friendly banter."
To which Roche, director of Lushington Entertainments, added: "It was always done in a very personable and nice way."
Roche himself has been the subject of some Ecclestone humour.
Two weeks ago, he fell and broke his shoulder blade and collarbone.
"I told Bernie that Mike attributed to stress, that Bernie had pushed him the the edge," said Syn. - Bernie replied, "I'm coming to finish him off."
Is that why the trio described Ecclestone as 'very much a hands-on man'?
It appears their boss, Ong, is built that way too.
"Mr Ong's very hands-on," said Syn.
"Everything we do together with him.
"I've never seen him work so hard to make so little money. He flies back and forth just for this Grand Prix.
"He's never been so stressed because there's accountability to the Government here."
Roche chipped in, saying: "He mentioned many times that, if it was just too hard and not deliverable, then we had to walk away.
"It wasn't at any cost, it certainly was never that."
The cost for Teo was that Ong was forever at meetings.
"You call him and he always says sorry, I'm in a meeting," he said.
"We have to give a lot of credit to him. We have gone through a lot of micro details.
"He's done bigger deals, to make more money, in only minutes. In comparison, this deal took such a long time."
In the end, the deal was sealed with a handshake - and with signatures that were faxed from Singapore to Barcelona and back.
