By Leonard Lim and Marc Lim

THE Formula One world championship picture cleared a little last night, after McLaren's Lewis Hamilton won the race under the stars and current table-topper Jenson Button grabbed precious points with his fifth-place finish at the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix.

The result puts Button a little closer to winning the championship - he has a 15-point lead with three races to go - but the title race is by no means over, and will likely go down to the wire.

But though the question of who will succeed Hamilton as world champion remains unanswered, another - whether the Singapore race could top last year's event, despite dwindling interest, Crashgate and other scandals, plus a global recession - was answered with a resounding yes.

As images of the Singapore skyline were once again beamed to an international television audience estimated at 100 million, Formula One bigwigs, Singaporeans, tourists, and business owners all gave an unqualified two thumbs up to this year's race and festival events, saying the buzz was far more electric this time around.

The estimated 240,000 fans who thronged the Marina Bay street circuit over the past three days also attested to the success of the event - barely a month ago, only 72 per cent of tickets had been sold, but a late rush saw all but the most expensive seats snapped up.

The attendance figures are in line with races elsewhere, which usually see a 20 per cent drop after the first year. Last year, about 300,000 people attended the three-day event here.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone, who last year called the Singapore GP the "jewel in F1's crown", was equally effusive yesterday, telling The Straits Times that the country once again put on a great show.

"Fantastic job, no complaints. Every year is a big improvement, and next year it'll be better," he said.

BMW team principal Mario Theissen said: "It's been a flawless weekend, the people of Singapore have had to deal with some inconveniences, but it's a great event, very unique."

Business owners also smacked their lips at the prospect of counting the weekend's takings.

St James Power Station's chief operating officer Andrew Ing could not contain his delight yesterday. He said: "We've been doing much better, there's been roughly a doubling of the crowds coming through the doors the past four nights."

Nightspots in the area, such as those at Clarke Quay, also reported a palpable buzz, and though they have not yet worked out their sums, many were confident that the event had given them a much-needed fillip.

Fans at last night's race, which was attended by dignitaries who included President S R Nathan, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong and Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, were especially pleased.

Melbourne native Dianna-Lee Daniels, 44, who also attended last year's event, said this year's race was an improvement over the inaugural race.

"It was more enjoyable and smoother, a lot more accessible this time," she said.

Singaporeans at the race said they had experienced more than just excitement.

Self-employed Chua Yu Han, 27, who watched last year's race on TV, wanted to experience first-hand the banshee howl of the F1 engines. She came away beaming with pride.

"It's amazing seeing the skyline nicely lit up as a backdrop to the fast cars zooming by, and makes you feel really proud that Singapore can pull off such a big event successfully," she said.

Many of the improvements, such as better access for spectators and shorter road closures, were a result of organisers working on feedback from fans and officials after last year's race.

As a result, rave reviews this year far outnumbered complaints, which included grumbles about traffic jams, poor business because of road closures and some scheduling gripes.

Even Hamilton, who criticised the track as bumpy and dangerous on Friday, changed his tune last night.

"The track is fantastic, the fans are amazing," he gushed at the post-race press conference.

"There was a huge crowd here and they put on a great show again."

limze@sph.com.sg
marclim@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The Straits Times.

For more The Straits Times stories, click here.