Some 92 per cent of the tickets to Singapore's inaugural grand prix released so far have been snapped up, prompting organiser Singapore GP (SGP) to release an additional 1,600 grandstand seats to accommodate the demand.
Forty per cent of the 92,500 tickets sold so far were purchased from overseas.
In the last five months, 100,600 tickets have been released in total, including the new grandstand seats.
The new Connaught grandstand, opposite the Esplanade, will sport 1,100 seats going at $698 for a three-day pass, while 500 seats will also be added to the existing Turn 2 grandstand. The seats at Turn 2 will be priced at $1,388.
'If the demand for grandstands increases, we will work with stakeholders and our consultants to assess whether it is economically, logistically and technically possible to place additional grandstands whilst still offering a great view of the race,' said SGP media and communications director Jonathan Hallett.
The City Hall steps, which was previously being considered as a potential grandstand location, will instead be used as a viewing platform for walkabout ticket holders.
Previously, SGP had said that the view for some sections of the City Hall steps was obstructed by trees.
In addition, SGP announced that the number of turns in the Marina Bay circuit is being reduced from 24 to 23.
The change is due to amendments to Turn 10, which is located at the end of St Andrew's Road, passing City Hall and The Padang.
As Turns 10 and 11 are quite close together, the two turns have been identified as a chicane and are now dubbed turns 10a, b and c.
A chicane is a quick succession of corners in alternate directions and is incorporated into a circuit to slow the cars, often just before a high-speed corner.
The additional 1,600 tickets will go on sale from this Friday.
The Stamford, Raffles, Marina and Esplanade Waterfront grandstands are sold out, while seats are still available at Turns 1 and 2, the Padang, Singapore Flyer and Esplanade Steps Premier.
Turn 3 as well as the Bay and Pit grandstands only have single-seat availability at this point.
This article was first published in The Business Times on 03 July, 2008
