THE activity at the nerve centre for the SingTel Singapore Grand Prix went up a notch yesterday, with advance parties from the various teams taking over their garages and getting ready for this weekend's race.
Construction workers, deliverymen and Formula One personnel were going about their tasks till nightfall at the Pit Building. The building houses the race control room, winners' podium, Paddock Club for high-end guests, press centre and officials' working rooms.
Several big names were spotted as well at the $40 million facility off Republic Boulevard, as preparations for F1's first night race enter the final stretch.
They included entrepreneur Ong Beng Seng, Minister for Trade and Industry Lim Hng Kiang, Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Lim Neo Chian and Formula One Management's (FOM) chief of operations Pasquale Lattinedu.
Security was understandably tightened, with several more layers of guards added from last week. Media requests to enter the Pit Building were turned down.
The three-storey facility, which was completed in June, has been fitted out with furniture and is fully operational.
One of the remaining tasks is getting food and drinks in.
Delivery trucks turned in from Republic Boulevard every few minutes in the afternoon, with workers unloading items for the weekend.
Inside the compound, crew members from teams like Ferrari, Renault, BMW and Toro Rosso carried equipment to and from their respective garages.
Said Honda's sporting director Ron Meadows: "The working conditions will be excellent, as the pit garages are very spacious at 6 metres by 20 metres and each team will have a minimum of three garages to work in.
"Delegates from the Formula One teams visited Singapore in July with the FIA and we were very impressed with the facilities at the Marina Bay circuit."
Construction workers milled about too, putting the final touches to the team hospitality suites and giving some other structures a fresh coat of paint.
Observing all this for several hours was Ong, whose personal relationship with F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone was integral in sealing the deal in May last year to bring F1 here.
Ong has visited the pit building almost every day since last week, said insiders.
Yesterday, he accompanied Minister Lim, Senior Minister of State (Trade and Industry) S. Iswaran, STB's Lim and other government officials on a visit of the building.
There are just days left to the most highly-anticipated race, so expect the area to get busier as the clock runs down to first practice on Friday at 7pm.
And with team crews staying on European time because of the 10pm start for Saturday's qualifying and 8pm start for Sunday's race, work at the garages will commence after lunch and continue into the wee hours of the morning.
But the only people in the pits so far have been the mechanics and some engineers ? although some drivers have already arrived.
One of them, Honda's Rubens Barrichello, told his team's website that he would take a walk on the track with the engineers soon.
"I will spend Monday and Tuesday with my wife in the city. And then, most probably, I will have a very lively nightlife to get used to the schedule,'' he said.
But others like Williams' Nico Rosberg are doing the opposite: flying here just before Friday's practice so they can keep their body clock as close to European time as possible.
He said: "New tracks are often quite demanding and take a bit of time during practice to get used to. Racing at night will add to that challenge, but the whole concept is fantastic."
This article was first published in The Straits Times on Sept 23, 2008.
