Beyond the race track: I try the food and activities at Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix

During my pre-teen years, I was a massive Formula 1 fan.

With McLaren being my team of choice, I'd stay up late on Sunday nights to support the likes of Finnish racing legend Kimi Raikkonen and a young Lewis Hamilton.

Then adulthood happened and, for one reason or another, my interest in the sport waned.

So when I was tasked with trying out the activities at the Circuit Park of the Singapore Grand Prix 2024, I took it as an opportunity to revisit a sport that I had enjoyed in my younger days.

First impressions

Surrounding the Marina Bay Street Circuit is the Circuit Park, filed with a variety of entertainment and food options.

And the moment I entered the park on race day, Sept 22, I got a glimpse of the scale of this iconic international event.

The Circuit Park opens at 2.45pm on said day, roughly five hours before the start of the race itself.

Wanting to make the most of our time, my colleague and I started early to fully experience what the park had to offer.

Entering through Gate 1 at Republic Boulevard, we were greeted by an F1 Village — with merchandise booths, bars, food stalls, activity stations and concert stages.

It wasn't long before the F1 Village was filled with fans ready to soak up the atmosphere.

After a quick walkabout, I narrowed down the activity I was most eager to try, F1 SimRacing.

You can't head to an F1 event without having a go at a racing simulator, right?

Activities we tried

For the uninitiated, F1 SimRacing is a racing game software that attempts to accurately simulate F1 racing.

As we headed over to the station, we found out that there was a delayed opening to the public due to technical difficulties.

And because of our tight schedule, this was one activity we had to forego. 

Oh well, next year then.

I quickly moved on to the eye-catching Craft Station at the other end of the Circuit Park.

Despite its rather unimaginative name, its activity and cause are far from that.

Housed by Plastify, F1 fans are able to bring the recycling experience home (in the literal sense).

Paul Lee, director of Plastify, told AsiaOne that the station allows fans to make their own exclusive F1 merchandise out of recycled plastic.

Just pull a lever for 30 seconds.

I had a go at the Craft Station myself and it's not as easy as it looks. But at least I got myself a memorabilia!

1.80 seconds, that's the fastest pit stop ever recorded in F1.

And with the Pit Stop Challenge, all you have to do is gather your pit stop crew together to match the lightning speed set by McLaren in 2023.

Unfortunately, I had no pit stop crew to battle it out with so instead, I watched on eagerly from the sidelines.

The many F1 enthusiasts certainly took this challenge seriously. And could you blame them?

The winning team of the Pit Stop Challenge would earn themselves a swanky F1 Paddock tour.

Zone 4

After a few hours had passed, I realised we barely completed half of Zone 1, there were still concert stages and a Food Market to check out.

But American rock band 30 Seconds To Mars was set to perform at 6.15pm.

Unfortunately, the performance was at Padang Stage in Zone 4, which was a roughly 30-minute walk.

In the sweltering heat, this was quite the challenge and I made a rookie mistake of not bringing sunblock, umbrella or a handheld fan.

With no DRS button to accelerate myself to Zone 4, I trudged my way over in hopes of being able to see 30 Seconds To Mars perform live.

I've watched my fair share of concerts but not too many have the stage presence of lead singer, Jared Leto.

The music was top, the city backdrop was sublime and the most staggering part is that I'm in an F1 circuit, with the race about to kick-off in under an hour.

Before the start of the race, I wanted to squeeze in one final activity.

Unfortunately, the long queues meant that Baton Catch, Speed Agility Challenge and Complimentary Tattoo stations would have been too much of a gamble.

So I opted for the Bike Simulator, which didn't have too many fans

I mean, it's essentially an outdoor spin session.

The only difference is you get to "race" a fellow fan in lighting-up a mock-up of the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

After an exhausting day, I was knackered halfway through the cycle.

And, in all honesty, I have no clue if I won my race against the polite and demure woman I met in the queue.

What's the food like?

It isn't only the F1 cars that needed refuelling.

After a few hours spent in the Circuit Park, my colleague and I were famished and opted to share a variety of dishes.

Zone 4 had numerous stalls to choose from, from fast-food chain 4Fingers Crispy Chicken to nasi lemak specialist The Coconut Club.

We headed for Gyusan's Truffle Fries ($14) and Vegan Chicken Burger ($24), and Jia He Chinese Restaurant's Calamari Ring with Truffle Cream ($15) and Pineapple Fried Rice with Angus Beef and Honshimeji Mushroom ($22).

Yes, the prices did startle me too. 

But I can't say that I anticipated food to be affordable at the Singapore Grand Prix.

Unfortunately, much of it was average, at best.

The truffle fries were overcooked while the less said about the fried rice, the better.

The vegan burger was the clear winner, but it didn't have much competition.

I mean I could actually count the number of calamari rings on both hands.

If I have the opportunity to experience the Singapore Grand Prix again, I'd snatch it in a heartbeat.

Being an F1 enthusiast isn't a prerequisite to enjoy this event.

ALSO READ: Best deals for F1 Singapore 2024: All-day buffets, free-flow alcohol, race simulators, and more

amierul@asiaone.com