Whilst most of the crowds were flocking to the main gates for the event
this evening, our taxi driver took us slightly further into the centre of the
city, to a tall office block that has a microbrewery nestled in the heart of
it, with a restaurant and bar cut into the side of the 33rd floor.
Ingeniously this bar
was called Level 33, and had been selected as the location for Nick’s companies
F1 celebrations, and once we were out on the thin terrace that ran the length
on one wall, you could very easily see why!
We arrived bang on 5pm,
both to make sure that Nick was there to meet and greet his team’s clients and
also as we were planning to slip out a little bit early and head down to see
Robbie Williams perform on the main stage at around 10pm, so we needed to
ensure we had put in enough face time before then.
Having been handed a
slightly questionable ‘blonde lager mojito’ we nabbed the table with the best
spot and settled in for a most enjoyable evening. Whilst chatting away to a
couple of Nicks incredibly lovely clients we watched the sun go down over the
city, and the floodlit roads of the racetrack began to shine out. The
qualifiers were being broadcast onto huge (but unobtrusive) screens inside the
bar, so you could keep an eye on the action without having to pay attention to
it the entire time.
There were really good
drinks and lovely food on offer throughout the evening, and I managed to find
some people to talk with who kept me very happily entered for the duration of
the night. Nick’s entire company where in attendance with their clients, so it
was around 250 people busy at some points, but with a great table out in the
breeze I was very happy with the six friends or so that I had made (and who,
luckily for Nick, turned out to be some of the most important ones for his desk
– you’re welcome Nick!)
As the clock ticked on
and the qualifying rounds finished we knew that it was just about time to head
down and get a place to watch Robbie Williams on the main stage. We were just
finishing up our last drinks and getting ready to go when the heavens opened
and a ridiculous amount of rain began bucketing down.
Singapore has
occasional issues with smog or ‘haze’ as they prefer to call it, and during the
day on Saturday it had been pretty bad, but it had definitely not looked like a
night for rain. We can only assume that the seeding planes were sent back up to
get clouds ready to clear the air the minute the qualifiers were done to ensure
a clear night and very bright start to the day on Sunday.
It was a great decision
for the racing, but a rubbish decision for Robbie. The appeal of heading out
into a full blown thunder storm wasn’t going to cut it, so we all bundled
inside and set up camp at another table to wait out the storm. It was a long wait, but one that was very much
worth it. The photos of people who braved the rain the next day were insane –
mud up to their knees and soaked to the skin. I think we made the right
decision on this one.
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