SINGAPORE – Three-day grandstand and combination tickets for this year’s Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix were snapped up within six hours after going on sale on Wednesday (April 13) morning.
Combination tickets allow spectators to choose from each of three locations (pit, Padang, Stamford) for the different race days.
All hospitality packages have also been fully taken up, with companies put on the waiting list in the event that extra places become available, said race promoters Singapore GP (SGP).
It also added that single-day grandstand and walkabout tickets will be released at a later date, while more three-day grandstand tickets “may be released in the event of further relaxation of safe management measures to allow for more than the current 75 per cent capacity limit”.
Commenting on the ticket sales, SGP director Adam Firth said: “After a two-year absence from the streets of Marina Bay, we are delighted by the incredible response to our first race in our new seven-year term.
“With the enormous demand, we are very appreciative of the patience and support shown by our fans and are 100 percent committed to delivering another spectacular edition of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix this 30 September to 2 October.”
With the Singapore Grand Prix returning to the Marina Bay Street Circuit after a two-year hiatus owing to the pandemic, fans were clearly eager to lap up the track action and entertainment on offer.
But the rush for tickets resulted in some hiccups on Wednesday, with several people posting complaints on the event’s Facebook page about long waiting times, issues with seat selection and payment processing.
For some lucky fans, getting a hold of a ticket was akin to striking the lottery.
Ferrari fan Ng Junxiang, 39, was relieved after he managed to purchase tickets for two adults and two children at the pit grandstand in 15 minutes.
The cloud architect, who has been an F1 fan for 15 years, had anticipated the high demand after seeing comments on social media about the priority sales and long waiting time and made sure to be at his computer at 10am to get his tickets.
Ng, who will be attending his fifth Singapore Grand Prix, said: “I have never heard of Grand Prix tickets selling out so fast. Usually, people tend to wait for news on the entertainment line-ups before they buy the tickets but due to the pent up demand from the past two races being cancelled, it is on a different level of popularity this year.”
In response to queries, a Singapore GP spokesman said: “Due to the high demand for tickets, there was a queue for transactions which is not unusual for all hot-selling events like major concerts.”
Noting that the ticketing system had “successfully transacted thousands of tickets within a few hours”, the race promoters said that “a small number of patrons experienced technical issues” while trying to buy tickets.
The spokesman added: “Such isolated cases may happen for different reasons, including issues outside the ticketing system, such as each individual bank’s processing system in the backend. We continually monitor our systems to ensure that transactions are carried out smoothly and render assistance when required.”
In January, Singapore announced a new seven-year deal to continue hosting the F1 race. The Oct 2 race will be the 18th stop of this season’s 23-stop calendar.
A full entertainment line-up – past performers include Rihanna, Dua Lipa, Ariana Grande, Queen and Adam Lambert, Linkin Park, Jay Chou, The Killers – will be released in the coming weeks.
Singapore GP said it is working with the Singapore Government to ensure the event adheres to prevailing safe management measures.
The 2019 race drew a three-day total of 268,000 spectators – the second-highest after the 300,000 total at the 2008 maiden race.
More information is available at the Singapore GP website, ticketing hotline +65 6229 7777 or via authorised ticketing partners.
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MCI (P) 031/10/2021, MCI (P) 032/10/2021. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2021 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.