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Singapore: Doing it right since 2008

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Few modern races have had the immediate impact of the Singapore Grand Prix. And not just the impact of Nelson Piquet Jr smashing into the wall at Turn 17…

While many of F1's forays into pastures new have seen empty grandstands and lacklustre local support of all but the governmental investment variety, Singapore can boast strong ticket sales, a mixed audience of international travellers and locals keen to get in on the action, and what is probably the most impressive list of off-track entertainments of any race on the calendar.

The first round of the Singapore Grand Prix was always going to see a sizeable crowd, as the bulk of new arrivals on the calendar do well in their first year as even those locals uninterested in racing will - if they have the funds - buy tickets just to see what all the fuss is about. Add to that the novelty factor of Formula One's first night race and Singapore's perfect location as a starting point for a holiday in southeast Asia and early success was as good as guaranteed.

But what is so impressive about Singapore is the way in which the race organisers have been able to up the ante year on year, taking what was already a very good event and finding new ways to improve it.

Of course, the Singapore race organisers have the government on their side. There is financial investment; local support for planning and hosting events; and a concerted effort between the grand prix, government, and sponsors to work together to promote the event both locally and globally.

When asked about declining audience sizes in Monza, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner used the opportunity to talk up the excellent job that Red Bull had done promoting their eponymous race in Austria this year.

"Well, Red Bull for the first time has hosted and promoted a grand prix this year which was a great success," he said. "It was a capacity crowd, more than 100,000 people and there was action from start to finish of the weekend, on and off the track. ... Our responsibility is to put on the best show that we can and then obviously the different promoters - it's up to them to promote that event and set their prices according to how they run their businesses, whether it be ticket price or television etc etc. I think our responsibility is to put the best show on that we can and then rely on the promoters to do their bit."

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I believe it is safe to say that Horner would agree that the Singapore promoters not only do their bit, but do it very well.

But both Red Bull and the Singapore race organisers have an advantage tucked away in their back pockets: heaps and heaps of cash. The races in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi can compete financially, and both events are notable for the extras they lay on for fans when there's nothing to look at on track. The Middle Eastern rounds are lacking in audiences, however. Local support is still at the nascent level, and while AbDab attracts an international jet-setting crowd more interested in the parties at the Yas Viceroy than the racing, Bahrain is yet to establish itself as an international tourist destination for reasons that really don't need saying again.

The Red Bull Ring is unique among European circuits in that the promoter is richer than Croesus, and while the local government does not provide financial support for the race, it does offer seemingly bottomless practical support for permits, licenses, and the like.

F1's European heartland does not boast many governments who can afford to offer the sort of financial support that Singapore gets. But the level of practical support the Styrian authorities were able to give the Red Bull Ring does not require money.

If F1's struggling European races take a leaf out of the Austro-Singaporean book, and cooperate with regional tourist boards and local authorities to develop a low-cost promotional strategy that will bring fans to races and hopefully convince them to stay on after Sunday and keep spending at local attractions, organising discounts at hotels and restaurants on the presentation of a race ticket, we might yet be able to orchestrate a low-cost rescue of Formula One on the continent that helped turn an amateur amusement into a travelling global behemoth.

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