heartattack

2008 has been a fantastic year for sports

• An Olympics that gave us the feats of Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt
• A Wimbledon that gave us arguably the best tennis game ever followed by a US open where a fallen hero silenced his doubters
• A nailbiting finish to the English Premier League and the Champion’s league
• The inaugural Indian Premier League that has changed the face of world cricket
• A Superbowl that gave us one of the most significant upsets in American Football history

And well, adding another feather to the cap of 2008 is the Singapore Grand Prix – the first after-dark race in the history of Formula 1. If any country could pull such a feat off, it had to be Singapore – a country that is synonymous to efficiency.

Singapore is the country version of Iridium when it comes to density. Carving out a race track from the city center in such a country is harder than getting Apple to approve you iPhone application. But well they did it, and in style. In fact, the circuit had a video-game..ish feel to it. 

The cars looked great under the lights. I wish the cheerleaders were as good..!!

The circuit itself was enough overdose of awesomeness, but the awesomeness did not stop there. The race itself bordered on the “Britney Spears” mark on my awesomeness scale.

First, Felipe Massa, starting on pole, opined that he’ll probably need more fuel than this car could contain – so he decided to take the fuel hose with the car. While that would have certainly made Doc Oc happy, the half-dragon-monster looking car did not go well with the high command and the already screwed driver was further penalized.

Secondly, Force India’s Adrian Sutil, admitting to self that he cannot get Force India even 1 point this season (how lousy can you get.. I think if I sent a team of trishaws to F1 I would have won at least 1 point this season), decided to aim for Felipe Massa instead of the checkered flag. Unfortunately for him, Massa was faster than the Titanic and avoided the collision. Sutil, the iceberg, did not. Wham!!

At the end of the day, Fernando Alonso triumphed. That guy is so talented that if he drove for my trishaw team, we might even win the F1. Here, he was helped not only by his unmatched talent and the “ever-so-reliable” French engineering (:P), but also by Mercedes. Yes, the safety cars were all Mercs. Lewis Hamilton will not be a happy man.

‘Twas great to see him on the podium receiving that winner’s trophy that, though looking like a structure made out of defunct xylophones, was indeed pretty. Again, Singapore perfectionism at work!!

I wonder, however, how much fine the Singapore government would have imposed on the winning drivers for spilling champagne on the streets (and on Ruben Barrichello, who accidently threw his gloves in the Singapore river while attempting a rockstar maneuver of throwing stuff at fans). My guess – $200 each, at least.. oh wait, 200 is for spitting.. maybe 300!