Get Set For Lights Out

Unlike other race venues, life in Singapore enters the fast lane whenever Formula 1 comes to town. Hotels are maxxed out. Merchandise stores pop up around the city. Banners and hoardings salute your favourite F1 drivers on every corner of the streets. A life size LEGO F1 installation sits outside the ION Orchard building. It is a celebration of motorsports that is hard to miss.

In fact, the mood is set as soon as we land at Singapore’s Changi Airport, where a full-scale Aston Martin F1 replica car stands in front of a digital backdrop inspired by the Scottish Highlands. Whiskey and F1, you may wonder? But it’s a smooth pairing. In November 2024, Glenfiddich, the Speyside distillery, announced an exclusive, long-term partnership with Aston Martin, bringing together two timeless brands known for their heritage and innovation. This popup at Changi, like activations at other key global airports, also highlighted the global travel retail-exclusive Glenfiddich 19-Year-Old Limited Edition, created in partnership with the Aston Martin F1 team. This won’t be the last I see of this rare expression during my trip, which is on invitation from the legacy Speyside brand.

When we finally reach the Marina Bay Circuit, there’s a steady stream of people walking in. A little past 3PM on Sunday, you see a lot of Tifosi red and papaya McLaren. A little black and fluorescent electric blue Mercedes peppered here and there. A bit of dark green for the Aston Martin faithful.

Once you are inside the circuit, it’s all about movement. Past the wall of champions and a slightly long walk later, we reach our home for the next few hours: the Aramco Aston Martin F1 Team paddock club.

At the Aston Martin paddock club lounge, there is a steady supply of cold towels and bubbling champagne. The tables are set alongside a lavish menu that includes everything from fresh seafood and Japanese cuisine to tapas and a noodle bar.

The Club 1959, that celebrates Glenfiddich’s global partnership with the Aston Martin Formula One team, serves cocktails that are brought to life by the Glenfiddich 15-year-old: from a classic Old Fashioned to a refreshing take on the Spritz. I’m introduced to Struan Grant Ralph, global whisky ambassador, Glenfiddich, and the brand’s master distiller and malt master Brian Kinsman. It’s a sea of dark green in the lounge for sure

Earlier this year, apart from the 19-Year-Old, Glenfiddich also debuted the Glenfiddich 16-Year-Old bottling to celebrate its partnership with Aston Martin. Kinsman tells me what the collaboration is all about. The idea, he says, is to invite enthusiasts worldwide to engage with the two brands in new ways and create moments that go beyond the racetrack.

"We've always strived to create exceptional whiskies that stand the test of time," says Kinsman. "The Glenfiddich 16-Year-Old and 19-Year-Old are no exception. They are a testament to our dedication to craftsmanship, accuracy and passion. Each bottle tells a story of innovation yet is rooted in the tradition of excellence that we’ve upheld since 1887,” Kinsman adds. "We're proud to be part of a partnership with Aston Martin Aramco that celebrates the perfect balance of precision and intuition. Whisky or Formula One, innovation fuels the journey, but instinct defines the experience."

Back at the circuit, with a cold 1959 Spritz (made using the Glenfiddich 15-year-old, pear liquer, soda and a lime garnish) in your hands, the large landscape windows give you the best views in the house. The F1 Paddock Club is the perfect vantage point where you sit right above the team garages, with the pit lane and grandstands in front of you. As the clock ticks closer to lights out, more fans start filling up the stands.

The biggest flex and advantage of being in the F1 Paddock Club is having more access to F1 team personnel and the drivers (or master the ability to spot them!). At the Aston Martin paddock club lounge, team principal Andy Cowell and driver Fernando Alonso, who showed up for their pre-race duties, took the attendees through what it takes to be ready on race day. Interestingly, Alonso was the inaugural winner of the Singapore Grand Prix when it returned to the F1 calendar in 2008. 

After a quick round of refreshments and cocktails, it’s time to feel the famous Singapore heat, as we step out for a guided garage tour. For F1 fans, this is like entering the sanctum sanctorum. While we were chaperoned by an Aston Martin team representative, we were told which areas were out of bounds or which parts of the garage were not clear to photograph. F1 is a sport of fine margins. There’s plenty of intellectual and technical property and team privacy that needs to stay behind the curtains.

But getting to hold a real F1 steering wheel and seeing the Aston Martin garage before the race is something every true racing fan dreams of. On our way back, I spotted David Coulthard, who competed in F1 from 1994 to 2008, for a quick selfie. But the coup de grace was watching Sir Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari red walk past me in the paddock area. A seven-time world champion, Hamilton has no airs about him. He seemed like a man focussed on winning his next race.

Later, during the pitlane walk, I see further proof why Singapore – and the Marina Bay Circuit – is the undisputed home of F1 night races. As you walk around and take in the atmosphere, the sound of wheel guns firing for the mock pit stops fill the Singapore night sky. The Singapore Flyer Ferris wheel illuminates in the background as we get set for racing under the stars.

For the start of the race, we headed back to the Aston Martin garage to be right in the thick of the action. As the cars completed lap after lap and race on the pit straight, I could see sparks fly from the asphalt: a reminder of the extreme speeds at which an F1 car travels.

Most paddock club lounges are equipped with big screens and real-time monitors that show you the progress of the race. Since F1 is a sport so nicely optimised for TV, my preference was to enjoy the twists and turns of the remainder of the race on the screen. You can spot the real-time position of the cars with loud and clear commentary.

Of course, the F1 Paddock Club is the best place to be. The cars swish past you on the main straight like flying bullets. It’s an incredible experience to have under the night lights in Singapore.

George Russell and Mercedes took the win at the Marina Bay. Fireworks fill the Singapore night sky afterwards as the podium celebrations begin. I ask myself: whisky and Formula 1 racing under the lights? It doesn’t get better than this.

Tasting a rare expression            

Glenfiddich’s partnership with Aston Martin brings whisky and racing excellence together in fascinating ways. The result shows in the limited edition 16-year-old and 19-year-old bottlings. There’s also the beautifully engraved Glenfiddich 1959 legacy bottle, a rare expression from the year that Aston Martin first entered Formula 1. Kinsman describes it as “an incredibly complex whisky with immense flavour in every sip”.

American oak wine casks, new American barrels and second-fill bourbon casks bring a distinctive sweetness to the 16-year-old expression, which has rich notes of maple syrup and caramelised ginger merging into a silky palate of fresh fruit salad and a drift of Chantilly cream. The finish is smooth but bold.

But before we departed Singapore, we taste the 19-year-old at the Changi airport popup. Matured in hand-selected American and European oak casks, this is a vibrant whisky.

We pair it with some dark chocolate. As far as whisky tastings go, it's a winning combination.

With standout notes of Seville oranges on the nose and a taste of warm, woody spices (thanks to the Montilla wine casks), the whisky tasting leaves a lasting finish on the palette. Much like the indelible impression of my thrilling day in Singapore.