The F1 race weekend has finally arrived. Expect the hottest F1-themed parties, brunches and concerts in the lead up to the main event, the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023 in the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
This also means that the stars of the show – the professional F1 drivers – would be milling around town, preparing for the electrifying street race in their own unique ways.
Apart from bumping into them by sheer coincidence, fans who want to get up close and personal with these drivers usually need some sort of all-access pass or drivers’ events – the kind that you’d be privy to if you were staying at one of Jumeirah Hotels & Resorts’ 26 properties around the world.
The luxury hospitality group recently reaffirmed its ongoing partnership with Williams Racing, promising its guests access to exclusive curated experiences at Grand Prix locations around the world, including paddock dinners, grid access and drivers’ events.
This race weekend though, you’re out of luck, as there are no Jumeirah properties in Singapore. Your next best bet is F1 Abu Dhabi 2023, where the Dubai-based hotel group has plenty of resorts.
For now, you’ll just have to make do with The Peak’s chat with Williams Racing’s dynamic duo, Thai-British racer Alex Albon, and his American teammate Logan Sargeant, who made his debut this Grand Prix season.
What are you looking most forward to at the Singapore GP?
Alex Albon: The foods. I love going to the hawker centres. I love chicken rice. Steamed chicken rice for me is the best. And, Singapore’s just a nice place. It’s almost a home race for me, being close to Thailand.
Logan Sargeant: This is one of the tracks I’ve been most looking forward to since I was a kid. The fact that it’s a night race; but it’ll be hot, physical for sure, but it’s a special track, one I’ve always wanted to drive. It’s going to be not the easiest weekend for the team, but we need to try and get the car into a good window. It should be very enjoyable.
What’s the biggest challenge of racing in Singapore?
Alex Albon: It’s the heat, the humidity. Obviously for locals, it doesn’t seem so bad, but for us, especially when we race in Europe almost the whole year, coming here is a shock to the system. It’s very physical – it’s the most physical race we go to all year.
Logan Sargeant: I think the whole circuit is pretty challenging. The fact that it’s non-stop; very tight in between the walls. I would say in particular the section from 10, 11, 12, 13 over the bridge is super tricky – but yeah, it’s just about building up a nice rhythm, and just pushing more and more each lap.
What training have you done?
Alex Albon: I’ve been in Thailand for a week before here, training outside, making sure to sweat and get used to it.
Logan Sargeant: I’ve been doing a lot of physical training in hot rooms on a bicycle – pretty much in a sauna, with high humidity. I think that’s gone pretty well, I feel quite used to the heat being from Miami – I’m sure it’s going to be a tough weekend, but at the same time, I’m very motivated and excited for it.
Related: F1 Singapore Grand Prix 2023: What race car drivers are doing around town
What are your thoughts on the Singapore GP, which saw some changes to the race tracks this year?
Logan Sargeant: It depends how quick we are as a team. Ultimately, we just want to get the maximum out of the car. I think realistically, that means get to Q2 and have a good race on Sunday.
Alex Albon: It should improve the racing. The organisers have done a great job, and now it’s up to us to put on the show.
What’s your favourite circuit to race at and why?
Alex Albon: My favourite circuit is Suzuka (Japanese Grand Prix), where we will go to next week. After this weekend, we fly to Japan, and it’s an amazing circuit. It’s very technical – it’s a road track, so it’s quite open – but at the same time it’s fast, uncompromising – it makes you feel like you’re driving a Formula 1 car.
Logan Sargeant: I think so far my favourite track has been Silverstone (British Grand Prix). It’s always been one of my favourites for a long time – it’s always enjoyable to race on it.
What’s your favourite music that gets you in the zone before a race?
Alex Albon: I am actually not so much of a music listener. So I go through visualisations and stuff like that, but I don’t do too much music. I imagine the track, I try to run through it before I drive it, so when I’m in the car for real, I’m way over the limit.
Logan Sargeant: Some sort of like – Drake, he’s probably my favourite artist, 50 Cent, I always listen to them to get in the zone. It’s always just working on my warm-up routine with my trainer. It’s very similar each and every time, but that consistency just helps every time you get in the car.
What’s the weirdest thing a fan has given you?
Alex Albon: I’ve had a lot of things. I’ve had fans make me draw on them, for a tattoo – I’ve had that quite a few times. I get a lot of friendship bracelets. I would say the craziest thing was a Japanese kimono.
Logan Sargeant: Nothing too crazy, just a lot of bracelets, some stuff like that. Honestly, it was really cool to see all the fans there – the atmosphere, the energy, it was really good and I’m excited to race in front of them all this weekend.
What’s one of your favourite food?
Alex Albon: Pad kra pow (a protein stir-fried dish with Thai holy basil). I love spicy food. I love the comfort feeling of food – it’s simple, but it tastes so good. I also
Logan Sargeant: My guilty pleasure would be a proper cheeseburger. Like a big cheeseburger.
What’s your advice your young people who aspire to be a racecar driver
Alex Albon: My main advice is – study hard. I think people do not realise the complexity of Formula 1, the science and the technology that goes behind it. I enjoy it. There’s a big commitment to be a Formula 1 driver, and to do what we do, you have to be so dedicated and driven to be able to do it, and if you don’t enjoy it, you’ll never feel it.
Racing can be stressful, what’s your favourite holiday destination and how do you like to unwind there?
Alex Albon: I’m a bit biased, but Thailand. For me, it’s more about food – food is a big part of what I do – but also, they just have some amazing hotels in Asia that are very relaxing.
Logan Sargeant: I always love to go home, honestly, back to Florida. But, if not, Greece is really nice. The Bahamas is a good one. I think it’s to be somewhere on the water, somewhere warm, nice, that’s always the goal. A place where I can fully zone out, and just relax.
Share with us your favourite memory of staying at a Jumeirah property.
Alex Albon: I’d say my favourite memory I had is staying at The Carlton Tower Jumeirah in London – I was blown away. It was such a beautiful hotel. They have all these personal touches, like the bathrobes and the slippers had my initials on them, which I thought was an extremely small detail, but for a hotel to do that kind of service, it was very amazing.
Logan Sargeant: So far, I’ve really liked the Jumeirah Gulf of Bahrain Resort and Spa. That was a really good stay for the race, we were there for close to two weeks. The room was amazing, the facilities were amazing, and they took really good care of us. I think my favourite memory from that stay in particular was playing volleyball on the beach, and hanging out by the pool. It was really relaxing, really nice. It was a good way to get away from the track and reset.
Additional reporting by Alvin Lim
