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let's kick start F1 2017 with this great news this old fart must go .... hopefully we will have an exciting season and not always Merc 1-2 finish

The Formula One Singapore Grand Prix is set to soar to new heights, with Singapore Airlines (SIA) coming on board as its new title sponsor. In an announcement made at its Training Centre along Upper Changi Road East on Tuesday morning, the national carrier confirmed the two-year naming rights deal that will run through the 2015 race. Said Singapore Airlines CEO Mr Goh Choon Phong: "We are thrilled to be taking up the title sponsorship of one of the most exciting races on the F1 calendar, and we are especially pleased to be doing so in the lead up to Singapore's 50th birthday next year. "Singapore Airlines has always supported the development of both sports and tourism. Through our involvement with the world's first F1 night race we will be able to enhance both for the benefit of Singaporeans and visitors alike." Added Formula One Group CEO Mr Bernie Ecclestone: "We are very happy to have Singapore Airlines join the Formula One family by becoming the title sponsor of the extremely popular Formula One Singapore Grand Prix... and demonstrates Singapore's forward thinking, an attribute Singapore Airlines has always achieved." The deal sees SIA take over naming rights of the sport's first night race from SingTel. Since its inaugural 2008 edition, the Singapore Grand Prix has come under the title sponsorship of the local telco, who paid a reported US$10 million (S$12.47 million) each year for the privilege. Singapore forks out approximately $150 million to host each edition of the race - 40 per cent of which is borne by organiser Singapore GP, while the Government co-funds the remaining 60 per cent. In return, the Republic earns an average of $150 million in incremental tourism receipts annually. This year's race - the seventh under the lights of the Marina Bay Street Circuit - will be held from Sept 19-21.

Local Formula One race promoter, Singapore GP, is inviting members of the public to sign up as race officials. Public registration for a total of 180 available positions is open now and will conclude at 11:59pm, 31st March 2014, local time. Positions are available in key trackside functions, including track marshals, flag marshals and fire marshals, among others. Depending on the area of responsibility, each marshal can expect to clock a minimum of 32 hours of training. First time race officials will attend approximately seven days of theory and practical training, conducted over weekends starting in May. Highlights of the practical training include performing recovery and extrication exercises on a Formula BMW open-wheeler and a Subaru WRX. Senior officials will also undergo specialist hands on training in fire safety and track recovery. To those interested, do take note, you have to above 18-years of age as of 1st January 2014, be physically fit and fluent in written and spoken English. You should also be able to commit to all scheduled training sessions and must be available to participate in all three days of the race - from the 19th to the 21st September 2014. Successful candidates will be notified by the end of April. Applications must be submitted via Singapore GP's race official recruitment website. Members of the public keen to apply for other contract positions may do so here.

Early bird ticket sales for this year's Formula One Singapore Grand Prix have officially begun through various sales channels including its website, the ticketing hotline (+65 6738 6738) and all Sistic outlets. The early bird phase runs from now until the 30th of April, before prices revert back to normal rates from the 1st of May. Three new Combination Packages this year To cater to the increased demand for the popular Combination Packages introduced last year, Singapore GP has added three new combinations packages. The new Combination Packages offer a mix of Pit Grandstand, Padang Grandstand and Bay Grandstand and brings the total number of Combination Packages to seven, with prices ranging from $498 to $888 during the early bird phase. Group Booking Specials extended to two additional grandstands The Group Booking Special, which was first introduced in 2011, offers fans savings when they purchase four or more tickets in a single transaction. For better savings, patrons who purchase eight or more tickets in a single booking can enjoy more than 25 percent off a single regular priced ticket. Better still, this offer is extended to the Pit, Padang, Connaught, Esplanade Waterfront and Bay Grandstands. In addition, Esplanade Waterfront Grandstand tickets are cheaper by 14 percent - compared to 2013. Single day Zone 4 Walkabout tickets released earlier For the first time, single day Zone 4 Walkabout tickets are released during the early bird phase. They cost $68, $158 and $188 - for Friday, Saturday and Sunday respectively. Additionally, a limited number of Friday Zone 4 Walkabout tickets will be available at a promotional price of $38, exclusively for Singaporeans and Singapore residents. This promotion is only available for over-the-counter purchases at all Sistic outlets in Singapore, with a maximum of four tickets allowed per transaction. Zone 4 Walkabout tickets are ideal for patrons to catch the race up close at strategic locations, performances by international headlining acts at the Padang Stage as well as other entertainment acts within the zone. Stand a chance to meet your favourite Formula One driver In addition to cost savings, 15 lucky fans stand a chance to win a pair of exclusive passes for the Formula One Drivers' Autograph Session and pre-event cocktail reception on 18th September, with the purchase of any pair of Singapore GP tickets before the 1st of May. To participate, early-bird ticket holders need to register their ticket transaction number on the official Singapore GP website before 1st of May, 11:59pm, local time.

When Sebastian Vettel qualifies at the front, there is nothing that can stop the German from grabbing the top step on the podium. Out of 88 race starts he has with Infiniti Red Bull Racing - from Australia 2009 to Singapore 2013 - he has 22 lights to flag victories and three Grand Chelem titles (currently tied with Nelson Piquet) - meaning he has qualified in pole, won the race after leading every lap of the race and set the fastest lap of the race in the same weekend. Still his record is one more than Juan Manuel Fangio who has five world championships under his belt, but one less than the legendary Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Even Fernando Alonso, Niki Lauda and Stirling Moss only have one each and interestingly James Hunt and Kimi Raikkonen have none. As the Singapore Grand Prix concluded - minutes before 10:00pm - with fireworks lighting up the already colourful and vibrant Marina Bay CBD area with stunning backdrop from the Singapore Flyer to Marina Bay Sands and ANZ to Maybank towers and hysterical cheers from the attendees - Vettel recorded his third consecutive win this season, his third consecutive win at the street circuit and his seventh podium overall. The question remains if there is anything that could stop the German driver. Unless Adrian Newey is removed, I doubt so. The problem with F1 right now is not about the lack of overtaking or people getting bored with the same person winning - it's just that rival teams have yet to produce their own Adrian Newey including legendary ones like Scuderia Ferrari and Vodafone McLaren Mercedes. McLaren seem to be a little off pace this year while only one of the two Ferraris seem to be interested in any actual racing. Over the past two years, the sport has evolved from who is winning and fighting for the championship to who had the best recovery or who managed to finish third after a strenuous battle. As stated earlier, as soon as Vettel qualifies on the front grid - you can prepare tomorrow's sports headlines today. Even yesterday at the sixth SingTel Singapore Grand Prix, Vettel won the race after qualifying in pole with a record setting time of 1:42.841 - which is even faster than Kimi Raikkonen's lap record. Not even the tropical climate of heat and humidity or the intervention of the safety car - courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo's Toro Rosso - could hinder or delay the triple world champion from claiming another this season. After 61 laps, Vettel won by a staggering 32.6 seconds over title contender, Fernando Alonso in the Prancing Horse, who leaped from seventh at the starting grid while Kimi Raikkonen catapulted to third from starting 13th on the grid

You could have tried racing games in the arcade and maybe even at home with your own wheel and probably think that you're a pretty good virtual racer. Well, its time to think again, because after racing on what I think is the most sophisticated simulation machine I've ever seen, sim racing will never be the same again. I was first introduced into sim racing, which is just an abbreviation of 'simulation racing', about 2 years ago while I was still struggling with the A levels. Not a very good time to be spending hours on end trying to learn a track, say the Nurburgring or Sepang. But that was 2 years ago. After my A levels, I managed to get a Logitech G25 wheel which works great, with a 6 speed H-Shifter and stainless steel paddle shifters and a leather clad wheel with 900 degrees lock to lock. And I managed to drive decently on the wheel after about a year trying to figure out how to get past driving without traction control on a keyboard.. So you'd think that with a wheel with one of the best force feedback, you'd get a realistic feel of what its like to drive round a track at breakneck speed. That's what I thought. And even though shopping centres have those so called F1 simulators during the Singapore GP, they never really throw you around like say a Nissan Latio would in real life. They just rumble your butt. Which isn't much. So in my quest to search for the best sim racing experience here, I finally found this tiny little space in the East where my racing thirst was quenched. Its called the Motion Racing Sim and it started up not too long ago, only in April this year. One of my friends who had been there before asked me to have a go and I did! And boy did it blow my mind away. With the bucket racing seats and the whole setup with a full range of motion including being thrown from side to side, it was quite a tiring experience driving round Sepang in an M3. And, not only did I realize my driving style was totally not fit for the track, the movement of the chair itself was entirely realistic as well. The owner, Shaun, told me that he had set up the rig a tad more violent than what it really feels like in the car on a track because that way, when he went down to Sepang, his laptimes actually improved because he was used to the G-forces. That explains why some track day enthusiasts head down to his place to have a practice session before driving up to do the real thing. You don't just get cars like the M3 or the crowd favourite WRX, you get to drive in F1 cars as well and that makes this better than all the others I've tried in shopping centres around Singapore. I won't say its true to life because I've never driven an F1 car, but its difficulty makes it believable. As a car enthusiast, I think that there's always that urge to want to push a car to its limit, to see how fast you really can be on a track. Its rather addictive because you get something like 'speed fever' and you just want to keep going and going to better your lap timings. In this, you can feel the car, and adjust to the way it responds to your input so whatever you see on the screen is whatever you're doing or not doing to the car. For me, this is the most realistic thing you can get other than racing in a real car on the track. Here's a link to their website if you're interested in taking a shot round Sepang or Singapore's GP track. Just be prepared to crash a lot if you're a newbie! But otherwise, its great fun. http://www.creativetoolbox.com.sg/motionracingsim/