Infiniti Announces Sebastian Vettel as Global Brand Ambassador

Infiniti, the luxury car manufacturer from Japan, today announces it has signed Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel as its first ever Global Brand Ambassador.

The collaboration with Sebastian Vettel comes two months after Infiniti announced a major partnership with the Red Bull Racing team. The 23 year-old F1 star will be taking an active role in raising the profile of the Infiniti brand and its products during race weekends and at selected events linked to Infiniti’s business and product programs.

From the start of the 2011 Formula One season, Infiniti has joined as a major partner of the Red Bull Racing team and features prominently on the race-winning RB7 driven by Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber. Like many in the Red Bull Racing team, Sebastian has been driving products from the Infiniti range, both as his personal car but also at the different races around the world.

Commenting on his new global role, Sebastian Vettel said: “Since our first contact with Infiniti I liked their cars. A car can impress you in two ways: its looks and its handling. After I had the chance to test some cars in the range I became a big fan. They are comfortable as well as sporty when you ask for it. I am sure we as a team and myself can benefit a lot from the experience of Infiniti and I am very much looking forward to our partnership in the future.”

Simon Sproule, CVP Global Marketing Communications, Nissan Motor Company added: “Red Bull Racing have demonstrated over the course of their short history in F1 that they are a great challenger brand, unafraid of taking their own approach to creating a winning team. 

At the core of this emergence has been the inspired performance of Sebastian Vettel. As we developed the partnership with the team, so it was a natural progression to also work more closely with Sebastian and today we formally welcome him to the Infiniti team”

Singapore GP Takes “Biggest F1™ Fan” Worldwide

12 May 2011, Singapore – Following the success of last year’s Asia’s Biggest F1™ Fan, Singapore GP is upping the stakes for the popular contest and rebranding it the World’s Biggest F1™ Fan for a global audience. The 2011 edition includes two play-to-win challenges instead of just one quiz component, hosted on a refreshed interactive platform boasting stunning info-graphics of the night race. In a departure from last year, both contests will not be limited to participation within Asia but open to the rest of the world.

Fans have double the chance to win attractive prizes such as a trip for two to the 2011 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX worth over US$10,000 and exclusive Singapore GP race merchandise valued at up to US$600.

1st Challenge: Are You The World’s Biggest F1™ Fan?

Back for a second season with bolder graphics and enhanced gameplay, this interactive challenge involves a race against time to complete 23 questions – same number of turns at the Singapore circuit – related to the sport’s history, rules and trivia on race teams and drivers (25% of the questions are based on the Singapore Grand Prix).

Players have to answer all 23 questions in six minutes or less, and the 23 highest scorers will proceed to a final elimination round on 23 August 2011 to vie for the title of the World’s Biggest F1™ Fan.

One winner will walk away with over US$10,000 worth of prizes including a pair of Green Room hospitality suite tickets valued at US$6,167, a 5D4N hotel stay at The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore worth US$4,058, a pair of exclusive passes to the Drivers’ Autograph Session during the 2011 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX race week, and round trip economy airfare for two.

“What distinguishes Formula One from other premier sporting events is its historically rich legacy and ability to stay innovative, relevant and exciting with every season,” said Colin Syn, Deputy Chairman, Singapore GP. “We hope to follow the same footprint by taking the Asian edition of Biggest F1™ Fan global this year. It’s a great way to reward the most ardent F1 fan and at the same time, highlight the many unique points about our night race!”

Last year’s winner of the Asia’s Biggest F1™ Fan contest, Derek Chan, walked away with over US$8,000 worth of prizes including a pair of Green Room tickets, a 5D4N hotel stay, exclusive merchandise, and a pair of passes to the Drivers’ Autograph Session.

2nd Challenge: What Makes The Singapore Grand Prix Special For You?

Running parallel to the World’s Biggest F1™ Fan game is a contest that calls upon fans to share a personal anecdote on what makes the Singapore Grand Prix special for them. The challenge is to write it in no more than 61 characters which is the same number of laps the drivers are required to complete at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Participants who submit the top three best entries will win an exclusive goodie bag packed with limited edition Singapore GP merchandise valued at US$200, US$400, US$600 respectively. The contest closes on 27 November, 2011.

To take part in both challenges, visit www.singaporegp.sg or www.biggestf1fan.com.

SingTel's 2011 Formula One Sponsorship Press Conference

On Tuesday 22nd of March, SingTel, the main sponsor of the Singapore Formula One Grand Prix, organized a press conference to let us in on the new and exciting upcoming features that come along 2011's race.

The brains behind this year's amazing F1 entertainment.

With the aim of making the Formula One experience more than just a race to attend to, SingTel is introducing a series of "firsts" under the tag line of "Fast is Amazing", which will bring the racing spirit everywhere in Singapore thanks to F1 simulators challenges, but also other types of "races" centered around Singapore's daily activities, such as the fastest durian eater, the fastest SMS typer and eight other "disciplines". These contests' winning results will then be submitted for the Guinness World Records with the aim of making Singapore the Fastest Nation on Earth.

"During this Formula One season, we want Singaporeans to feel the race action both on and off the track," said SingTel's CEO Singapore, Mr Allen Lew.

The activities and contests organized by SingTel will take place around Singapore, every race week ends, which will see the races broadcasting live via SingTel's mio TV at selected Kopitiam, Harry's bars, and shopping malls, in full HD and for a first in Singapore, in 3D. Celebrities will also be joining the live screenings and join the "Fast is Amazing" campaign by creating their personal records along with the audience.

SingTel will also be putting us, spectators, in the driver's seat with six in-car cameras that will be mounted on six different cars, giving us the opportunity to see the race from the driver's point of view.

The races can be seen live on three ESPN STAR Sports channels exclusive to SingTel:

Mio TV chennel 115, the online ESPN player and Mobile ESPN on mobile phones and devices.

For F1 Die Hards and all racing enthusiasts in Singapore, SingTel will be touring the island with custom built F1 race simulators, built with a technology similar as the ones used by the professional F1 drivers like Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button to train, which allow you to race on the Singapore GP track, feel the bumps in the road, the acceleration and braking of the F1 car you will be driving. Everyone is encouraged to sign up and try to post their best timing to win a replica of the Singapore F1 GP trophy!

To make things even more exiting, SingTel will be organizing a 24 hours Simulator Race where the 40 top timers on the simulator will be pitted around the clock in eight teams of five. The winning team will be declared Singapore's fastest team, be rewarded free tickets to the race and the chance to meet one of the F1 drivers and even compete against him on the simulator!

In addition to all this, SingTel, in association with Singapore Motor Sports Association, is preparing Singapore's next generation of racing talent by sponsoring 30 students to learn and practice the fundamentals of racing with go-karts, and build a solid base for a future professional racing career and represent Singapore in motorsports events across the globe in years to come.

SingTel will be keeping a close watch on 12 to 15 years old contestants during the F1 simulator tryouts that will tour the island during the F1 season and select the top 30 of them to be eligible for the sponsorship. SingTel will offer a free Go-Karting track day to the three top ranking students and their schools.

Of course, racing is but one part of the sport, and having a good physical endurance is a key element in the victory of drivers, so SingTel will be sponsoring this year's Tri-Factor Triathlon, a sports event that combines swimming, biking, running and triathlon.

As if it wasn't enough, SingTel is also launching an interactive smart phone app, which gives the latest F1 news, team information, events calendar, but also find and support the candidates who take part in the "races" around Singapore.

All of these features are also on SingTel's brand new interactive online portal at www.singtel.com/f1, where users can also vote for their favourite SingTel Grid Girls, who will be shortlisted and selected by local celebrities.

Last but no least, SingTel will also be introducing the Formula One Fantasy game on the online portal, which gives everyone the opportunity to build and manage his or her own F1 racing team and come up with winning strategies to dominate other racing teams.

Well, dear readers, if some of you were complaining about not having enough presents, SingTel is here this year with enough goodies to satisfy even the most demanding ones of us! Make sure to check out the portal at www.singtel.com/f1 to enjoy the most of this new experience!

Special thanks to Shane, Robin and all the team at Ogilvy PR Worldwide for your support!

2011 Singapore F1 GP Tickets Sales Opening on the 3rd March!

Great news to all F1 fans!

65,000 general admission tickets for the 2011 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX will be released for sale on 3 March 2011, 0900hrs (GMT+8). Race Promoter Singapore GP has introduced a number of new ticketing initiatives for the event, which will be held at the Marina Bay Street Circuit from 23 to 25 September.

”Building on the success of 2010’s sell-out, we have again reviewed all ticket prices to ensure they offer not only great value but also an unforgettable experience. In addition to our usual popular early bird ticket prices, we are delighted to offer race-goers a Group Booking Special so that patrons who buy in bulk can benefit from greater savings,” said Mr. Michael Roche, Executive Director, Singapore GP Pte Ltd.

Increased discounts for early bird grandstand buyers, offering up to a 17% saving on regular priced tickets

The tickets will be priced differently across two phases: Early Bird (3 March to 8 May) and Regular (9 May to race week).

The early bird phase offers fans savings of up to 17% with the Republic, Esplanade Waterfront, Padang and Bay Grandstands offering the best deals.

Introduction of Group Booking Special, offering greater savings for fans who pool four or more friends and family into one booking

A new group booking scheme for the three largest grandstands – the Bay, Padang and Pit Grandstands – is being introduced for 2011. This is in response to feedback from fans who have requested for special packages for groups of family and friends. 

The Group Booking Special offers savings of up to 10% for fans who purchase four or more tickets in one booking. For greater savings, fans can put together a group of eight or more and enjoy up to 16% off.

By combining the early-bird discounts with the Group Booking Special, fans can enjoy up to 30% off a regular priced individual ticket in selected grandstands. For example, fans who purchase eight Bay Grandstand tickets during the early bird phase will pay S$208 each, instead of S$298 at regular single ticket pricing. 

The Group Booking Special is applicable for the first 40% of the relevant grandstands’ inventory and is available via the official Singapore GP website, ticketing hotline and all SISTIC outlets.

Stamford Grandstand price lowered for 2011

The Stamford Grandstand has been lowered by S$200 in order to achieve optimal commonality of pricing amongst the grandstands in Zone 4. Spectators at the Stamford Grandstand enjoy close proximity to the main entertainment stage in the Padang.

New wheelchair accessible platform in Zone 1

To further benefit patrons with limited mobility, an additional wheelchair accessible platform will be constructed at Zone 1 this year.

Single-day walkabout and single-day Zone 4 wheelchair accessible platform tickets to be released at the onset of the regular phase

As with previous years, single-day Zone 4 Walkabout tickets that offer access to the largest entertainment stage at the Padang as well as the Esplanade stages will be released at the onset of the regular phase on 9 May. Single-day Zone 4 wheelchair tickets will also be released during the regular phase. 

Linkin Park set to be the headlining act on race day

Multi award-winning band Linkin Park has been confirmed as the headlining act on race day, 25 September 2011 at the Padang main stage. Full details of the complete S$5 million entertainment line-up will be announced in the coming months.

“We’ve had very positive feedback from our enhanced entertainment programme in 2010 and our announcement of Linkin Park is just the start of another stellar line-up of artistes for 2011. All tickets offer incredible value for money with world-class entertainment, all included in the price of the one ticket,” added Mr. Roche.

Tickets will be available for sale online (www.singaporegp.sg), via the ticketing hotline +65 6738 6738 as well as all SISTIC outlets from 3 March 2011, 0900hours (GMT +8 hours)