Formula One’s governing body is to investigate an incident that saw cars cleared to race while a marshal was still on track following a Singapore Grand Prix safety car period on Sunday.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) said a report would be carried out to ensure such a situation was not repeated.

Autosport.com quoted a spokesman saying procedures were not “properly executed” by the clerk of the course and team of officials.

The marshal was helping remove track debris after the safety car was deployed at the end of the first lap following Force India driver Nico Hulkenberg’s crash into the pitwall at the start.

F1 race heats up in Singapore Grand Prix

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The Straits Times, The Business Times, Reuters

The cars were released again at the start of lap three but, despite race control confirming three times with the clerk of the course that the track was clear of people and material, a marshal was still out there.

Pictures showed him sprinting to the side of the circuit as the field, led by the Mercedes’ race winner Nico Rosberg, bore down on him. “It was very dangerous,” Mercedes motorsport head Toto Wolff told reporters. “I’m really happy it ended up with nobody being hurt.” The Austrian said race control had been asked to re-start races sooner, rather than cars having to spend too long behind the safety car, and that request had been heard.

Rosberg said the incident had been ‘pretty hairy’. “I think just as we didn’t expect the re-start, he didn’t either because the re-start was somehow pretty abrupt. Luckily he got out of the way just about in time so it was OK.” It was the second year in a row that concern had been raised by someone on the track.

Last year, a lone intruder ambled across the floodlit track midway through the race and then strolled by the metal fences as cars came past.

A 27-year-old British national was later sentenced to six weeks in jail for breaching the security fences.

Read also: Rosberg holds off Ricciardo to seize championship lead

Before F1, Singapore had Grand Prix from 1961-1973

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The Straits Times

New public transport operator Go-Ahead Singapore rolled out its remaining 11 bus services yesterday morning, and took over management of the Pasir Ris Bus Interchange.

Bus services 2, 6, 12, 15, 17, 36, 354, 358, 359, 403 and 518 hit the roads two weeks after Go-Ahead rolled out its first 13 service routes on Sept 4.

Go-Ahead will launch its 25th bus service next year.

In a statement, Go-Ahead deputy chairman David Cutts thanked the Land Transport Authority, National Transport Workers’ Union and incumbent bus operator SBS Transit for helping Go-Ahead take over the routes.

“Our staff have worked hard to reach this point and are dedicated to providing a quality service,” Mr Cutts said. The fleet of around 400 buses is helmed by 700-odd drivers.

Last November, the British firm won a $497.7 million contract for the five-year rights to bus routes in the eastern part of the island, under the Loyang Bus Package of the new government bus contracting model.

The contract gives Go-Ahead the rights to routes for areas including Pasir Ris, Punggol, Changi, Tampines, Bedok and Sengkang.

The services run out of the Loyang Bus Depot, and Go-Ahead Singapore also assumes management of the Pasir Ris and Punggol bus interchanges.

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Water raining down from the ceiling sent a boutique in the lobby of Marina Bay Sands’ Tower 3 scrambling to rescue its luxury bags, which would have been damaged if soaked, Shin Min Daily News reported.

Water also came down from the three lamps above the hotel’s reception in the lobby, a salesman named Lim said of the incident which happened on Saturday afternoon.

According to a manager of MCM boutique – the only shop affected, the staff managed to save all the bags in time.

Shin Min noted that the more than 20 luxury bags shrouded in plastic to prevent them from getting wet were prized at more than $1,000 each.

“The lights in the store all went off when the water came down,” Mr Lim recounted.

“The carpet was completely drenched. The five or six workers frantically removed the displays and wrapped them up to prevent damage.”

A spokesman for the hotel said the water came from air conditioners but the reason for the leak is still being investigated. The leakage continued for almost half an hour.

The hotel’s cleaning team later came to the boutique to remove the stains and dry the carpet.

Shin Min reported that workers were still repairing the lights above the hotel reception that evening.

Many patrons were disappointed when they found the boutique closed for a clean-up on Saturday.

But yesterday, when Shin Min revisited the shop, everything was back to normal, with the bags back in their original spots.

A shop assistant noted that water also splashed down on the cashier’s counter and in the storeroom.

“We had to use buckets to contain the water,” she said.

“Luckily, our stocks were all wrapped up. Otherwise, the damage would have been grave,” she added.

myp@sph.com.sg

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