The 2025 Singapore GP with Aston Martin

I was prepared to watch this year’s Singapore GP at home; after becoming a freelancer, I was not expecting any F1-related assignments. But out of the blue, an invite came from Aston Martin to join them on the qualifying day of the race at their hospitality suite; and you just can’t turn down such an opportunity. So I agreed, and realised that I was looking forward to it a lot more than I expected. I knew Aston Martin would surely be a great host.

Unlike many of the Aston Martin owners who attended that Saturday, I took the train instead of driving. It was fuss-free and easy, although it was quite a sight to see a row of Aston Martins parked together at the lobby of the hotel. Interestingly, most of the Astons were in subdued hues but the Lotus cars parked next door were in much brighter colours.

The hospitality suite gave a bird’s eye view of the track between turns 6 and 7, a largely straight part which meant that the cars sped by really quickly. Thankfully, there was a huge TV with a live broadcast right in the comfort of the suite to watch the action.

After an introduction by Ian Grant, General Manager of Aston Martin Singapore, we were plied with food and drink. As it was some time before the start of the qualifying race, we had some casual activities like an Aston Martin knowledge quiz, a sharing session by a passionate F1 photographer and also a wine tasting session. During this time, I met two Aston Martin owners and their families who sat at our table and I learnt more about why they love the brand. It was very clear that they were truly passionate and one even had multiple Astons for different occasions. It did pique my interest in the new Vantage (hint, hint).

As the qualifying race started and wore on, I understood more about the Aston Martin F1 team and its drivers. Although Lawrence Stroll is a key figure on the road car side of things, I realised that he was also very instrumental on the racing scene too - his son races for the team alongside the legend, Fernando Alonso. The actual race on Sunday eventually saw Fernando Alonso finishing 7th and Lance Stroll 13th - giving Aston Martin 6 points, placing them 7th in the Constructors’ Championship. Not bad at all.

That wasn’t the end of the time with Aston Martin, however. On Sunday morning, I got the opportunity to meet Aston Martin ambassador and F1 veteran, Pedro de la Rosa, as well as Aston Martin’s Director of Design, Miles Nurnberger. In particular, Miles gave great insight into design at Aston Martin, having been with the brand for more than 13 years. He has worked on some of the most iconic Astons, including the One-77 and the Valkyrie.

He spoke about a difficult conversation with Adrian Newey about the bonnet badge of an Aston that he wanted removed because it creates drag. Miles was shocked: An Aston without a front badge? But Miles didn’t have much of a choice. He then had to work with his team on it, and they created an ultra-thin badge which gave 99% weight savings without any effect on aero. To which Adrian Newey replied: “Good”.

He also shared various design principles which really showed the attention to detail at Aston Martin, like how the pedals are carefully aligned to the steering wheel to reduce driver fatigue. Or how the draft of the air-conditioning is directed at the body instead of the face, also to increase driver concentration. I mean, who would have known, right?

The morning ended on a high note for me, with a hand massage by the ELEMIS team that was quite divine. I could get used to the Aston Martin lifestyle.

Now, time to go mint some dollars, or crypto…


Photos by Aston Martin

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