“Singapore Bay Grandstand” by Flair Candy is licensed under CC BY 2.0
The Bay Grandstand at the Singapore F1 provided the most impressive view of the Marina Bay area at night time, but not such a good view of the race circuit itself.
As of 2023 the Bay Grandstand will no longer be used for the Singapore Grand Prix. The area around it is undergoing massive redevelopment meaning the track has been re-routed and the grandstand will be demolished.
This article includes a look back at the old Bay Grandstand, details on the new stadium that’s being developed in its place, and some suggestions for alternative grandstands at the Singapoere GP.
Contents
Where was the Bay Grandstand at the Singapore F1?
The Bay Grandstand was located on the inside of the circuit between turns 17 and 18.
It was a huge grandstand and the circuit actually ran directly beneath the stand as it went between turns 18 and 19.
However, that was the pre-2023 circuit layout. Now the circuit has been changed and the whole section in front of the Bay Grandstand has been removed and replaced with a straight that links the old turns 16 and 19.
See our article on the new Singapore GP layout for more details on the changes to the circuit.
The Bay Grandstand is due to be demolished in 2023 as the area surrounding it undergoes redevelopment.
Singapore GP Grandstand Tickets
Tickets for the grandstands at the Singapore GP often sell out fast on the official website. So I’d recommend buying tickets through StubHub instead. Sometimes you can find them cheaper than original price, plus you’ll have one-day ticket options available.
I’ve bought F1 tickets through StubHub loads of times over the last couple of seasons and have always had a great experience using them. Their FanProtect guarantee is pretty robust and will keep your tickets / money safe.
Alternative Grandstands
The Bay Grandstand is no longer used at the Singapore Grand Prix. If you’re looking for somewhere else to sit to watch the F1 race at the Marina Bay street circuit, check out our spectating guides for the other Singapore Grandstands:
See our page on Singapore F1 tickets for more information on ticket options and prices.
Was the Bay Grandstand a good place to sit?
The views of the Marina Bay area from the Bay Grandstand at night time were spectacular. The Marina Bay Sands hotel, Art Science museum and dozens of other skyscrapers lit up the skyline directly in front of the stand. Plus it was in prime position to watch the fireworks display at the end of the race.
It was a huge grandstand that seated over 20,000 people so the atmosphere in this stand was amazing. There were numerous huge TV screens opposite the stand on The Float which meant that everyone could keep up with the race action even when the cars weren’t visible.
The downside of sitting in this stand was that this section of track never saw any exciting racing. It was just a short straight on a narrow section of track between two tight corners where cars struggled to overtake.
View from the Bay Grandstand
Not only was the Bay Grandstand next to quite a dull part of the street circuit, but if you were sat high up in the stand then your view of the track wasn’t very good either.
As the video below shows, the grandstand is very steeply tiered. Sitting in the higher rows made it difficult to actually see the cars on the track as the people in the lower rows partially block the view.
However if you sat in the very back row on either side of the stand you could actually turn around and see the cars coming towards you or heading away from you.
Sitting in the lower rows made it easier to see the track in front of you, but gave you a narrower vantage point.
The best bit of the stand to sit in was undoubtedly the section which the cars drove directly beneath.
Bay Grandstand Singapore F1 seating plan
Below is the seating plan for the Bay Grandstand.
Marina Bay / Float redevelopment
The Float was a temporary floating platform built in 2007. It hosted many events including football matches, festivals and parades. It was also where the giant TV screens were located during the F1 to give fans sat in the Bay Grandstand full coverage of the racing.
The Float is now going to be removed along with the Bay Grandstand. In its place will be the NS Square development that will include a huge amphitheatre stadium with over 30,000 seats overlooking a large stage area. There’ll also be a swimming pool and watersports centre plus an indoor gallery dedicated to Singapore’s servicemen.
The NS Square development is due to be completed in 2026. The Singapore Grand Prix organisers haven’t yet released their future plans for an updated circuit layout to incorporate the new development.
The huge grandstand seating area will offer amazing views of the stage area, better than the views of the circuit from the old Bay Grandstand. So it seems like it would be a wasted opportunity not to use this for the circuit.
Just in case the Singapore GP organisers are reading this, I’ve done a very detailed engineering drawing showing my suggestion for how to use the new development as part of the circuit on the image below.
The archway under each side of the NS Square stadium looks like a perfect way for the cars to enter the development. A nice tight chicane in the middle of the stage would slow them down and keep them from the water’s edge. They could then exit the stadium through the archway on the other side and rejoin the track. Simple.
If this is how the Singapore GP circuit ends up looking in 2026, then you saw it here first!
