Roadgrip was back in Singapore preparing the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, painting the circuit’s sporting lines and markings and carrying out specialist cleaning to help ensure the track was ready for racing.
For most of the year, the roads around Singapore’s Marina Bay are part of one of the world’s busiest city centres. Traffic flows past towering hotels, office buildings and waterfront landmarks, with little indication that these same streets will soon host Formula 1 cars travelling at more than 300 km/h.
The street circuit build is a project that combines the demands of a world championship motorsport event with the practical challenges of working on public roads in the heart of a major international city.
Unlike a conventional racetrack, this circuit winds between Singapore’s skyscrapers and waterfront landmarks, around streets that serve the city for the rest of the year.
Roadgrip’s work involved installing and refreshing the markings that help turn those public roads into a clearly defined Formula 1 circuit. See them in action here: Roadgrip install the Marina Bay Street Circuit
Track-edge lines, sporting markings, the instantly recognisable run off areas and pit lane must be positioned accurately and applied consistently across a layout that passes through a complex urban environment.
The challenge is not simply the amount of painting involved. Street circuits bring together race organisers, infrastructure teams, barrier installers, lighting contractors and numerous other specialists, often working in the same areas during a tightly coordinated build programme.
Access must be carefully managed, and painting activities must fit around other work while still allowing sufficient time for materials to be applied and dry.
Painting was only part of Roadgrip’s role in Singapore.
Our crew also carried out circuit cleaning to prepare the road surface for race weekend.
On a permanent racing circuit, track cleaning is part of routine venue maintenance. On a street circuit, the starting point is very different. These are working roads exposed to everyday traffic, construction activity and the residue that comes with normal city use.
As the temporary circuit takes shape, installation work can also leave dust, loose material and debris on the asphalt.
Specialist sweeping and UHP water jet cleaning help to remove these contaminants before cars take to the track, reducing the presence of loose debris and preparing the surface for racing.
It is an essential but easily overlooked stage of converting a city road network into a motorsport venue.
Following the race, using the same machines we clean with, our teams will remove all the markings and cover up lines with black-out paint to return the circuit back to the city streets so normal service can resume.
Need the professionals to create your next motorsport event? Visit Roadgrip Motorsport to learn more about our work around the world for F1, Formula E, WEC, MotoGP, NASCAR, Indycar and more.
