But already 78,720 of the 96,000 three-day passes available for the historic event have been snapped up, organisers said yesterday.

This means only about 18 per cent of the total inventory, which includes the general walkabout, grandstand and corporate high-end seats, are left.

And it is not just Singaporeans who have been quick to grab tickets for the Sept 26-28 race weekend.

'Over 40 per cent of the tickets have been purchased from overseas,' said Singapore GP communications and media director Jonathan Hallett.

'We will have fans attending from as far afield as Mexico and Mongolia.'

He added that the top purchasing countries included Australia, Germany, India, Japan, Malaysia, and Britain.

For those who have yet to get their tickets, there are still choice locations available.

These include the Pit, Turn 1 (both $1,388) and Padang ($498) grandstands.

The hottest grandstand seats have been the Stamford ($998), Raffles and Marina (both $698).

All are sold out.

Tickets for the Turn 2 and Turn 3 grandstands, where spectators can catch the early overtaking action, are also limited.

Judging from the healthy sales, it seems almost certain that organisers will be able to boast a 100 per cent take-up once Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen roar into town.

Though they declined to comment on that possibility, Singapore GP said various preparations, including the construction of a new Pit Building, were going well.

While no figures were released for the 18,000 one-day general walkabout passes which went on sale a fortnight ago, a spokesman said it had been 'healthy'.

The F1 race, on a street circuit in the Marina Bay district, has drawn widespread interest as it will mark several firsts.

It will be Formula One's first night race, and the first street race in Asia.

Even the organisers under-estimated just how much anticipation there was.

When tickets were first released on Valentine's Day, the online booking system crashed at flag-off in the morning due to overwhelming demand, with many customers logging in from Singapore and overseas.

Meanwhile, hotels along the circuit continue to receive daily inquiries for rooms during the F1 period.

Tickets can be purchased from the official website www.singaporegp.sg, hotline 6738-6738, Singapore Post offices, or at OmniTicket counters islandwide.

limze@sph.com.sg

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY WANG MENG MENG