SINGAPORE - After Michael Schumacher's last Formula One world championship in 2004, Filipino Julian Paterno's interest in the sport dipped for a good 12 years.
In 2018, Netflix documentary Drive To Survive piqued his interest and he started following the sport religiously again in 2019, making sure to catch every race.
He had hoped to watch a grand prix live but the pandemic put a halt to those plans for almost two years.
Until now.
As the Singapore Grand Prix returns to the Marina Bay Street Circuit after a two-year hiatus, Mr Paterno and his fiancee Tracy Carreon have also made their first overseas trip since the pandemic to catch their first grand prix in person.
The couple will attend all three days of the grand prix and have been spending time with family here, sightseeing and shopping since arriving on Sept 23.
Mr Paterno, 31, told The Straits Times it seemed like the perfect time to visit.
The master's student said: "The Singapore Grand Prix is one of the cheaper races to go to and we wanted to take advantage of the opportunity while it was still around.
"Singapore also lifted its Covid-19 restrictions so it's easier to come now. We've seen reports that ticket prices might go up in the future so it was a good opportunity to do it now."
The couple also visited the track earlier just to see the preparations up close, which made them even more excited.
Ms Carreon, 24, said: "I was most excited to see the culture of a grand prix because watching it on TV, you can only see the races and interviews. But the vibes here in person are so different. I'm so excited to explore more and maybe hopefully meet a driver or two."
The most difficult part of their preparation, though, was picking an outfit. They have amassed a collection of team jerseys from Mercedes, Red Bull, Ferrari, Haas, Racing Point (now Alpine) and Williams and are hoping to add one or two more.
Ms Carreon quipped: "We'll switch based on who wins."
However, the development associate is wary of wearing seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton's merchandise after she and Mr Paterno read reports of the Briton's fans being harassed at other grands prix in Europe.
The reports and videos they saw helped them know what precautions to take to stay safe, said Mr Paterno. Ms Carreon added she hopes similar incidents will not happen here but will reconsider sporting Hamilton's merchandise just in case.
One fan who already knows what she is going to wear is Malaysian Sarah Faizal, who will be sporting a Ferrari shirt. The Scuderia were the last team to win the night race, when Sebastian Vettel claimed the chequered flag in 2019.
The Singapore Grand Prix represents her last chance to see Vettel in action after the four-time world champion, who is now with Aston Martin, announced that he would retire at the end of the season.
She had not planned to visit Marina Bay but changed her mind after the German's recent announcement, which prompted a flood of tears from her even before the video ended.
The 20-year-old has made a sign saying "Danke Sebastian" (thank you in German).
Noting that she is also looking forward to meeting foreign friends she made online through F1, she added: "Honestly, when I was a child, I didn't like going to grands prix because they were very hot and I thought it was pointless to watch the cars go around in circles because it was easier to see on TV.
"But I realised more than the sport, it's about the community itself and how F1 fans bond at grands prix regardless of which team you support."
Briton Luke Moore, a McLaren fan for over 30 years, will be attending his first race outside Europe with his partner, a Ferrari fan.
Despite having to wake up at 4am to purchase tickets, Mr Moore said it was worth it.
The 39-year-old, who has been to Spa and Monza, said: "Our area (Bay Grandstand) is not the most action-packed part of track but the view looks incredible and we have to accept that normally it's all about the race, but this is half F1, half Singapore.
"It's our first street circuit and our first night race and I'm really excited. My partner's probably a bit disappointed we're not there the whole weekend because she loves watching the practices and qualifying but it's better than not going at all."
On Thursday night, the streets of Marina Bay came alive. Thousands of fans flocked to the pit lane, eager to catch a glimpse of teams putting their cars together.
Some were lucky enough to spot drivers testing their seats, including Mercedes' George Russell, who was welcomed to his garage by a loud cheer from the crowd.
Some fans were themselves a sight to behold, such as the Ferrari fan who wore a cap that had models of Ferrari cars on. He and his companion carried large posters with the faces of drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
The streets outside the circuit were bustling as well as, with throngs of people waiting outside the paddock exit.
Lucky fans caught Russell on his scooter on the way back to his hotel after 10pm and the amiable British driver stopped for a couple of photos on the way.
Beyond F1, Singaporean Austen Chua thinks the return of the night race also marks the return to normality after the pandemic.
The Red Bull fan, who is hoping to see Max Verstappen secure his second world title in Singapore, said: "The fans are very happy of course, but in terms of tourism and all, we will benefit from being noticed.
"F1 is a big sport so it pulls in a lot of people from different places which means more tourists. That is going to help us in terms of earning money we lost the past two years."
