Thousands thrilled by Mercedes F1 car demos along Orchard Road

SINGAPORE – A day before Fred Vesti took to Orchard Road in a Formula One car, the goal was simple: to make as much smoke and noise as possible.

The Mercedes F1 reserve driver duly delivered on that promise, thrilling the thousands of fans who turned up on Aug 30 to watch him perform live demonstrations in the W04, the car used by the eight-time F1 champions during the 2013 season.

The deafening sound of the V8 engine filled the air as the 24-year-old raced down a 600m stretch from Paragon to Tangs at Tang Plaza as part of adidas’ Orchard Ignition, a two-day event organised by the sportswear brand.

He also delighted the crowd by performing a series of “doughnuts” as he spun the car in a continuous circular motion, filling the air with the smell of burnt rubber and smoke.

Thanking fans for their support, the Danish driver said: “Not only my fans, but the Mercedes fans, all the fans here have been amazing. I’ve enjoyed it so much.

“Yesterday we saw thousands of fans and again today. Everywhere is packed. I did everything I could to put on a show. This car is amazing.”

Some fans began gathering an hour before the 3pm flag-off to find a spot with the best view.

Among them was engineer Joshua Lim, who arrived at 2pm to secure a good vantage point for photographs.

The F1 fan was particularly eager to catch the V8-powered car, with the engine last used in F1 in 2013, before the switch to hybrid V6 power units.

The 32-year-old said: “It’s cool that it’s right in the middle of Orchard Road and I’ve not actually seen the V8 F1 car live.

“I’ve seen the V6 so this is something that I wanted to experience, and to see it without paying the price of the ticket (for a grand prix) was great.”

Even as the afternoon sun bore down, with temperatures climbing above 30 deg C, it did little to deter the crowd, who lined the barricades set up on both sides of the famous shopping belt, armed with umbrellas, portable fans and caps.

Many donned Mercedes F1 team merchandise, including pieces from the new Vanda Bloom collection with adidas, launched this week.

The collection was unveiled ahead of the Oct 9-11 Singapore Grand Prix and features designs inspired by the national flower, the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.

However, Mercedes supporters were not the only ones present. Fans wearing merchandise from other teams, including Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari, were also spotted in the crowd.

As the crowd got bigger, some moved to the corridors on the second floor of Lucky Plaza, while others stood on stools or piggybacked on friends to catch a glimpse of the action.

There were even some who stood on structures surrounding the outdoor water fountain at Ngee Ann City in the hope of getting a better view.

Muhammad Aidil Anaqi Muhammad Zaki, a 17-year-old student, was excited to witness the spectacle, especially since the last live race car demonstration in Singapore took place in 2011.

Back then, former F1 driver David Coulthard drove Red Bull’s racing show car from Ion Orchard to Mandarin Gallery.

“I like to hear the engines; they’re very loud,” said the Mercedes fan, who was there with his friends Pang Qi Heng and Darryl Hia. “You can also hear it during race day but it’s not the same, seeing it go down Orchard Road, which is really a rare and great opportunity.”

Vesti also took adidas global partner and K-pop girl group Babymonster on a series of hot laps in a Mercedes-AMG car.

He said: “I’ve done a lot of cool things in my life and this has got to be in the top three. First is driving a Formula One car; this is probably second – driving down Orchard Road in Singapore for the first time ever.”