#trending: Dancing traffic marshall, a treat for migrant workers and possible roadkill — highlights from Singapore F1 weekend

SINGAPORE — The much-anticipated Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix 2023 culminated on Sunday (Sept 17) night with Ferrari's Carlos Sainz clinching his first win of the season, simultaneously ending the record-breaking run of 10 consecutive wins by Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen.

McLaren's Lando Norris finished second while Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton took third place. 

An estimated 264,108 fans flocked to the Marina Bay Street Circuit over the three-day race weekend, exceeding the anticipated attendance of 250,000 previously announced by race promoters Singapore GP.

But apart from the thrills and spills on the track, there was also plenty of excitement on the sidelines. Here are some highlights from the night race you may have missed.

F1 FANS DEVASTATED AFTER ‘GODZILLA’S KID’ SEEMINGLY KILLED BY ALONSO

A number of monitor lizards stole the headlines after they were spotted straying onto the F1 race track during the first free practice session on Friday (Sept 15).

Yellow flags were waved to warn drivers of the scaly intruders. Unfortunately, it seems like one of the lizards did not survive its adventure across the tarmac as it was likely run over by Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Although the encounter was not broadcast live, onboard footage from Alonso’s car showed that the Spaniard was unable to dodge the reptile. 

Several F1 fans expressed their distress over the revelation.

One fan declared: “The lizard got run over? I am heartbroken.” 

Following the incident, Alonso has been dubbed the “Murderer of Lizards” by a Reddit thread and the collision was even recorded on the Herptile Roadkill Project, a crowdsourced interactive map which documents reptile and amphibian roadkill in Singapore.

Friday's lizard incursion may have been a case of deja vu for Red Bull’s Verstappen as he had similarly encountered the reptile on the Marina Bay circuit in 2016. His engineer had famously dubbed the animal “Godzilla” at that time.

Over the team radio in Friday's session, Verstappen said: “Ah. There's a lizard again on the track. A smaller one this time.”

“Maybe Godzilla had a kid,” came engineer Gianpiero Lambiase's reply.

MIGRANT WORKERS TREATED TO F1 FOR THE FIRST TIME

In a Facebook post on Saturday, community organisation It's Raining Raincoats shared that a group of migrant workers had been invited to watch the Singapore Grand Prix practice session live at the Padang for the first time.

The initiative was a thank-you gesture for the migrant workers who were involved in setting up the infrastructure for the mega event, and was made possible with the help of Singapore GP, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan, donors as well as volunteers, according to It's Raining Raincoats.

“Our migrant brothers are the ones who build and tar the roads the cars race on, they are the ones who toil for days and weeks prior to the event to set up the stands and bridges and all the infrastructure. And they are the ones who will toil long after the crowds and teams have left, to dismantle and store it all until next year,” wrote the community organisation.

It added that it is “only right” for the migrant workers to be able to enjoy “a little of it”.

CELEBRITIES SPOTTED REVELLING IN THE ACTION

F1 races are always a good spot to catch a glimpse of famous faces and this year’s was no different.

Award-winning actors Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan of Everything Everywhere All at Once fame were among the numerous celebrities spotted revelling in the F1 action.

Yeoh was seen mingling with Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin, while Ke Huy Quan was captured taking a selfie with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on the latter’s Instagram story.

Other K-pop stars spotted over the weekend include Super Junior’s Choi Si-won, Pentagon’s Kino and former Big Bang member Seungri.

Mr Ong and Mr Iswaran had been instrumental in bringing the F1 race to Singapore. Both of them are currently out on bail.

FANS ‘BLESSED’ BY THE SIGHT OF BUFF FERRARI CREW MEMBER 

It wasn’t just the drivers who attracted the attention of (ahem, thirsty) fans.

A crew member from the Ferrari team has gone viral on TikTok for flexing his muscular forearms, to the delight of squealing viewers.

In a video by TikTok user “chubij”, several members of the Ferrari crew are seen exercising with resistance bands as a group before the camera zooms to focus on the back view of one person.

Female voices in the background can be heard exclaiming “oh wow” and “oh my God, look at that” as the man continues to stretch his arms in various ways.

The video was cheekily captioned "bless the eyes".

The TikTok video has amassed over 1.3 million views and 235,500 likes in less than three days since it was posted on Saturday, with a top comment revealing that the man is none other than Charles LeClerc’s chief mechanic Alessandro Fusaro.

This isn’t the first time Fusaro has gone viral for his good looks and physique.

Earlier this year, he was dubbed the “trolley jack guy” after he was captured on camera lowering the car down and smoothly tossing the car jack to another mechanic, before walking backwards to guide Ferrari's LeClerc onto the track. 

DANCING TRAFFIC MARSHALL AMUSES FANS

A traffic marshall was spotted busting some slick moves as he directed traffic at the Marina Bay Circuit on Day Three of the event.

In a video captured by TODAY’s own visual journalist, the marshall added flair to his signals by incorporating arm waves and flicking his hands sharply. He also moved around in a robot-like fashion at some points.