SINGAPORE — Ahead of the official Singapore Grand Prix opening and practice sessions on Friday (Sept 15), Formula One (F1) drivers and entertainment acts alike were making their rounds in town.

On the heels of last year's highest-ever attendance for the three-day event, the 2023 edition features a revised circuit layout for drivers and two new grandstands for spectators.

TODAY takes a look at what the drivers and artistes were up to before the race weekend.

DRIVERS MEET FANS

Though the Singapore Grand Prix schedule included meet-and-greet sessions with F1 drivers on Friday, some racing teams had also made their own plans to greet fans.

From Williams Racing, Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon both turned up for individual question-and-answer sessions at the team's fan zone in Raffles City mall on Wednesday afternoon, signing autographs and posing for photos with fans.

Also on Thursday, Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez — last year's race winner in Singapore — made a public appearance at the Tag Heuer Motorsports Experience pop-up at Ion Orchard mall at 5pm.

McLaren's Lando Norris was scheduled to appear at Chijmes, while Mercedes' George Russell was to head to 313 Somerset mall.

NORRIS LOSES HIS 'FLUFFY CURLS'

Norris even made time to get a haircut, though some fans went on social media to bemoan the loss of "those fluffy curls".

However, as a McLaren post on Instagram cheekily put it, he apparently still has "the hoodie on in the Singapore heat".

Days before the race, Norris and Russell competed in a different sport, getting in a few rounds of night tennis.

RUSSELL MAKES A WRONG TURN

Apart from meeting fans and rivals, it seemed as if Russell had been busy driving — a little bit too much.

In a fresh video posted on Mercedes' Instagram on Thursday, the driver tells of how a three-minute drive to his hotel turned into a much longer journey.

"Our hotel is this hotel here, the Ritz-Carlton... It's a three-minute drive away," he says. "We took the wrong turning and ended up on the road to Malaysia — and arrived 45 minutes later.

"So, uh... it's a life lesson. One small mistake, big consequences," he adds.

In the comments, fans joked: "Just tell us that you wanted to race at Sepang as well."

The Sepang International Circuit has been the home of Grand Prix motorcycle racing (MotoGP) in Malaysia since 1999.

TSUNODA, VERSTAPPEN AND PEREZ TRY DIFFERENT TRAILS

In The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands mall, some fans spotted Scuderia Alpha Tauri's Yuki Tsunoda moonlighting as a boatman on the indoor canal's Sampan Rides.

One TikTok user quipped: "Alpha Tauri didn't pay him enough, huh."

Another jokingly asked if this was the Yuki Tsunoda Experience that was being sold.

On the Marina Bay Sands’ website, the hotel lists both a "Yuki Tsunoda Experience Package" and a "Zhou Guanyu Experience Package" for the Singapore Grand Prix.

Each package includes a hotel stay, Sky Suite passes and limited-edition merchandise of each driver, as well as access to an invitation-only event on Sept 13 and exclusive invitations to race-themed events.

At Jewel Changi Airport, Verstappen and Perez were seen sitting on what appeared to be vehicles used by cleaners.

A video posted by the Red Bull team on Instagram shows the duo engaged in a discussion, complete with hand gestures from Verstappen.

The caption stated in jest: "What are we Maxsplaining today?"

Fans were quick to jump in with their own witty replies, with the top comment reading: "Verstappen teaching Checo (Perez's nickname) how to overtake Hamilton in a cleaning machine."

Another suggested: "Max is explaining to Checo how F1 needs to add blinkers to the cars for better safety precautions."

Referring to the Red Bull designs adorning the cleaning machines, another remarked: "Red Bull will put their livery on anything."

JACKSON WANG AND HIS 'KIASU PARTY'

Over at Como Orchard that houses a hotel, K-pop idol Jackson Wang hosted a Team Wang Design x Club21 party to celebrate his luxury streetwear label's new collection on Wednesday.

In a video posted by a fan on X (formerly Twitter), Wang is seen thanking fans for showing up at the event and asking them to enjoy themselves.

"Let this party be a very kiasu party," he announces, making an attempt to use the Singlish slang that means "afraid to lose".

On Tuesday, Wang already appeared at an event held at the rooftop club Ce La Vi in Marina Bay Sands, before moving to an after-party at Club Wave in Orchard Plaza.

Wang was last in Singapore for his Magic Man concert tour in December last year and will be performing at one of the stages within the Marina Bay Street Circuit on Friday alongside other artistes such as Niki and Rich Brian under the American music company 88rising.

HAMILTON, A THARMAN SUPPORTER?

A special mention goes to Russell's teammate and seven-time F1 world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was seen in a photo on Mercedes' Instagram account last Sunday holding a pineapple.

Needless to say, Singaporeans were quick to link the fruit to Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who was sworn in as Singapore’s ninth President on Thursday and had used it as his campaign symbol in the recently concluded Presidential Election.

The top comments for the photo post were full of references to Mr Tharman, with some people joking: "Non-Singaporean fans gonna try understanding what the comment section is talking about hahahaha."