#trending: What F1 drivers are up to in Singapore — from taking taxi to drinking bubble tea and meeting fans

SINGAPORE — It is time to turn up the heat for the Singapore night race's return in the Formula One (F1) season after a two-year break and quite literally, some of the F1 drivers were acclimatising to the tropical temperatures and humidity here by heading to saunas.

F1 fever has started even before the race proper on Sunday.

As crew members of the racing teams test the cars and race track at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, several drivers were out exploring, eating and taking pictures, if not showing up at fringe activities for the Singapore Grand Prix.

TODAY checks out what some of the drivers have been doing as they returned here after missing two years when the night race was cancelled in 2020 and last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

NORRIS’ FAVOURITE DISH IS ‘SINGAPORE NOODLES’

Lando Norris from McLaren racing team announced his arrival in Singapore on Twitter on Monday (Sept 26) with a caption that showed seven emojis of Singapore’s flag.

Two days later, the 22-year-old, who is also one of the youngest F1 drivers, made an appearance at the Lego Technic McLaren Formula 1 Pop-Up Experience outside Ngee Ann City mall and declared that his favourite dish here was “Singapore noodles”.

Hmm, he might need to be more specific about that in a country where the variety of noodles may be as many as the turns in the Marina Bay Street Circuit.

Norris revealed that the Singapore Grand Prix may be the toughest race of the whole season: “Especially here in Singapore, the amount of weight we lose through the race… when you come to Singapore, you definitely sweat a lot.”

Apparently, just taking a taxi ride here is tough for Norris, though he is quite forgiven since it is not uncommon for even Singaporean taxi passengers to complain of being carsick when some drivers give light taps on the brake pedal repeatedly while behind the wheel.

After one such ride, Norris went on Instagram on Wednesday to say that he "got whiplash from (the taxi driver’s) braking and extremely sudden throttle technique".

With feet more firmly planted on the ground and armed with a camera — not the one in a mobile phone, mind you — the Belgian-British also snapped photos in and around Suntec City on Wednesday.

BOTTAS, LECLERC AND SAINZ MAKE THEIR WAY TO SAUNAS

Valtteri Bottas, Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz were preparing to perspire like never before.

Bottas, who is racing with Alfa Romeo, posted on Instagram a cheeky video of himself “heat training” for the Singapore race back in Finland on Tuesday before his arrival. 

Wearing nothing but a reindeer antler hat, the Finnish driver sat in a sauna and set the thermometer to 100°C.

“Singapore prep for some, Finnish daily ritual for others,” he joked in the video.

After he arrived here, he shared his view of the Singapore night skyline on Wednesday with the caption: “Nice to be back.” 

Ferrari’s Sainz similarly prepared for the “toughest race of the season”, as he showed himself pedalling on an indoor bike in a steam room.

“Extreme situations call for extreme measures… Getting ready for Singapore,” the Spanish driver wrote on Instagram last Friday. 

Sainz’s teammate Leclerc also said that perspiring in saunas is part of his training regime for the Singapore Grand Prix, The Straits Times reported.

ZHOU TURNS TO BUBBLE TEA

Bottas’ teammate in Alfa Romeo, Zhou Guanyu, announced his love for bubble tea on Instagram on Tuesday, seemingly upon his arrival here. 

The driver from China showed off his “Singapore GP” helmet, which included cute stickers of bubble tea plastered all over it and the words “Zhou loves bubble tea” in both English and Chinese.

TODAY also spied Singaporean singer-songwriter JJ Lin extending a warm welcome to Zhou in the Instagram comments.

As part of a meet-and-greet, the 23-year-old visited a Puma sportswear store with Bottas on Wednesday, as a crowd gathered at 313@Somerset mall along Orchard Road.

Zhou had quite a cause for celebration earlier on Tuesday — the first Chinese driver in F1 has just scored a deal to continue racing for Alfa Romeo next year. 

SCHUMACHER FOCUSED ON TRAINING

Mick Schumacher, who races with Haas, got right to work at the gym.

As evident on his Instagram account, the son of F1 legend Michael Schumacher was preparing for the tight, winding roads in the Singapore circuit.

Sainz from Ferrari was not backing down either. Apart from pedalling on an indoor bike in a steam room, there was some weight-lifting to do.

OCON, ALONSO GIVING TALKS

Office employees and business types in suits got up close to F1 drivers from the Alpine racing team.

Esteban Ocon dropped by the Twitter Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore on Wednesday to answer some questions from a live Q&A for the GoF1 Show, a show for F1 fans hosted by former British racing driver Matthew Marsh. 

Ocon's teammate Fernando Alonso attended the Citi Asia Pacific Macro Investor conference on Wednesday, held by his sponsor Citi Private Bank.

RIVALS ON TRACK, DINNER MATES OFF TRACK

Pierre Gasly from AlphaTauri let his hair down and hung out with his close friend LeClerc at Marina Bay Sands resort, as he posted a picture of them on Wednesday at a restaurant with the caption: “Good food. Good friends. Good times. Singapore, let’s get started! 🇸🇬”