F1’s chief executive Bernie Ecclestone commissioned lighting consultant Valerio Maioli to develop the lighting system for the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore. Maioli then turned to Royal Philips Electronics to develop a suitable solution. Here, Philips Asean’s chief executive Paul Peeters tells Chandra Devi about the challenges

in lighting up the F1 night racing event.

Peeters says the many challenges Philips faced for the event have provided it with an opportunity to learn and innovate.

Lighting plays a huge role in enhancing the excitement and drama of professional sports. Philips Lighting, a division of the Royal Philips Electronics, has long played an instrumental role in this area. The company has pioneered lighting innovation in sports starting from the 1952 Olympics in Oslo to the recent one in Beijing.

Philips Lighting also has stipulated the lighting specifications for sports federations such as the International Association of Athletics Federations, International Federation of Football Associations, International Hockey Federation, International Basketball Federation and International Tennis Federation. Almost 70 per cent of all the United Kingdom Premier League Clubs and 55 per cent of the world’s major soccer stadiums are illuminated by Philips.

Although Philips Lighting had lit up many stadiums, fields, pools and other sports venues around the world, the recent F1 night race in Singapore was the “biggest moment ever for Philips”, according to Philips Asean’s chief executive Paul Peeters.

The stringent requirements and many challenges the company faced were unparalleled to other lighting projects it had undertaken. But these challenges provided an opportunity for the company to learn and innovate, Peeters said.

“There were many things to consider, as the Marina Bay Street Circuit was the first FI race to be held at night. As F1 cars do not have lights, the drivers will be dependent on street lights. We had to achieve near-daylight conditions and provide a safe environment for drivers, even in wet weather. Our challenge was to provide the right amount of light without causing glare, to keep light where it belongs and eliminate light pollution.”

By working with lighting consultant Valerio Maioli, Philips developed a dedicated reflector for the lighting system. Its projectors were able to provide near-daylight conditions at night and enable a safe environment for drivers, even at speeds of over 300 kilometres per hour.

The Marina Bay Street Circuit was fitted with nearly 1,500 lighting projectors to illuminate one side of the 5.067km track with light lux of 3,000, which is four times brighter than a football stadium at night. To avoid glare even in wet conditions, the light beams were projected at different angles instead of vertically.

Environmental issues were also taken into account, Peeters pointed out. As the race was held on a street, the lighting system had to be temporary. Since the Singapore government did not allow any uprooting of trees or drilling that would interfere with underground water, gas pipes and electricity cables, the lighting team had to figure out a solution to install the system with minimal impact on the environment.

“To avoid cutting trees lining the road, the height of the lights had to be adjusted according to the canopy. The light projectors were mounted on aluminium trusses. These were installed 10m above the track, supported by vertical steel pylons placed 32m apart. The vertical steel pylons were supported by pre-fabricated concrete blocks. The various height of the pylons were individually adjusted according to its location along the circuit without compromising on the luminosity,” Peeters explained.

Equally crucial to the success of the night race was the viewing experience for spectators and home viewers. Lighting projectors were specifically suited to create ideal conditions for the camera crew to capture sharper images that comply with high-definition television standards.