If you were in Raffles City yesterday and it was colder than usual, it was probably because the 'Iceman' was present, along with Ian Albiston, Shell's Trackside and Logistics Manager, and students from ITE College West to officially launch Shell's new range of LEGO Ferrari collectibles.
If the latter name rings a bell, that is because we had a chance to meet him ahead of the Malaysian Grand Prix in Sepang, where we had a rare opportunity to visit Shell's high-tech trackside laboratory and learn more about Shell V-Power race fuel, which are found in the 2014 Ferrari F14 Ts.
When the topic of the Singapore Grand Prix arose, Ian revealed that Shell and Ferrari will debut the next generation motor oil, Shell Helix Ultra with PurePlus Technology, this weekend. The new fuel features a base made from natural gas mined in Qatar.
With new stringent regulations targeting fuel efficiency and power unit quantity and endurance, teams have found it a challenge to find the delicate balance between fuel efficiency and energy output. Like its predecessors, it is believed the new blend will offer enhanced properties to limit carbon build-up while not hindering or even increasing power output.
Naturally, Ian was tight-lipped about the details of the new fuel blend because unlike Sepang, his visit to Raffles City was to launch the new range of LEGO Ferrari Collectibles - alongside the 'Iceman' Kimi Raikkonen.
On sale since the end of August, the Ferrari LEGO models and playsets are exclusively available with every purchase of Shell V-Power, Shell FuelSave petrol or Shell Diesel.
The new range of models include a Shell Station modelled akin to the one at Fiorano circuit in Maranello, a Finish Line and Podium, the Ferrari F12berlinetta, the Ferrari 512 S, the Ferrari F138 single seater and the historic Ferrari 250 GTO.
Created in collaboration with Ferrari and the LEGO Group, the model cars feature a miniscule pull-back motor, which can cover more than two metres after a single pull.
The motor's ability was put to the test with a special 'drag race' which pit Kimi against Ian. They were joined by their event 'team mates', Shawn Ng and Kenneth Ho, two students from ITE College West - previous champions in the Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014. Their equipment was the LEGO Ferrari F138 miniature model - running down a scaled-down track. Naturally Kimi, the 2007 World Champion, won the race after two out of three 'race wins'.
The event concluded with the premiere of half-sized replicas (1:2 scale) of the LEGO Ferrari cars found in the Shell V-Power LEGO Collection to celebrate the successful and enduring collaboration between Shell, Scuderia Ferrari and the LEGO Group. The 1:2 scale model cars were built in Kladno, Czech Republic, and the full set of 1:2 scale models took 930 hours to build by a team of 16 builders working in teams of four.
