Singapore Formula One Grand Prix Halted After Lizard Invades Track

A practice session for the Singapore Grand Prix Formula One Race was halted this weekend over an unexpected entry: a large lizard who had made its way onto the track. After the Aston Martin driver Fernando Alonso noticed the presence of the animal, the course was cleared to allow race Marshalls to capture it and remove it from the course, which served as amusement to racing fans everywhere, especially after the Formula 1 social media channels began to time the creature.

In this clip we see an amusing response to the lizard who made the mistake of stepping on the Marina Bay Circuit course during the final practice run before the race. Sure, they were going to chase the reptile off the tracks. But did they have to time him while doing it?

Related: Lizard Falls on Guy's Ice Cream Cone So He Decides to Share with Him

How Formula One Timing Works

Formula One racing (also known at F1) has one of the most sophisticated timing and tracking systems of any sporting event. The cars are all equipped with radio transponders and there are dozens of sensors and infrared cameras all over the course to help track every detail of every moment for each car—sometimes down to a thousandth of a second.

These sensors are extremely delicate, and manage to track all kinds of data for racing fans who can read the detailed, color-coded information. For example, purple numbers on a particular racer’s scorecard indicate that the driver has set the fastest time in that sector for that lap.

So in this case, putting down the lizard’s “time” as purple means he’s definitely faster than the race Marshalls chasing him off the course.

All About Monitor Lizards

Monitor lizards are a pretty common site in Singapore, where this race took place, and they often are found lying on the hot asphalt. As cold-blooded creatures, it’s not unusual for lizards to seek out hot rocks or even pavement to warm their bodies on.

The lizard in this video is most likely a Malaysian water monitor lizard, which can grow up to nine feet in length and live in a variety or rural and even urban environments where they scavenge for food, hunt small prey with their venomous bite, and are known for invading trash cans like reptilian raccoons.

The lizards are shy and reclusive unless cornered or chased, and this is not the first time they have gotten in the way of a car race. In fact, this same race has seen an invasion of the lizards on three separate occasions. The last time was only a year ago, and back in 2017, an especially lager monitor was dubbed “Godzilla” by drivers and race engineers who were astonished to see a reptile taking over the track.

The lizard, unfortunately, was not allowed to complete his impressive lap, and was shortly chased off of the course so that the practice session could resume. After that, the race went off without a hitch.

But with this much reptilian interest in the sport, maybe it’s time to start letting the lizards drive.

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