Ong Beng Seng's F1 Appearance Draws Online Jabs After He Was Spared Jail Due to Illness

Singapore-based businessman Ong Beng Seng was spotted at the F1 weekend from 9 to 11 Oct 2026, prompting online discussion about his appearance.

In a Reddit post on r/SingaporeR by user throwawayaway539, the user questioned his presence, writing: "Thought Ong Beng Seng was very sick and going to die"

Ong Beng Seng pleaded guilty in Aug 2025 to abetting former Transport Minister S Iswaran in obstructing the course of justice by arranging for Singapore GP to belatedly bill him $5,700 for a business-class flight from Doha to Singapore during a corruption investigation.

He was fined $30,000, the maximum fine a district court could impose for the charge, and was not given a jail term.

Principal District Judge Lee Lit Cheng granted Ong judicial mercy on humanitarian grounds, citing his age and serious medical condition. Ong, who was 79 at the time, suffers from incurable bone marrow cancer, known as multiple myeloma.

Ong Beng Seng is widely credited with bringing Formula One back to Singapore in 2008, after leading a consortium that negotiated with F1 officials to secure the rights to host the race.

The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix was held at the Marina Bay street circuit in September that year, marking F1's first night race and its first street race in Asia.