The European Leg of the 2015 F1 Season has begun. Austria was the First Race in the season I had the honour of attending.
The Circuit is located in the picturesque town of Spielberg and named the Red Bull Ring ( Full feature in upcoming posts )
As always, my F1 experiences begin with the Gallery of Memories.
The First Person I met was a Famous Austrian Ferrari GT Racer - Karl Baron! A very humble guy but very quick on track!
Esteban Gutierrez, Scuderia Ferrari F1 3rd Driver :
Friday was a quiet day until I spotted Kimi Raikkonen leaving the Circuit in his Ferrari FF :
I had the chance of meeting the Famous Motorsports Photographer Mark Sutton! Such an amazing moment. Have always loved the masterpieces he has created through his lens!
So Happy to meet Paul Seaby - Race Team Manager for Lotus F1! It was great to catch up with him and hope to see him again soon!
With the Ferrari Team Personnel - Jonathan Giacobazzi, Claudio Bersini & Alberto Revelli!
Ted Kravitz!! Sky Sports F1! How can you not know him!
Sunday Morning and I meet Andy Stobart - Press Officer for the Lotus F1 Team in the tunnel. Had a warm chat about the sport and many other things. Very Approachable person and extremely down to earth!
Had the Honour of meeting Maurizio Arrivabene in the Ferrari F1 Club on Sunday! Mr. Maurizio is the Team Principal for the team and one of the most passionate and hard working people I have seen. He interacted with the guests and even honoured many with a photo. Patience and Humility personified.
The Final Pit Lane Walk so we bump into the Sky Italia Crew and meet a very close friend Davide Valsecchi! Deep in conversation I noticed the man standing next to me - Jacques Villeneuve, the 1997 F1 World Champion! I didn't miss the opportunity of taking a selfie with the duo!
Mark Arnall, Kimi's Personal Instructor. Our conversation was mostly about Kimi's horrible qualifying session that left him languishing near the back of the grid. Photos in the 2015 gear!
The Hosts in the Ferrari Formula 1 Club! Extremely Hospitable and Welcoming!
On my return to the parking lot, I met 2 more famous people. Christian Danner - former race car driver, TV Commentator for RTL Germany and consultant to number of German Companies in F1, notably Allianz. He has a regular feature in the DHL F1 show in India.
Allan McNish, Ex-Formula 1 Driver, 3 time Winner of 24 hours of LeMans with Audi and FIA WEC Champion ( 2013 ). He is now a top TV Pundit and does Commentary for F1 Races on BBC / ITV.
It was an awesome weekend ( barring Kimi's race result ) and I got to meet so many new people and catch up with the ones I know. A Big thank you to Scuderia Ferrari F1 and the Ferrari F1 Club for all the Hospitality throughout the weekend.
Edge Global Events ensured that all the formalities for the Grand Prix were completed smoothly.
A Special mention about the new camera I used besides my usual Sony HX400V - the GoPro Hero4 Black with the LCD Bacpac and Wifi Smart remote.
I was able to get some great selfies with my GoPro in the highest resolution. So happy to have purchased one.
There is more coming from the 2015 Austrian GP weekend..soon..