The last day of the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix had finally arrived. Unlike, the rest of the weekend, Sunday saw better weather & clearer skies. I had an early start to the day as I tried to beat the morning traffic into the circuit.
Enroute to the circuit :
Walking over to the Paddock Club :
Starting my day with Cappuccino and Croissants as always!
Sunday morning views of the track. The F3 Race got underway with a rolling start :
F3 Feature Race Formation Lap ( Video Link ) :
The F3 Feature Race is a go & what a cracker of a race this was!
F3 Feature Race Start ( Video Link ) :
As the F3 race carried on, I decided to visit the fan village.
Walking over to the F1 Fan Village :
The F1 Fan Village, full of activity!
Shots of Raidilon from the Fan Village :
I returned to the Paddock Club and the Ferrari F1 Club Hosts arranged for me to go to the Photo Safari for the start of the F2 Feature Race.
We got escorted to the support race paddock which offered views of Eau Rouge and Raidilion :
The Safety Car comes into the pits and the F2 Feature Race resumes :
F2 Feature Race Restart ( Video Link ) :
Shots from the Feature Race :
Jack Doohan produced a stunning comeback to win the feature race from P11.
Shots from the celebrations in Parc Ferme :
While the celebrations carried on in Parc Ferme, we had Ferrari's star driver join us in the Ferrari F1 Club.
Charles Leclerc in the Paddock Club!
Charles Leclerc Interview in the Ferrari F1 Club ( Video Link ) :
Going down to the Paddock for some more selfies!
Nico Hulkenberg, Moneygram Haas F1 Team :
Papa Perez! Mr Antonio Perez Garibay :
Hannah Schmitz, Principal Strategy Engineer for Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team :
Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :
The vintage cars getting ready for the Drivers' parade. My friend drove Leclerc around the track :
Shots from the final pit lane walk of the weekend :
The Scuderia Ferrari Garage before the race :
The Ferrari mechanics warming up with some pit stop practice :
Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team getting ready for the race with Pit Stop Practice ( Video Link ) :
Diego Ioverno, Sporting Director at Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :
Jack Doohan! It is always a pleasure to meet him, he is a thorough gentleman & an even better racer :
Time for a quick lunch before gobbling down some chocolates as desserts :
The grid getting ready for the main event of the weekend :
The drivers emerge from the pits for their sighting laps :
The drivers getting rolled by their mechanics into their respective grid slots :
National Anthem time :
The F1 Grid before the start of the Race ( Video Link ) :
The Air Force giving the fans an acrobatic display :
The grid gets clear of all non-essential personnel :
Formation Lap time :
Video Link of the Formation Lap :
The drivers navigating the Bus Stop chicane on the Formation lap :
The five red lights illuminate and as they went out, the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix was a go!
Race Start ( Video Link ) :
Lap 1 ( Video Link ) :
Shots from the race :
The Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team working hard to extract the maximum from the weekend :
Max Verstappen won the race from Sergio Perez while Charles Leclerc was P3 for Ferrari. A mechanical issue caused Sainz Jr to retire from the race.
Charles Leclerc patiently answering questions by Martin Brundle on Parc Ferme :
The Red Bull Duo having a mini post-race debrief :
Waiting for the top 3 to appear on the podium :
Leclerc, Perez and Verstappen are all smiles as they made their way to the podium :
The trophies being lifted by the Podium finishers :
Time for some champagne!
Podium Celebrations ( Video Link ) :
Mohammed Bin Sulayem, former Rally Driver and Current President of the FIA :
Some dear friends from Belgium, such a blessing to know them!
Selfie time in the paddock :
As I was walking around the Paddock, a gentleman and his grandson walked up to me and told me that they were at the race this weekend due to my Vlogs from 2022! They loved how well I had documented my experiences at the races and it helped their decision-making for a visit to an F1 race :
Jamie Chadwick, development driver at Williams Racing F1 Team & the triple-world champion in the now defunct W Series :
Daniel Ricciardo, Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :
Timo Glock, ex-F1 Driver and now a commentator for German TV :
Carlos Sainz Jr, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :
The Paddock is getting dismantled as the teams leave for the summer break :
Until next time, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps!
I also made a Vlog about my experience from Sunday, sharing the YouTube link here :
It had been a memorable weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix. Thankfully, the FOM decided to extend the Belgian GP contract till 2025 and I hope to see this track on the F1 calendar for several more years. Once again, a big thank you to the Paddock Club team for their hospitality over the weekend. A special mention to the hosts in the Ferrari F1 Club who always make me feel welcomed and a part of the team, whichever race I am at.
There is another special experience to come from 2023, so watch this space!