I start a new series today. Its called the "Paddock Club Diaries". I shall be documenting my experiences from the various Paddock Clubs at the Grand Prix I have had the privilege of being at. The Silverstone GP in 2012 was already documented. The Indian GP ( 2012 ) shall be done soon but first I shall be sharing my experience of The Paddock Club of the German GP held at the Nurburgring from 5th July to 7th July 2013. The Circuit is nestled amongst the hills in the Eifel Region and has a great history in Motor-racing. The Circuit's chance of hosting the GP was almost jeopardized but Bernie Ecclestone ensured that this did not happen.
Once again as a guest of the Lotus F1 Team I was able to have the privilege of seeing my favourite driver KIMI RAIKKONEN up-close.
My passes were delivered a day before the GP - Elegant as ever :
All preparations done, it was time to leave for the circuit early in the Morning. Enroute to the circuit :
Nurburgring, Friday Morning :
The Paddock Club wasn't ready for its guests yet but the Pit Lane was open for the Pit Lane Walk and it was time to explore the garages up-close! As a guest of Lotus F1 , I had the privilege of entering their garage!!
The Lotus F1 Mechanics preparing the Cars for Battle :
The Pit Lane Walk lasted 45 minutes and we were then ushered into the Club Suite. The Location of the Suite was perfect and offered fantastic vantage points to view the sessions!!
Before we knew it, the First Friday Practice Session was already upon us! FP1 saw teams tinker with various setups and upgrades to monitor car performance. Some Shots from the FP1 :
The Iceman doing his job!
The Teams monitoring all the data :
Lewis Hamilton was the Fastest in the session, Kimi Raikkonen was 5th and Romain Grosjean 9th.
FP2 was still a couple of hours away so I dug into some sweets
Lunch was served on time and was delicious as always :
We were joined by Davide Valsecchi, the Lotus F1 Reserve Driver post lunch. A Very Humble and Gracious person indeed!
His Departure was soon followed by the 2nd Pit Lane Walk.
The 2nd Pit Lane Walk saw more guests and some teams had a lot more on display :
The Podium and the Safety Car :
Williams F1 were celebrating their 600th GP Weekend. A Big Congratulations to them!
FP2 finally began and I was able to capture some great photos. FP2 is a session that teams utilize to monitor Race Pace. Qualifying Simulations are also run. Some more stills!
Kimi Raikkonen flying again!
Sebastien Vettel was the Fastest in the session, Romain Grosjean was 4th and Kimi Raikkonen 5th.
Finishing my Desserts during FP2 :
FP2 ended and it was time for the GP2 Qualifying Session. The Train of Cars :
The Club Suite. A Fantastic Place to enjoy an F1 Weekend!
The Team Motorhomes from the Paddock Club :
I was also taken down to the Team Garage on 4 occasions. I was able to see the team work up-close during the sessions, the race engineers conversing with their respective pilots and the mechanics making setup changes and doing practice pit-stops. It was an amazing experience! ( Photography forbidden within the Team Garages )
The Paddock Club shut at 6:30 pm and I had some time to explore the F1 Village. This is the First Covered Village I have seen. The arrangements done by the organisers must be commended.
The Journey back to the Hotel :
It was a great day at the Paddock Club, a really memorable one.
A Big Thank You to the Lotus F1 Team for all the Hospitality. A Big Thank You to Oliver Anderson too for all the help. Really appreciate it!
The Saturday experience shall be coming soon! Watch this Space!!