2015 was the first time that I had the privilege of attending the F1 Austrian Grand Prix. Although it was a long trip to the circuit from Graz ( the closest city ), the location of the track in the hills of Styria was so beautiful. The Red Bull Ring as its called, became one of the most picturesque tracks on the calendar for me and I always wanted to re-visit this beautiful venue.

Finally, after a gap of 9 years, the opportunity presented itself and I simply couldn't miss being here at this iconic track. Along with the Austrian GP, I also had the chance of attending the Euros in Germany!

As always, the first post from the race weekend features moments I made with some who are part of the Motorsports Fraternity and some who are famous in their respective walks of life! 

This is the latest post from "A Gallery of Memories" Series!

Zhou Guanyu, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber :

Kevin Magnussen, Moneygram Haas F1 Team :

Oscar Piastri, McLaren F1 Team :

Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing F1 Team :

Mick Schumacher, Reserve driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team and WEC Driver for Alpine Endurance Team :

Laurent Mekies, Team Principal, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team :

Andrea Stella, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team :

Ravin Jain, Chief Strategist, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Charles Leclerc! Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Gerhard Berger, an Austrian F1 Legend!

Gianpiero Lambiase & Peter Bonnington, Race Engineers for Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton!

Another F1 Legend, Juan Pablo Montoya :

Mohan Ritson, a British-Indian ADAC GT4 Racer who is also an expert host in the F1 Paddock Club :

Former F1 World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi :

Lance Stroll, Aramco Aston Martin Racing F1 Team :

Mike Krack, Team Principal, Aston Martin Racing F1 Team :

Liam Lawson, Reserved Driver for Red Bull Racing :

Alexander Albon, Williams Racing F1 Team :

Nicolas Todt, Charles Leclerc's Driver Manager :

Alexander Wurz, former F1 Driver and now a race steward :

Daniel Ricciardo, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team :

1997 F1 World Champion Jacques Villeneuve :

Former F1 Driver Roberto Merhi :

Upcoming Formula 2 sensation and McLaren Academy Driver Gabriel Bortoleto :

Rally Racer Christine GZ :

Hans Zimmer, the legendary Score Composer and Music Composer :

Yuki Tsunoda, Visa Cash App RB F1 Team :

Pierre Gasly, Alpine F1 Team :

Carlos Sainz Jr, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

A moment with friends from the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Meeting Mr. Hans Zimmer was the hallmark of this trip! A big thank you to the hosts of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team who helped me experience these amazing moments! The Friday, Saturday and Sunday Experiences from the Austrian GP follow shortly after!

Sunday had arrived and it was the day of the 2015 Austrian Grand Prix! I was really looking forward to being at the First European Race this year!

As Always the day started early.

Enroute to the circuit :

Passing through a town near Spielberg :

The circuit was abuzz with activity and the paddock parking was slowly filling up with Supercars :

I chose to take the Underground Tunnel enroute to the Paddock Building and bumped into an old friend Andy Stobart - Press Officer for Lotus F1.

I reached the Ferrari F1 Club and it was soon time for the GP2 Sprint Race :

Shots from the Sprint Race :

It was early in the morning and the stands were empty. However every seat had a flag to form a Giant Austrian Flag :

Chequered Flag for the Sprint Race :

Video Link for Chequered Flag at the end of the GP2 Sprint Race :

Photos from Parc Ferme :

Rio Haryanto celebrating his victory :

GP2 Mechanics awaiting the podium celebrations :

GP2 Drivers on the podium :

Davide Valsecchi conducting the podium interviews :

Video Link for the Gp2 Podium Interviews :

FIA Representative discussing with the Mechanics :

GP2 cars standing on Parc Ferme :

Mark Sutton, one of F1's top photographers at work :

The Porsche Supercup :


Shots of the GoPro Hero4 Black :

We were joined by the Ferrari Boss Maurizio Arrivabene in the Suite. His message was clear : "We are here to race, not to holiday"


A moment with the boss :


Video Link for Maurizio Arrivabene's Interview :




Mr. Arrivabene left and within minutes we were joined by Sebastian Vettel!


Video Link for Sebastian Vettel's Interview :




A Rider performing stunts during the pre-race performances :


Drivers Track Parade Photos :


I had a quick lunch before I head down for the Final Pit Lane Walk of the Weekend :


Shots from the Pit Lane Walk :


With Jacques Villeneuve & Davide Valsecchi :


Mark Arnall ( Kimi's Physical Instructor ) :


With Ferrari Team Personnel :


The Red Bull Ring has a Special Feature called the Legends' Parade where F1 Drivers from the yesteryear take to the track in the machinery they used to race in :

Video Link for the Legends Track Parade :




The Skies too weren't quite as the Air Force and Navy strut their Stuff in the sky :


Red Bull too joined the party with a Brilliant Air Show. Video Link :




The Grid before the Grand Prix :


Scuderia Ferrari F1 cars rolling to their grid slots for the preparation of the race. Maurizio Arrivabene spent more time at the back of the grid with Kimi than at the front :


Shots from the GoPro Hero4 Black. The Widescreen does wonders.


Martin Brundle during his Grid Walk on Sky Sports F1 :


Drivers readying their protective gear :


Counting down to the start of the Grand Prix :

Video Link for Countdown to the Formation Lap, Shot with the GoPro Hero4 Black :



The Start of the Formation Lap :


Video Link for the Start of the Formation Lap, Shot with the GoPro Hero4 Black :



Mechanics Running back to their garages :


Cars rolling to their Grid Slots at the end of the Formation Lap. Used the GoPro Hero4 Black :


The Race got underway and Kimi Raikkonen suffered a major accident with Fernando Alonso. The Hopes of seeing the Iceman race live..dashed..I was distraught.

The incident brought out the Safety Car.

Video Link for the Safety Car Period, Shot with the GoPro Hero4 Black :



The Race Restarted after a few laps. Video Link :




Shots from the Grand Prix :


Video Link for the Pit Stop for Felipe Massa :




The lone Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel :


Sebastian Vettel was running third until he had a very slow Pit Stop and a problem with the right rear tyre's wheelnuts. The Loss of time cost him 3rd place. Video Link :




Halfway through the race, I made my way to a spot above the podium and got some more shots, albeit from a different location :


Sebastian Vettel hunting down Massa :


Nico Rosberg took the Chequered Flag and Victory. Lewis Hamilton finished 2nd. He served a 5 second penalty for crossing the white line while exiting the pits. Felipe Massa held on to take the final podium position. Sebastian Vettel finished 4th for Scuderia Ferrari.


Chequered Flag :

Video Link for the Chequered Flag, Shot with the GoPro Hero4 Black :




Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton on Parc Ferme, Video Link  :




Nico Rosberg celebrating his win, Lewis and Massa join in.

Pastor Maldonado and Felipe Nasr on Parc Ferme :

Podium Finishers entering the podium, Video Link :




The Podium Finishers :


Video Link for the Podium Celebrations :




Gerhard Berger conducting the Podium Interviews :


Mechanics participating in the celebrations below the podium :


The Crowd all over the track and trying to get a glimpse of their favourite drivers post race :

The Paddock now in "Packup Mode" :


Shots with the Paddock in the background :



The Ferrari F1 Club Hosts :

The Sky Sports F1 Team wrapping up the Post Race show :

Shots from a silent Paddock :

Some more shots of the circuit while leaving :


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.


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.

Returning from the Circuit :


I would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari and the Ferrari F1 Club for all the Hospitality shown to me.


A Big Thank you to Edge Global Events for all the arrangements made by them for me over the weekend. They ensured I had a memorable experience. A Special Mention for Mr. Rory Haworth for all his efforts leading up the event.


Sony HX400V was brilliant while the GoPro Hero4 Black ensured that I was a part of all the action.

It wasn't the best Sunday in terms of results for Kimi. However I got to meet so many people and made new friends.

My Next trip takes me to the Ardennes where Spa Francorchamps is situated. I hope to see Kimi, the King of Spa have a better outing there.

There are a couple more posts scheduled to come over the mid season break. So watch this space!

Saturday is an important day in a F1 Weekend. The day starts early for the teams and as an avid fan, I don't like to miss a moment.

One has to leave early on Saturday to catch a glimpse of the Teams' Pit Stop Practice happening on Saturday Morning.

The Saturday Chauffeur Transfer was in the powerful and Sporty Audi RS6!! What a Car!

Enroute to the Circuit :

I reached the Circuit and the Pit Lane Walk was underway. Shots from the Pit Lane on Saturday Morning :

Williams F1 Racing were busy practising their Pit Stops :

Video Link for Williams F1 Team Pit Stop Practice :

With Jonathan ( Handles the Hospitality for Ferrari Guests ) from Scuderia Ferrari F1 :


Jean Eric Vergne & Maurizio Arrivabene in the Garage :


With the Boss of AVL Racing :


Shots from the GoPro Hero4 Black Edition :


A Moment with Esteban Gutierrez :


Mark Sutton :


GP3 Cars rolling into the Pit Lane :

Quick GoPro Selfies with the Cars :

The Main Grandstand from the Paddock Club :

Shots from the GP3 Session :


GP3 ended and it was time for Free Practice 3 to begin. Felipe Massa had an early sighter lap in the session


Kimi Raikkonen followed suit :


Shots from FP3 :


Some More Stills :


Scuderia Ferrari F1 in FP3 :


Fernando Alonso stopped ontrack and the session had to be red flagged. The McLaren gave up on the Pit Straight :


Mechanics wheeling back the car :


Fernando's Long Walk back to the Pits :


The session restarted but the changeable weather of Spielberg brought in the rains :


Video Link to Rain in FP3. Shot with the GoPro Hero4 :





The Drivers nevertheless went out on track to collect valuable data for the engineers since Qualifying was predicted to be in the wets.


Once the Session got over the Drivers practiced their starts from various starting grids :

Video Link to Practice Starts :



The Session ended with Ferrari right in the mix to challenge the Mercedes. Sebastian Vettel was the fastest again with Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen only 2 tenths of a second down on the German's time. Rosberg was 5th around 3 tenths down on the time. The Field was pretty bunched up and Qualifying seemed promising.


The Session got over and we were soon joined by Esteban Gutierrez :


Esteban left the club and then entered Jean-Eric Vergne!!

Video Link to Vergne's Interview :




Post the Interviews it was time to binge before heading down for the 2nd Pit lane walk of the day :

Enroute to the Pit Lane. The Paddock was abuzz with activity :


Shots from the Pit Lane :


GoPro Hero4 being put through its paces :

With Paul Seaby ( Lotus F1 ) :


Claudio Bersini from Ferrari :


Ted Kravitz!! ( Sky Sports F1 ) :


The Pit Lane walk ended but the heavy shower had left behind a lot of wet patches on the track.

Valtteri Bottas deep in conversation before the start of Qualifying :


A Damp Track at the start of Qualifying :


Selfie time again! GoPro Hero4 Rocks!


Shots from Q1 as the track dries up.

Teams Switching to the slicks as the track started drying up quickly :

Williams had a slow pit stop with Bottas. Video Link



Scuderia Ferrari F1 in Q1 :

Cars returning to the pits :

As the Timer counted down, the track got drier and faster. The Last Man to take the Chequered Flag would be the fastest. Ferrari mistimed Kimi Raikkonen's exit from the pits. This meant that he ran into Traffic on his flying lap and was shunted out of Q1!!!

Kimi qualified a dismal 18th and it was another torturous Saturday. He would however start 14th after penalties being applied to drivers above him

Nico Rosberg was the fastest in Q1 with Sebastian Vettel 2nd.


Q2 began and a lot of strategies played out on track. Some went out early while some played the waiting game.

Shots from Q2 :

Chequered Flag in Q2 :

Nico Rosberg was fastest in Q2. Lewis Hamilton & Sebastian Vettel completed the top 3.

Q3 would be a shootout between the top 10 drivers to decide the final 10 places and the sharp end of the grid.


Shots from Q3 :

Q3 wasn't without drama. Lewis Hamilton was leading in Q3 and went out on his final run only to miss the First Turn on his flying lap. Nico Rosberg was 2 tenths up and nearing the end of his Flying Lap only to misread the last section and ended up in the gravel trap!

Lewis Hamilton held on to be on Pole. Nico Rosberg and Sebastian Vettel completed the top 3.


It had been a dramatic qualifying session and I was so gutted to see Kimi languishing down in 18th. However it couldn't be undone.

Kimi was due to visit the Suite post the debacle and he obliged.


Kimi Raikkonen in the Ferrari F1 Club :

Video Link to Kimi Raikkonen's Interview :




Kimi left and it was time to sit back and enjoy the GP2 Feature Race :


Video Link for the GP2 Feature Race Formation Lap :




Video Link for the GP2 Feature Race Start :




Video Link for Lap 1 :




Arden Pit Stop in the Feature Race ( Video Link ) :




The Race got over and I headed to the Paddock Side to catch up on some action. I was pleasantly surprised to see Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull Motorhome in conversation with old friends Christian Horner and Red Bull Owner Dietrich Mateschitz.

The Spread of Pirelli Tyres. What a sight to behold :


The Beauty of Speilberg, Amazing! The Most Beautiful track I have ever been to!

Returning to Graz in the evening.


Kimi Raikkonen had a dismal Qualifying but nevertheless it was a memorable Saturday.

I would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari and the Ferrari F1 Club for all the Hospitality shown to me.

A Big Thank you to Edge Global Events too for all the arrangements done over the weekend

I have really enjoyed the company of my new equipment - Sony HX400V and the GoPro Hero4 Black. Sony must introduce the feature of taking photos while shooting videos like the predecessor of HX400V.

Sunday is the day that matters and I was hopeful that Kimi would have a better outing on the day that matters the most.

Sunday post coming up soon! Thank you for the Support!

The 2015 Austrian Grand Prix was the First Race of the 2015 Season that I had the privilege of attending. I was a guest of the Ferrari F1 Club for the weekend. As always, this is the Friday Experience from the weekend.

My Standard equipment for this race featured an upgrade and an extra addition. Besides the upgraded Sony HX400V, the GoPro Hero4 Black Edition with the LCD BacPac & the Smart Remote

Nestled in the Styria Region in the town of Spielberg, the Red Bull Ring is one of the most beautiful tracks on the F1 Calender and rightly so!

I stayed at the Ibis in Graz. Spielberg is a 60 minute drive from Graz. Vienna is a Two Hour Drive.

The Paddock Club Passes :

I had quite a grand transfer to the circuit. Audi A8 for the Friday :

Enroute to the Circuit :

I was dropped off at a certain point and had to walk my way to the Paddock Club. It was quite a confusing walk and it took me some time to go down the right route. Nevertheless the surroundings are a brilliant sight to behold :

I only had 15 minutes in the First Pit Lane Walk and I tried to make the most of it :

Enorute to the Ferrari F1 Club and the Paddock for the teams is very visible :

The View of the Track from the Ferrari F1 Club :

The Camera that moves up and down the Pit-lane & the Pit Straight :

Helicopter doing a trial run up in the air :

Fighter Jets strutting their stuff in the skies. Austria showcases many aerial shows throughout the weekend :

Soon it was time for FP1 and get busy with the cameras!

Shots from Free Practice 1 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 during FP1 :

The Pit Boards doing their jobs :

Chequered Flag to signal the end of FP1 :

At the end of every practice session, Drivers are allowed to do a couple of Practice Starts :

Video Link to the Practice Starts at the end of FP1 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 in the pits :

Williams Racing returning to the pits.

Free Practice 1 ended with Nico Rosberg recording the Fastest Time with Lewis Hamilton 2nd. Kimi Raikkonen was 3rd for Ferrari and Sebastian Vettel was the slowest and suffered a problem and came to a stop on track after only 4 laps.

FP1 ended and we were soon joined by Ferrari Development Driver Marc Gene :

Video Links to Marc Gene's Interview in the Ferrari F1 Club ( Part 1 & 2 ) :

Fridays feature the GP2 Practice Session also :

Shots from the Pit Lane :

GP2 Practice underway :

I finally had the time to sample my GoPro for the first time on the weekend and here are some shots taken :


GP2 ended and it was time for Lunch!

A hearty meal and it was time to go down for the 2nd Pit Lane Walk of the Day.

The Paddock pretty silent :

Shots from the Pit Lane Walk :

The Teams in preparation for FP2 started their engines and did test runs to check for any issues.


Video Link of the Red Bull Racing revving their Renault Engines :




Mercedes AMG Petronas Revving their engines ( the Most Melodious of all )




McLaren Honda Engine Test :





Shots from the Ferrari Garage :

Shots of the GoPro Hero4 :


The First Person I met was a Famous Austrian Ferrari GT Racer - Karl Baron! A very humble guy but very quick on track!

Video Link of the Scuderia Ferrari SF15-T revving its engine :




The Podium :


Helicopters taking off for FP2 :


Shots from Free Practice 2 :


Scuderia Ferrari F1 in FP2 :

Busy with the GoPro Hero4 and getting some great shots!

Video Link of the Williams F1 Team performing a Pit Stop with Valtteri Bottas :




Chequered Flag :


Drivers performing Practice Starts :


Cars returning to the garages :

Sebastien Vettel finished FP2 on the top of the timesheets. Nico Rosberg was 11 hundredths of a second off the pace while Kimi Raikkonen was 3rd two tenths behind.


However, Vettel was forced to return to the garage after slowing on track in the final half hour with a suspected gearbox problem. Raikkonen was unable to do a long run on the supersoft tyre compound after he flat-spotted his only set midway through the session.

The Ferrari F1 Club featured all the compounds of the Pirelli Tyres used :

We were soon joined by Esteban Gutierrez in the Ferrari F1 Club :

FP2 was followed by the GP2 Qualifying session for the Feature Race on Saturday.


Shots from GP2 Qualifying Session :

Some Iced Coffee to stay fresh :

Shots from the Paddock at the end of Friday :

Panoramic Shots of the Paddock :

The Bull - the Face of the Red Bull Ring at Spielberg.

Some Shots of Famous F1 Personalities :

Stills from the Ferrari F1 Club!

Tires being cleansed and readied for Saturday :

It was soon time to leave the Paddock Club and I was walking back to the Shuttle stop only to spot Kimi Raikkonen leaving the Paddock with Mark Arnall in his Ferrari FF!

Returning to Graz :


It was a Brilliant Friday! Kimi was flying and the Ferraris looked strong and a lot closer than usual to the Mercedes. It was fingers Crossed for Saturday.

I was really happy with capabilities displayed by the GoPro Hero4 and I highly recommend people to grab one. Does a brilliant job of capturing and storing memories.

Edge Global Events, the Hospitality experts left no stone unturned when it came to making all the arrangements!

Finally I would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari and the Hosts at the Ferrari F1 Club for all the Hospitality shown to me!

More to come from the weekend!

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..