Time truly flies when one is at a Formula 1 weekend and before I realized, Sunday was already here! It was Raceday and I decided to leave sooner to ensure a timely arrival at the circuit. Although the circuit is close to the city of Barcelona, the traffic situation along with the narrow access roads, more than doubled the travel time!

How indulging was race day at the Spanish GP? How did the home heroes fare? Here is a quick recap with some stills from Sunday, shot with the Sony RX10 IV and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

En route to the circuit. The traffic situation worsened on Sunday and I had to walk for 2 km to make it to the Paddock Club.

Finally, at the Paddock Club entrance :

The view of the circuit on Sunday Morning :

Starting the day with some Coffee and Croissants :

Post Breakfast, it was time to enjoy the action on track with the F2 Feature Race :

F2 Feature Race Formation Lap ( Video Link ) :

F2 Feature Race Start ( Video Link ) :

Shots from the F2 Feature Race :

Oliver Bearman won the Feature Race from Enzo Fittipaldi and Victor Martins. Jack Doohan finished in P6.

Right after the Feature Race, I had the opportunity to visit the Fan Village and I made the trek down to enjoy the atmosphere there :

I returned just in time to the Ferrari F1 Club to attend Carlos Sainz Jr.'s interview. The home hero had a front-row start and hoped to put pressure on Verstappen in the race.

Shortly after Carlos Sainz's interview, Team Principal Frederic Vasseur visited the Ferrari F1 Club :

Video Link to this Interview :

A Selfie with the Boss!

I decided to have lunch before the Pit Lane Walk on Sunday :

The Final Pit Lane Walk of the weekend :

Some shots with the Samsung S23 Ultra :

Post the Pit Lane Walk, it was time to grab a vantage spot for the Race Start! Shortly after I reserved my place, the Pit Lane got opened and the drivers headed out of their garages for sighting laps :

The mechanics wheeling the cars to the grid :

The grid is a hive of activity before the formation lap :

Famous faces, mostly footballers, gracing the F1 Spanish GP grid :

The drivers gathering for the National Anthem :

The drivers run back to relieve themselves before getting into the car :

The grid emptied of all non-essential personnel as the clock ran down to the formation lap start :

Time for the Formation Lap :

Video Link :

The 5 Red Lights went out and the Spanish GP was a go!

Video Links to the Race Start :

Shots from the Race :

The Scuderia Ferrari F1 drivers pushing throughout the race :

Charles Leclerc pitting during the Race ( Video Link ) :

The Pit Walls are busy with strategy calls :

Max Verstappen won the Spanish GP from Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. Carlos Sainz Jr could only manage P5, while Charles Leclerc was P11.

Video Link of the Chequered Flag at the end of the Race :

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 personnel celebrating a double podium :

The drivers returning to Parc-Ferme after the race :

Post-Race Interviews of the Podium Finishers:

The gates open to allow the fans to enter the track and get close to the podium celebrations :

After my farewells to the hosts in the Paddock Club, I went downstairs to spend some time in the Paddock :

I got to meet some motorsport personalities during my time in the Paddock.

Mark Webber, Multi-race winner in F1 and a WEC Champion :

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Nice to meet Billy Monger, racer turned presenter :

SHAKIRA!! No Introduction is needed!

Patrick Kluivert, Dutch Footballer who played for FC Barcelona :

Randy Mamola, a Moto GP Legend. He is such an amazing man to talk to about racing in general :

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing Reserve Driver, now driving for Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 :

Andreas Seidl, Sauber Motorsports CEO :

David Coulthard, an F1 legend and currently a commentator & Red Bull Racing Ambassador :

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Extreme E and Rally Racer Christine GZ :

Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo Stake F1 Team :

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Trackside Engineering Director :

Peter Bonnington, the man who says those famous words as his race engineer - "Ok Lewis, it's Hammer time!"

George Russell, Mercedes Petronas AMG F1 Team :

As I exited the circuit, I spent a moment at an Ayrton Senna memorial :

Returning to the city after a hectic Sunday :

I have also shared my Sunday Experience on my YouTube channel.

Video Link :

Although Scuderia Ferrari F1 failed to achieve a better result despite a promising weekend, it was still a fighting display by both Carlos Sainz Jr. and Charles Leclerc.

Thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team and the Hosts of the Ferrari F1 Club for all the hospitality and care shown to me over the weekend. It was truly a memorable weekend, yet again! I am thankful to the Almighty for the privilege to attend these events and meet some famous people from the motorsports world and otherwise!

The Paddock Club Diaries will make a return soon, with experiences from the 2023 Belgian GP weekend. However, before that, I have to document my experience from the Centenary Race of the 24 Hours of Le Mans!

Excited to share about the WEC Weekend... soon!

It was an early morning start to the Saturday at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. Although the circuit is close to the city of Barcelona, the access roads to the circuit suffered from massive traffic jams. Eventually, I had to ditch my cab and walk more than a mile to make it to the Paddock Club entrance.

Enroute to the Circuit :

The Views on Saturday morning :

The decision to walk turned out to be the right one as I made it in time for the Charles Leclerc interview in the Ferrari F1 Club.

Video Link to the Interview :

A Selfie with Charles Leclerc!

Post the interview, I went downstairs to spend some time in the F1 Paddock :

I got the opportunity to meet some icons from the motorsport world!

2016 F1 World Champion and now a presenter, Nico Rosberg!

Ex-F1 Driver and Dakar Legend, Carlos Sainz Sr :

Mr Peter Sauber, the man who was instrumental in bringing some iconic drivers into the sport with his team Sauber F1 :

Spanish Racer Carmen Jorda :

I spent most of my time in the Scuderia Ferrari Garage during FP3 but witnessed Sargeant suffer a retirement in the session.

Verstappen was the quickest in FP3, from Perez and Hamilton. Sainz and Leclerc were P4 and P7 for Ferrari, respectively.

Lunch! Again, an amazing spread and the desserts give one a sugar rush!

Post-lunch, it was time for the Formula 2 Sprint Race. Jack Doohan's car had to go through some urgent repairs on the starting grid.

The drivers and cars are ready for the F2 Sprint :

F2 Sprint Race Formation Lap ( Video Link ) :

F2 Sprint Race Start ( Video Link ) :

Shots from the Sprint Race :

The track dried and the drivers switched to the Dry Tyres for the remainder of the Sprint.

Isack Hadjar Pit Stop ( Video Link ) :

Safety Car Period ( Video Link ) :

Race Restart after Safety Car ( Video Link ) :

Frederik Vesti won the F2 Sprint from Theo Pourchaire and Victor Martins. Jack Doohan finished in P5.

Chequered Flag ( Video Link ) :

The Sprint Race ended and it was time for the Formula 1 Qualifying session.

The teams and drivers inspecting track conditions before the start of Qualifying :

The cars line up at the end of the Pit Lane as the light goes green for Qualifying :

Shots from Q1 :

The session got red-flagged due to an excursion across the gravel for Albon, but soon enough, the track was fit for racing again. The Drivers lined up at the end of the Pit Lane to wait for the lights to go green :

Shots from the final attempts in Q1 :

The Scuderia Ferrari Drivers return to the garage :

Hamilton was the quickest in Q1 from Norris and Russell. Sainz was P4 but Leclerc got eliminated, which was a shock for everyone at Scuderia Ferrari.

Some Stills from Q2 :

Chequered Flag to signal the end of Q2 :

Verstappen topped Q2 from Norris and Sainz. Perez and Russell were the two shock eliminations in that session. The Mercedes duo also had a coming together, which resulted in some damage to Hamilton's car.

Shots from Q3 :

Verstappen bagged pole position from Carlos Sainz Jr and Lando Norris. 

Cars coming into Parc-Ferme post Qualifying :

The Top 3 Drivers giving Interviews post Qualifying :

The Paddock Club closed shortly after Qualifying but like Friday evening, the guests had the option of doing another Pit Lane Walk or being a part of the Paddock Club Track Truck Tour. I chose the latter as the expert hosts of the Paddock Club took us around for a lap of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Some stills from the Paddock Club Track Truck Tour :

Video of the Tour of the Circuit :

F1 Academy Driver and an Expert Host in the Paddock Club, Nerea Marti :

Shots from the 2nd Pit Lane Walk of the day :

Met some more stars, from Motorsports and beyond!

Latvian Basketball Players - Kristaps Porzingis, Zanis Peiners and Rihards Ozolnieks :

Portuguese and Barcelona FC Footballer, Joao Felix!

Manchester United and English Footballer, Mason Mount :

Portuguese and Benfica FC Footballer Hugo Felix :

Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing F1 Team :

World Number 3 in Tennis, Daniil Medvedev :

Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich FC and German Footballer :

Kevin Magnussen, Moneygram Haas F1 Team :

Mick Schumacher, Reserve Driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

Chelsea FC and England Footballer Ben Chilwell :

Martin Whitmarsh, Aston Martin Group CEO & a man who accomplished so much in the 2000s with McLaren Mercedes :

Ex-F1 Driver and 2012 Spanish GP Winner Pastor Maldonado :

George Russell, Mercedes Petronas AMG F1 Team :

Arthur Leclerc, F2 Driver for DAMS Racing and Charles Leclerc's brother :

I bid goodbye to the Circuit but it was time to head for dinner with some friends, who would be joined by some mechanics from the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team.

En route to a dinner with friends, both new and old!

An evening to remember, La Familia! It was great catching up with the ones who actually worked so hard to bring success to drivers and teams over the years. The mechanics are the true heartbeat of any team and it was amazing to interact and share a meal with the trust legends of F1.

It had been a long but memorable Saturday. My day began in the early hours of the morning but ended equally late at night. I also did a Vlog on my YouTube channel documenting my experience on Saturday.

Video Link :

Thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team and the Hosts at the Ferrari F1 Club for an action-packed, memories-filled Saturday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. There was joy in seeing Carlos Sainz Jr end up on the front row of the grid for the race but also sadness about the mechanical issues that Charles Leclerc suffered, which hampered his progress in Qualifying.

However, Sunday was a new day and the day that mattered! The Sunday Experience follows soon!

Hungary and Belgium were the two destinations I had the privilege of visiting in 2022 during the 2022 F1 World Championship.

I drew elaborate plans to attend not just F1 races but also other motorsport events in 2023. The dream turned into reality when I got the opportunity to attend the 2023 F1 Spanish Grand Prix, followed by the 24 Hours of Le Mans the following weekend!

My first trip to Europe in 2023 was truly memorable, and this is the start of the Paddock Club Diaries from the 2023 F1 Season. 

As always, let's begin with the Friday Experience of an F1 Grand Prix Weekend!

Enroute to the Circuit :

We first needed to visit the Team Hotel to pick up our Race Passes for the weekend :

Welcome to Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya! A truly beautiful Friday morning :

Coffee and Croissants to kickstart my day :

The views from the Ferrari F1 Club :

The Ferrari F1 Club, as always, Ferrari had a suite of their own!

It was soon time for the Formula 2 Practice Session to begin and here are some shots from that session :

Post-session, my friend and I decided to head down to the Paddock to enjoy some "behind the scenes" views!

As expected, I had the opportunity to meet some people from the Motorsport Fraternity, including some drivers from the 2023 grid.

Pedro De La Rosa, Aston Martin Racing Ambassador :

Laurent Mekies, Scuderia Ferrari F1 team Racing Director : 

Current F2 Champion and Aston Martin Racing Reserve Driver, Felipe Drugovich :

Aston Martin Racing Ambassador Jessica Hawkins :

Miguel Molina, Driver for Car Number 50 with Ferrari Hypercar in the World Endurance Championship :

Ralf Schumacher, an F1 Legend from the 2000s :

Nyck de Vries, Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :

Lawrence Stroll, the owner of Aston Martin Racing :

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team :

Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo Stake F1 Team :

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :

After spending some time in the Paddock, I walked across to the Pit Lane to be a part of the first pit lane walk of the weekend, beholding the 2023 cars up close!

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team, practising pit stops :

Time for some lunch! A great spread of course, and oh, the Pizza is amazing!

While Lunch was served, it was time for some F1 action on track,and  Free Practice 1 got underway.

Shots from FP1 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team during FP1  :

Charles Leclerc pits during FP1 for a Pit Stop ( Video Link ) :

Some stills with the Samsung S23 Ultra :

The Chequered Flag gets waved at the end of FP1 :

The drivers use the time after a practice session to practice their starts from the Grid Slots :

Video Link for the Practice Starts :

The Ferrari drivers returning to the Pits after FP1 :

Max Verstappen topped the timesheets from Sergio Perez and Esteban Ocon. Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. were P8 and P9, respectively.

After the session, Rupert Manwaring, Carlos Sainz's Performance Coach, visited the Ferrari F1 Club for an interview :

Video Link of the Interview :

I then headed to the Club Lounge to enjoy some light bites from the Food Stations there :

I returned in time to enjoy watching an interview with the Scuderia Ferrari Ambassador, Marc Gene :

Video Link of the Interview :

Free Practice 2 getting underway :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 during FP2 :

Some shots of FP2, with the Samsung S23 Ultra :

Drivers gaining more experience with their Practice Starts :

Sainz returning to the pits after a fruitful session at his home race :

Verstappen was the quickest again in FP2, from Alonso and Hulkenberg. Leclerc and Sainz improved to P6 and P7, respectively.

Post FP2, it was time to leave the Paddock Club and head downstairs for the second pit lane walk of the day.

Saying goodbye to the Paddock Club on Friday evening :

Shots from the Pit Lane walk, taken with the Sony RX10 IV :

Some Stills with the Samsung S23 Ultra :

Shots from the Scuderia Ferrari Garage during the Pit Lane walk :

Jack Doohan!

Davide Brivio, Alpine F1 Racing Director & formerly Team Manager for Ecstar Suzuki in Moto GP :

Meeting my Motorsports hero again, Mick Doohan! Such a joy it is to see him fighting fit as always!

Esteban Ocon, Alpine Racing F1 Team :

James Vowles, Williams Racing F1 Team Principal :

Returning to my hotel in Barcelona :

I have also shared my Friday Experience in a Vlog published on YouTube.

Video Link :

Thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team and the Hosts of the Ferrari F1 Club for having me as a guest at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix. It wasn't the strongest showing by the Ferrari drivers but the team looked positive for a better showing on  Saturday and Sunday.

The experiences from the rest of the weekend to follow shortly, so watch this space!

The First Race I had the privilege of attending in 2023 was the 2023 F1 Spanish Grand Prix. The trip to Spain was part of a rollercoaster tour across three countries in Europe where I had the blessing of attending 2 Motorsports events, back-to-back!

While this was my third visit to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, the Spanish GP didn't fail in giving me memories to last a lifetime, again!

So here starts the latest post in the Gallery of Memories series!

Pedro De La Rosa, Aston Martin Racing Ambassador :

Laurent Mekies, Scuderia Ferrari F1 team Racing Director : 

Current F2 Champion and Aston Martin Racing Reserve Driver, Felipe Drugovich :

Aston Martin Racing Ambassador Jessica Hawkins :

Miguel Molina, Driver for Car Number 50 with Ferrari Hypercar in the World Endurance Championship :

Ralf Schumacher, an F1 Legend from the 2000s :

Nyck de Vries, Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :

Lawrence Stroll, the owner of Aston Martin Racing :

Lando Norris, McLaren F1 Team :

Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo Stake F1 Team :

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :

Jack Doohan!

Davide Brivio, Alpine F1 Racing Director & formerly Team Manager for Ecstar Suzuki in Moto GP :

Meeting my Motorsports hero again, Mick Doohan! Such a joy it is to see him fighting fit as always!

Esteban Ocon, Alpine Racing F1 Team :

James Vowles, Williams Racing F1 Team Principal :

Charles Leclerc, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

2016 F1 World Champion Nico Rosberg!

Ex-F1 Driver and Dakar Legend, Carlos Sainz Sr :

Mr Peter Sauber, the man who was instrumental in bringing some iconic drivers into the sport with his team Sauber F1 :

Spanish Racer Carmen Jorda :

F1 Academy Driver and an Expert Host in the Paddock Club, Nerea Marti :

Kristaps Porzingis, Latvian & Boston Celtics Basketball Player :

Portuguese and Chelsea FC Footballer, Joao Felix!

Chelsea FC and English Footballer, Mason Mount :

Portuguese and Benfica FC Footballer Hugo Felix :

Logan Sargeant, Williams Racing F1 Team :

World Number 3 in Tennis, Daniil Medvedev :

Serge Gnabry, Bayern Munich FC and German Footballer :

Kevin Magnussen, Moneygram Haas F1 Team :

Mick Schumacher, Reserve Driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

Chelsea FC and England Footballer Ben Chilwell :

Martin Whitmarsh, Aston Martin Group CEO & a man who accomplished so much in the 2000s with McLaren Mercedes :

Ex-F1 Driver and 2012 Spanish GP Winner Pastor Maldonado :

George Russell, Mercedes Petronas AMG F1 Team :

Arthur Leclerc, F2 Driver for DAMS Racing and Charles Leclerc's brother :

Frederic Vasseur, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team Principal :

Mark Webber, Multi-race winner in F1 and a WEC Champion :

Nice to meet Billy Monger :

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

SHAKIRA!! No Introduction is needed!

Patrick Kluivert, Dutch Footballer who played for FC Barcelona :

Randy Mamola, a Moto GP Legend. Such an amazing man to talk to about racing in general :

Liam Lawson, Red Bull Racing Reserve Driver :

Andreas Seidl, Sauber Motorsports CEO :

David Coulthard, an F1 legend and currently a commentator & Red Bull Racing Ambassador :

Christian Horner, Team Principal, Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Extreme E and Rally Racer Christine GZ :

Valtteri Bottas, Alfa Romeo Stake F1 Team :

Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Trackside Engineering Director :

Peter Bonnington, the man who says those famous words as his race engineer - "Ok Lewis, it's Hammer time!"

An eventful and hectic weekend indeed. The F1 Race Weekend got soon followed by a weekend at Le Mans, which was also the centenary event of the 24 Hours of Le Mans! Updates from that weekend to follow soon!

A big thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team for hosting me over the weekend. The Gallery of Memories returns soon, with updates from the 24 Hours of Le Mans! 

Wishing you all a lovely weekend till then!