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!

Raceday arrived and I was excited about the prospect of seeing another Ferrari victory in 2022. The day began early as I headed out from Hasselt to be at the circuit in time for Charles Leclerc's visit to the Ferrari F1 Club.

The early start helped me to avoid the long lines heading into the circuit. 

So how was the race day experience at the 2022 Belgian Grand Prix? Well, this is a humble attempt at covering such a memorable day. Photos were taken with both my Sony RX10 IV and Samsung S22 Ultra.

En route to the circuit and enter via La Source. Always a pleasant sight to behold Hotel La Source.

After the usual cardio workout through the woods, I finally reached the Paddock Club!

Sunday Morning views from the Ferrari F1 Club :

All the calories shed got recovered with some Belgian Ice Cream on Sunday Morning!

The Formula 3 race was underway when I arrived and it was yet another win for Prema Racing!

Formula 3 Feature Race Podium Finishers celebrating :

The F3 race got quickly followed by the Formula 2 Feature Race!

The Formula 2 drivers line up on the grid!

The Race is a go-go!

Video Link of the Start of the Feature Race :

Jack Doohan leading after a brilliant strategy call :

As the F2 race continued, I visited the Fan Zone. I had won a selfie contest and Spa Grand Prix had asked me to visit the fan booth to collect my prize. I won an Alpine F1 cap signed by both the drivers and a t-shirt with all the circuits printed from the 2022 season! Amazing!!

The F2 cars negotiate their way through Raidilion, onto the Kemmel Straight, a sight to behold indeed :

Jack Doohan celebrating with this team on Parc Ferme, his first-ever F2 Feature Race win, a deserved one indeed!

Parc Ferme Celebrations ( Video Link ) :

Getting onto the Podium to celebrate his success! Well done Jack Doohan!

Video Link to the Podium Celebrations :

The F2 Feature race got followed by a Red Bull Air Show!

Some stunts performed in the air :

Soon enough, it was time for Charles Leclerc to visit the guests in the Ferrari F1 Club for a quick Q&A!

Charles Leclerc Interview in the Ferrari F1 Club ( Video Link ) :

Post his interview, I decided to head down to the support race paddock to congratulate Jack Doohan on his maiden Feature Race win!

As I made my way down I bumped into someone famous!

Jacky Ickx, an F1 legend and six-time Le Mans winner :

Down at the support race paddock, I caught a glimpse of the vintage cars lined up for the Drivers' Track Parade!

More selfies followed!

Bernd Maylander, Formula 1 Safety Car Driver :

Paul di Resta, Ex-F1 Driver and Sky Sports F1 Presenter :

Finally, after waiting for the debrief to end, I had a chance to meet and converse with Jack about his weekend! Such an amazing human being and I wish him all the best for the future!

The man, with his spoils from the weekend!

As I legged it back to the Paddock Club, I realized that I had missed the only Pit Lane Walk on Sunday :(

Once I got back to the club, I quickly went through the menu to see what appealed to my palette...

Enjoying some lunch before the real action begins :

As the drivers headed out for their sighting laps, the mechanics made their way to the grid to get the cars ready for the race :

The activity on the grid is increasing steadily :

Running through the grid, through a series of photos :

National Anthem time :

The drivers make their way back to their cars to get ready for the Formation Lap :

Formation lap time :

Formation Lap ( Video Link ) :

Ready to race!

Race Start ( Video Link ) :

The Race gets underway :

End of Lap 1 ( Video Link ) :

A First lap collision between Hamilton and Alonso brought out the Safety Car, with the former bowing out of the race :

Safety Car Deployed in the Race ( Video Link ) :

Race Restarts after Safety Car period ( Video Link ) :

The Race restarts again :

Battles galore up and down the field :

Some more shots from the Race :

George Russell Pit Stop ( Video Link ) :

Sergio Perez Pit Stop ( Video Link ) :

Max Verstappen Pit Stop ( Video Link ) :

Pit Stop stills :

The Scuderia Ferrari F1 boys battling it out in the race :

Parc Ferme Interviews and Podium Presentations :

Parc Ferme Interviews ( Video Link ) :

The Lifting of the trophies! Well done to Verstappen, Perez and Sainz for their performances over the weekend!

Taking some photos of the Podium finishers :

Video Link - Podium Celebrations :

The fans invade the track and take over the start-finish straight as they hope to catch a glimpse of their favourite drivers :

As I made my way back to the Paddock Club, I met a Belgian superstar!

Belgian and Manchester City footballer Kevin de Bruyne :

With the Paddock Club shutting for the weekend, it was time to head downstairs to the Paddock.

The Paddock at Spa Francorchamps :

I met a host of famous people while I spent time in the Paddock. 

Guenther Steiner, Haas F1 Team Principal :

Mats Hummels, Germany and Borussia Dortmund Football Team, my favourite centre-back :

Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Orlen Team :

Christian Horner, Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team Principal :

Yuki Tsunoda, Scuderia Alpha Tauri F1 Team :

A silver medalist at rowing in the Olympics and Daniel Ricciardo's Race Engineer, Tom Stallard :

A selfie, well not really, with the reigning World Champion Max Verstappen :

Esteban Ocon, Alpine Racing F1 Team :

Sergio Perez, Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team :

Daniel Ricciardo, McLaren F1 Team :

Fernando Alonso, Double World Champion, Alpine Racing F1 Team :

Mara Sangiorgio and Federica Masolin, journalists from Sky Sports F1 Italia :

The hosts at the Ferrari F1 Club! Such a great bunch of people! So blessed to know this trio, always cheerful, and welcoming and giving me memorable race weekends!

The sun sets on the Belgian GP weekend. We had to vacate the Paddock area earlier than usual since the teams needed to dismantle and ship everything to Zandvoort. 

Returning to Hasselt, through village roads, the main highway was full of traffic!

A Vlog on the Sunday Experience at the 2022 Belgian GP, uploaded on my Youtube Channel :

Although Carlos Sainz Jr couldn't convert his pole position to a victory, it was a fine drive to bag P3 on Sunday. The Red Bull cars had too much pace and Max Verstappen cut through the field to take victory from Sergio Perez.

Charles Leclerc tried to bag the point for the fastest lap by pitting on the last lap of the race, but due to speeding in the pit lane, the Monegasque incurred a time penalty and finished P6. Another disappointing weekend for him. It was another difficult weekend for Ferrari but both drivers tried to extract the maximum.

A big thank you to Edge Global Events for organising the race passes for the weekend. Thank you to Scuderia Ferrari and the hosts at the Ferrari F1 Club for always being so welcoming and hospitable! I can't wait to return in 2023!

The Paddock Club Diaries might have ended for 2022, but there will be more content coming your way on the Blog! Thank you for all your support and love and wishing you all a wonderful 2023! God Bless you all!

Saturday is Qualifying day on an F1 weekend and when the feeder series like Formula 2 and Formula 3 have their Sprint Races. An action-packed Saturday translates into an early morning start and it isn't easy to get out of bed after a late Friday night.

Thankfully, I had rested well and was able to stick to my schedule for the day!

Enroute to the circuit :

Good morning, Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps :

Taking the Polestar shuttle to the Paddock Club :

The view of the Paddock on a cloudy Saturday morning :

Overcast conditions to begin the Saturday proceedings :

Some Coffee and Croissant to kickstart the day :

Carlos Sainz Jr visits the Ferrari F1 Club for an interview on Saturday morning :

Video Link of the Interview :

The menu for today :

Oliver Bearman took the win in the first F3 race of the weekend. Shots from the Parc Ferme :

Video Link of the Parc Ferme Celebrations :

The Podium celebrations followed shortly after :

Video Link of the Podium Celebrations after the F3 Sprint Race :

Lunch is served :

The first pit lane walk on Saturday :

Some shots with the Samsung S22 Ultra :

The Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team garage, looking regal as ever :

Felipe Drugovich, the MP Motorsport driver who eventually became the F2 Champion this year :

A Selfie with Arthur Leclerc, Prema Racing!

Emerson Fittipaldi, Double World Champion and a legend of F1 :

Theo Pourchaire, Sauber Driver Academy and ART Grand Prix Formula 2 Driver :

Walking through the support Race Paddock and you discover some classics :

Time to capture some stills from FP3, just after the La Source hairpin :

Shots from FP3, from the comfort of the Ferrari F1 Club :

The Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team running its program in FP3. With Charles Leclerc starting at the back of the grid due to engine penalties, all hopes were on Carlos Sainz Jr to deliver in Qualifying as well as on Sunday.

Post FP3, the drivers lined up on the grid to practice their race starts :

Practice Starts at the end of FP3 ( Video Link ) :

The cars and the drivers return to the pit lane at the end of Free Practice 3 :

Post FP3, I decided to visit the garages housing the F1 Classic Cars and what a treat it was to behold these beauties, up close and personal!

It was then that I spotted a famous racer from Colombia chatting outside the F2 dining area.

So happy to see Tatiana Calderon back in F2 with Charouz Racing :

Soon enough, it was time to head back to the Paddock Club for the start of Qualifying.

Some stills from Qualifying. I had the privilege of being in the garage for Q2 and Q3.

Despite a mistake on his final run, Carlos Sainz Jr inherited the pole position, thanks to Verstappen's grid penalty. While Verstappen got bumped down to P14, Leclerc started P15.

As I walked back to the Paddock Club, I bumped into Zhou Guanyu from Alfa Romeo F1 Orlen. 

Zhou Guanyu, Alfa Romeo F1 Orlen Team :

Post Qualifying, the guests in the Ferrari F1 Club had the opportunity to meet Mattia Binotto, the Team Principal for a quick Q&A :

Mattia Binotto Interview in the Ferrari F1 Club ( Video Link ) :

As Mattia Binotto said goodbye to us, it was time to enjoy the F2 Sprint Race and post that I had the opportunity of seeing a couple of the podium finishing cars up close :

Once again, just like in Hungary, I met my hero, the Legend! Mick Doohan, 5-time Moto GP World Champion, again! 

Meeting those from the F1 Fraternity didn't end there. From there on, met a plethora of people!

Jack Doohan, Mick Doohan's son, who finished P2 in the F2 Sprint Race :

Stoffel Vandoorne, Reigning Formula E World Champion :

Nyck De Vries, reserve driver for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

James Vowles, Chief Strategist, Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team :

Nicholas Latifi, Williams Racing F1 Team :

Jost Capito, CEO and Team Principal, Williams Racing F1 Team :

Frederic Vasseur, MD, CEO and Team Principal of Alfa Romeo F1 Orlen Team :

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal, McLaren F1 Team :

Otmar Szafnauer, CEO and Team Principal, Alpine Racing F1 Team :

Lando Norris, McLaren Racing F1 Driver :

Peter Bonnington, famously known as Bono, Lewis Hamilton's Race Engineer :

Time to say goodbye to Spa Francorchamps and head back to the hotel. It had been a long day!

The Saturday Vlog from the Belgian Grand Prix on my Youtube Channel :

I headed back to Hasselt around 10 pm. This was the longest that I had ever been at a race track. It was a fulfilling day meeting drivers and F1 personnel, besides interacting with fellow fans during those hours. 

With Carlos Sainz Jr starting in P1, things looked encouraging, most of us hoped to see him secure his 2nd win of the season. 

Thank you to Edge Global Events for organizing the race passes, as well as to the hosts of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Club for giving me yet another memorable Saturday at the races!

The Raceday experience follows shortly after this, so watch this space!

Formula 1 as a sport has gained popularity after the advent of the Drive to Survive series on Netflix. The opening of borders and lifting of restrictions post-COVID-19 led to more races allowing fans on the circuit.

The 2022 F1 Season allowed levels of access that were as good as the pre-pandemic times and both fans and sponsors wanted to experience racing, live! Such was the demand to be at the races, that several races became sell-out events early on in the season. 

Thankfully, I got the opportunity of securing a pass for myself for the Belgian Grand Prix, my favourite circuit on the calendar. Once again I had the privilege of being a guest of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team. 

This is day 1 of the Belgian Grand Prix experience.

The first task of the weekend was to collect my race passes from the team hotel, which was Radisson Blu in Spa. 

Enroute to the town of Spa to pick up my race passes :

The Race Passes are here!

With the passes collected, I made my way down to the circuit entrance. The walk is long with a lot of gradient changes. The cardio for the day is done!

Making my way to the Paddock Club :

The Polestar, a futuristic electric vehicle to ferry guests from the Paddock Club Parking to the Club :

Hello Paddock Club!

The Ferrari F1 Suite at Spa-Francorchamps :

The Menu for the day!

Lunch is served, loved the spread, definitely did justice!

Shots from the first Pit Lane walk of the weekend :

Some stills with the Samsung S22 Ultra :

Alfa Romeo F1 Orlen mechanics practising the pit stops ( Video Link ) :

Slow Motion Video of the mechanics practising pit stops :

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Pit Stop Practice ( Video Link ) :

Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team Pit Stop Practice ( Video Link ) :

The Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team Garage getting prepped for FP1 :

Meeting Benjamin Daly, sim racer and famous Youtuber ( tiametmarduk fame ) :

The view from the Paddock Club before the start of FP1 :

The host had ensured that I would get a clear view of the Podium, the Bus Stop Chicane and the Start-Finish straight, very thoughtful of her!

Shots from FP1 :

Some shots from FP1, with Samsung S22 Ultra :

Max Verstappen pitting during FP1 ( Video Link ) :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team during FP1 :

Marc Gene visited the guests in the Ferrari F1 Club to share his insights and also explain the 2022 F1 Steering Wheel :

Video Link of the Interview :

Post the interview, I rushed to the Global Partner Lounge to catch a glimpse of Mika Hakkinen.

Mika Hakkinen, Double World Champion and my first F1 hero!

I then decided to head down to the support race paddock for a stroll and in an attempt to meet Mick and Jack Doohan.

Walking through the Support Race Paddock :

Time to head back for the start of Free Practice 2 :

Shots from FP2 :

Some stills with the Samsung S22 Ultra :

Max Verstappen pitting in FP2 ( Video Link ) :

Drivers practising their practice starts at the end of the pit lane, during FP2 :

The end of FP2 got quickly followed by the arrival of some old F1 cars on the track.

The F1 Classic Cars parade, is a sight to behold, rolling back the years!

Shots from F2 Qualifying :

Cappuccino and Pizza anyone?

The circuit organisers razed an entire stretch of greenery on the Kemmel Straight. Reasons best known to them but their decision has wrecked a beautiful sector of the circuit.

The Paddock Club Photo stop does a fine job of getting your photos clicked with your favourite drivers :

A selfie with the McLaren CEO, Zak Brown!

Returning to Hasselt on Friday evening :

I have also shared a Vlog of my Friday Experience on my Youtube Channel, just like the Vlogs from the Hungarian GP weekend.

Video Link :

It was a wholesome and fulfilling Friday at the Belgian Grand Prix. It felt so nice to return to this iconic track after a hiatus of 3 years and I was excited about the events to follow over the next two days. A truly memorable day in my Motorsport travels!

Thank you to Edge Global Events for organizing my race passes and a big thank you to Scuderia Ferrari F1 team for hosting me, making me feel welcomed, as always!

Saturday and Sunday Experiences to follow shortly!

The 2022 Belgian Grand Prix was the 2nd race in the 2022 F1 Calendar that I had the privilege of attending, as a guest of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team.

The Belgian Grand Prix is my favourite race on the calendar and this was my 5th visit to Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps. To kickstart documenting my Belgian GP experience, here is the latest addition to the "Gallery of Memories" series.

Mika Hakkinen, Double F1 World Champion :

with Jehan Daruvala, Prema Racing F2 Driver :