Spa - Francorchamps is one circuit where a spectator loves the early mornings. I love the mist that settles around the Ardennes offering a cold yet blissful view. I headed out from Aachen at 630 in the morning to behold this.

Enroute to the Circuit :

The Sun breaking through the morning mist...this is the Beauty of Spa!

I missed the early morning Pit Lane Walk thanks to the traffic coming into the circuit.

The Paddock Club opened its doors for the guests and it was time to look forward to an exciting day ahead of Practice and Qualifying!

Coffee and Croissants to start the day :

I decided to head down to the F1 Village for some shopping and had a chance to meet Paddy Lowe briefly.

Paddy Lowe of Williams Martini F1 Racing Team :

The F1 Village, one of the Best Villages in the year. There is such buzz about the place :

I returned from my shopping spree and I had the privilege of being on the F2 Tour and visit the MP Motorsport Garage.

MP Motorsport F2 Car Systems check ( Video Link ) :

Some more shots of the F2 Paddock, a lot more access and easier to meet drivers and team personnel :

I also had the chance of meeting fraternity from GP3.

Callum Illot, Scuderia Ferrari Academy Driver in GP3 :

Jean Alesi, ex Ferrari F1 Driver :

The tour ended and I rushed back just in time for FP3.

Shots from Free Practice 3. 

Sebastian Vettel topped the timesheets from Kimi Raikkonen and Lewis Hamilton. FP3 ended and it was time for the second pit lane walk of the day.

The second Pit Lane walk of the Day :

I also got a Paddock Pass thanks to Ferrari and went for a stroll in the Paddock.

The local hero and McLaren F1 Driver Stoffel Vandoorne :

Toni Vilander, Cmore F1 co-presenter and a close friend of Kimi Raikkonen :

Felix Rosenqvist, Mahindra Formula E Racer and Porsche GT Racer!

Belgian Air Force practicing for the Fly Past on Sunday :

Lunch :

It was soon time for Qualifying. I was able to capture shots only from Q1 since I spent the next two sessions in the garage.

Kimi Raikkonen was fastest in Q1 while Sebastian Vettel topped Q2. However the weather changed drastically and it started pouring in Q3. Shockingly Ferrari fueled Kimi for only one timed lap and as the rain eased off towards the end of the session, the Iceman was stuck in the garage and dropped from P2 to P6 on the grid! Lewis Hamilton took pole from Sebastian Vettel and Esteban Ocon! The latter was a huge surprise as Racing Point timed it right with their lap. Kimi was livid, distraught and going through a range of emotions. Ferrari had messed it up again :(

Post Qualifying, Ferrari's Reserve driver Antonio Giovinazzi came for a quick Q&A :

The Interview ( Video Link ) :

Kimi Raikkonen followed soon after. He was not in a very good mood and understandably so..

Kimi Raikkonen Q&A ( Video Link ) :

Formula 2 Feature Race follows soon after qualifying and is one of the most exciting support races of a F1 weekend.

Time for the Formula 2 Feature Race :

Feature Race Start :

I decided to walk back to the Taxi Stand and as I passed through the Support Races Paddock, I saw a couple of interesting things.

Now that is one way to deck up a Segway! 

Tadsuke Makino, Russian Time F2 Driver :

Time to head back to Aachen :

It was a great day at the Belgian Grand Prix. There was immense disappointment with the strategic error made by Ferrari with Kimi Raikkonen but all was not lost. Sunday is what mattered...

Once again thank you to Scuderia Ferrari and Edge Global Events for the amazing hospitality. The Sunday Experience follows soon!

Saturday Mornings mean an early start when one attends a Formula One Race Weekend. The Day begins with a Paddock Club Track Truck Tour, followed by the morning Pit Lane Walk where Paddock Club Guests can see teams practice their pit stops up-close. Free Practice 3 takes place in the morning where teams run their Qualifying setups followed later by the Qualifying in the Afternoon.

So how did the Saturday at the 2017 Belgian GP pan out? Time to take a peek :

Enroute to the Circuit :

Walking to Spa Francorchamps Circuit via La Source Hairpin :

Photos of the Paddock Club Track Truck Tour :

Some Photos with the GoPro Hero 5 Black :

The First Pit Lane Walk of the Day :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Garage during the Pit Lane Walk :

Romain Grosjean's Haas being readied for FP3 ( Video Link ) :




Saturday morning also see the teams practicing their Pit Stops.


Williams Martini Racing F1 Pit Stop Practice ( Video Link ) :

Sahara Force India F1 Pit Stop Practice ( Video Link ) :

We had the Opportunity of visiting ART Grand Prix in the Formula 2 Paddock :


The Final Practice session of the Weekend FP3 :


Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team during FP3 :


Chequered Flag :


Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel were the fastest in FP3 with Lewis Hamilton a close third.


An Early Lunch before heading down for the final Pit Lane Walk of the Day :


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

Shots of the GoPro Hero 5 Black from the Pit Lane Walk :

Sebastian Vettel's Car being readied for Qualifying ( Video Link ) :




It was then time for the Qualifying Session to commence.

Shots from Q1 :

Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Q1, Sebastian Vettel & Max Verstappen were P2 & P3 respectively.




Shots from Q2 :

Q2 saw Mercedes Flex their muscles and Lewis Hamilton dipped into the 1:42s and was fastest again. Valtteri Bottas and Kimi Raikkonen completed the top 3.

Q3 was the top 10 shootout.

Shots from Q3 :

Lewis Hamilton took pole. Kimi Raikkonen had to back out of his flying lap due to a mistake and a tow to Sebastian Vettel helped him to snatch P2 from Valtteri Bottas!


The Top 3 parked on the Grid for the Post - Qualifying Interviews :

Top 3 Driver Interviews ( Video Link ) :




Vettel and Hamilton inspecting each others' machinery :


Marshalls fortunate to have their suits autographed by Vettel and Hamilton.

We were then joined by Antonio Giovinazzi, Reserve driver for Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team :

Antonio Giovinazzi Interview in the Ferrari F1 Club (  Video Link ) :




Sebastian Vettel visits the Ferrari F1 Club post Qualifying.

Sebastian Vettel Interview ( Video Link ) :




Vettel left and it was time for the start of the Formula 2 Feature Race!

Shots from the Feature Race :

Arjun Maini on the grid for Race 1 in GP3 :

GP3 Race 1 Formation Lap ( Video Link ) :




Formation Lap done for GP3 :


GP3 Race 1 Start ( Video Link  ) :





Shots from Race 1 :

Post race I walked down to the other end of the Paddock Club to experience the F1 Simulators on offer.

F1 Simulators in the Paddock Club :

Got a sneak peek of the Podium!

Williams Crew sitting and watching the movie on "Sir Frank Williams" and the team of yesteryear.


Returning to Hasselt from Spa :


Kimi Raikkonen's mistake in his final run in Qualifying cost him a chance to be on the Front Row. Arjun Maini also narrowly missed the podium in Race 1 in the evening. Barring these disappointments, it was a great Saturday at Spa Francorchamps! The Highlight for me was the Track Tour early in the morning.

A Big Thank you to Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team and their hosts for their hospitality throughout the day. Thank you to Edge Global Events for ensuring everything was in place for the Saturday.

Sunday Experience to follow soon..

Saturday, the day of Practice and Qualifying; also the day of Early Morning Starts!

I was in a rush to get to the circuit in order to be in time for the Paddock Club Truck Tour but was delayed at the circuit entrance thanks to the security checks.

I did have the opportunity to spend time in the pit lane and capture a lot of stills!

Photos Photos and more Photos from the Pit Lane Walk!

Romain Grosjean's Haas F1 being readied before FP3 ( Video Link ) :

Sebastian Vettel's Ferrari Systems Check ( Video Link ) :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Garage :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team practicing their Pit-Stops.

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Pit Stop Practice ( Video Link ) :

With Andy Stobart, Renault Sport F1 Head of Communications :

Mattia Binotto, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Chief Technical Officer :

Massimo Rivola, Head of Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy :

Some photos with the GoPro Hero 4 Black :

As we were being ushered back to the Paddock Club, the pitlane became abuzz with activity as the GP3 teams drove in before the start of their Qualifying session.

An Interactive Robot and Driver Cartoon Murals were the new things added to liven up the entrance to the paddock :

Kimi Raikkonen! BWOAH as ever!

Kevin Magnussen of Haas F1 Team :

Pascal Wehrlein of Sauber F1 Team :

Kai Ebel, RTL F1 Presenter :

Free Practice 3 was due to begin and Scuderia Ferrari F1 were kind enough to take me down to the Garage for a quick peek into their preparation and setups :

Shots from FP3 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team in FP3 :

Returning to the pits after session is over :

Kimi Raikkonen topped FP3, Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton & Valtteri Bottas were second, third and fourth respectively. It was looking promising for the Iceman!

The session ended and Ferrari's Reserve Driver Antonio Giovinazzi joined us in the Club for a quick Q&A :

Antonio Giovinazzi Interview in Ferrari F1 Club ( Video Link ) :

A Selfie with Antonio :

I was about to grab some lunch when I met the new owner of F1. Mr. Chase Carey of Liberty Media. He was so gracious and hospitable. I thanked him for freshening up the sport with his efforts and thanks to him we are back on the road to set many things right!

Mario Isola, Pirelli Sporting Director :

The Second Pit Lane Walk of the day; a lot more people and before the pivotal session of Qualifying!

Sergei Sirotkin, Renault Sport F1 Reserve Driver :

Karun Chandok, Ex F1 Driver, Channel 4 Presenter and a Williams Official Driver for Heritage Division :

Jock Clear, Scuderia Ferrari F1 Senior Performance Engineer :

Anthony Davidson, Ex F1 Driver, WEC Champion and Sky Sports F1 Presenter :

The Pit Lane Walk ended and it was time to head back to the Paddock Club have some lunch and prep up for Qualifying :

Qualifying commences, Q1 :

Dave Greenwood guiding Kimi Raikkonen out of the Garage for Q1 ( Video Link ) :

Chequered Flag :

Lewis Hamilton was fastest in Q1 with Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel 2nd and 3rd respectively. Pascal Wehrlein made it to Q2 and that was a positive for Sauber F1 Team.

Q2 :

Chequered Flag :

Lewis Hamilton remained the fastest holding off Sebastian Vettel and Valtteri Bottas. Fernando Alonso got the loudest cheers after his McLaren made it into Q3 and the Final Shoot-out.

Q3 begins :

Chequered Flag and the Cars return to Parc Ferme :

Lewis Hamilton took pole from Sebastian Vettel. Valtteri Bottas beat Kimi Raikkonen in the Battle of the Finns in P3. Not a bad place to start for the Iceman but he could have been on the front row.

Post Qualifying Kimi Raikkonen joined us for a quick Q&A in the Ferrari F1 Club :

Kimi Raikkonen Interview in the Ferrari F1 Club ( Video Link ) :

It was also time for the Formula 2 Feature Race to begin and most of the guests stayed back to enjoy watching the youngsters battle it out for supremacy!

Formation Lap - Formula 2 Feature Race ( Video Link ) :

Race Start - Formula 2 Feature Race ( Video Link ) :

Formula 2 Feature Race ( Video Link ) :

Prema Racing Pit Stop for Broken Front Wing - Formula 2 Feature Race ( Video Link ) :

Chequered Flag - Formula 2 Feature Race ( Video Link ) :

Photos from the Formula 2 Feature Race :

GP3 had Race 1 after the F2 Feature Race.

GP3 Race 1 ( Video Link ) :

Final set of Images before heading back to the Hotel for the evening :

It was a fantastic day at the 2017 Spanish Grand Prix. Kimi Raikkonen would start P4 for the race on Sunday and although he could have done better, I was positive about his performance on the day that mattered!

I was also fortunate enough to attend the McLaren F1 Gala Dinner at the Hilton in Barcelona on Saturday Evening; the Experience documented here :

http://tech-know-crat.posthaven.com/mclaren-f1-team-gala-dinner-at-the-hilton


I would like to thank Scuderia Ferrari F1 for the Hospitality and also to Edge Global F1 for ensuring that I had a fantastic Saturday at the Races.

Sunday Post to follow soon!