Welcome to Raceday!!

A Battle Royale awaited us on Sunday and it was a battle that didn't disappoint!

Enroute to the Circuit :

The Vintage Cars to be used during the Drivers' Track Parade on display :

With Kimi Raikkonen's Chariot :

A Beautiful morning at the Circuit of the Americas :

3 teams were protesting against the Funds Distribution on F1 and Sunday Morning in the paddock was tense.

Gerard Lopez ( Lotus F1 Team Principal ) in conversation with Monisha Kaltenborn ( Sauber F1 Team Principal ) :

Breakfast Time :

Shots from the Paddock. A certain Emerson Fittipaldi featuring here :

The Ferrari V8 Cars on the Starting Grid :

We were soon joined by Giancarlo Fisichella ( Ferrari Test Driver ) :

Video Link :

His Departure meant the arrival of the Spaniard, the 2 Time F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso :

Video Link of Alonso's Interview :

Sky Sports F1 readying themselves for the Pre-Race Show :

Soon it was time to go downstairs for the Final Pit Lane Walk of the Weekend.

The Pit lane looking ready for the race :

Teams busy practicing their Pit Stops :

Sahara Force India F1 Team gathering together for a Photo Shoot :

The Podium which will be ready for the race winner :

I had the privilege of getting close to the drivers as they were leaving for the Drivers' Track Parade!!

Video Link for "Drivers enroute to the Track Parade" :

Drivers getting into their Vintage Cars :

Video Link :

An Airplane promoting a F1 Car Event :

The FIA Weigh Bridge which will see a lot of activity post race :

The Drivers returning from the Track Parade :

Video Link :

The Safety Car, Mercedes SLS - AMG :

The pre-race show on track :

I rushed back upstairs to finish a quick lunch :

It was time to go outside and watch the preparations for the Grand Prix.

Cars rolling out of the Garages :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 rolls out :

F1 Team Bosses, Celebrities ensure that the Paddock is abuzz with activity :

Shots from the Starting Grid :

The Clock ran down and it was time for the start of the Formation Lap :

Video Link of the Formation Lap :

The Mechanics running back to the garages after the cars roll out for the Formation Lap :

Video Link to the Race Start :




A crash on the First Lap meant that the Stewards would send out the Safety Car :

Video Link :



Shots from the Race :

Video Link for Nico Rosberg's Pit Stop :

Video Link for Lewis Hamilton's Pit Stop :

Video Link for Daniel Ricciardo's Pit Stop :

Pastor Maldonado was penalised with a 5 sec Stop Go Penalty which he served during his pit stop.

Video Link :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 during the Race :

Video Link for Fernando Alonso's Pit Stop :

Video Link for Kimi Raikkonen's Pit Stop :

Video Link for Kimi Raikkonen's 2nd Pit Stop :

Lewis Hamilton took the lead from Nico Rosberg and once the move was done, he was unchallenged.

The pitlane was abuzz with activity as the Chequered Flag was being waved.

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg completed another 1-2 for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team. Daniel Ricciardo was P3 for Red Bull Racing.

Fernando Alonso was P6 for Ferrari while Kimi Raikkonen struggled and finished a disappointing P13.

Another weekend to forget as a Raikkonen Fan. :(

Sky Sports F1 interviewing the Mercedes AMG Petronas Pit Wall :

Cars coming on to Parc fermé :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 on Parc fermé :

There were a huge number of Lewis Hamilton Fans at the circuit and all of them congregated in front of the Mercedes Garage to celebrate his victory. They were even featured on Sky Sports F1 :

In the Sea of Lewis Hamilton Fans, there were a handful of Kimi Raikkonen admirers. A pleasure to see them!

Soon Enough it was time for the Mechanics gather all the equipment, put them in containers and ship them to Brazil, a race happening the next weekend.

The Fans walking on track towards the garages at the Circuit of the Americas :

The Ferrari Formula 1 Club that had hosted us over the weekend :

Some more shots from the Suite :

Replica of the 2007 engine that won Kimi Raikkonen the Drivers' World Championship and Ferrari the Constructors' Championship :

A moment with Ma'am Shotije Bega, Simona De Filippis and Emilia Capasso from Ferrari :

I left the suite and went upstairs to the Paddock Lounge to get some final shots of the Circuit.

The Circuit in the setting sun :

There were some really interesting cycle rickshaws near the Main Grandstand at the Circuit :

The Final shots from the Circuit of the Americas :

Thank you for a great weekend Formula 1!!

This was my final race for 2014 and I am yet to draw plans for 2015.

I must reiterate that although my experiences with Ferrari were par excellence, watching Kimi Raikkonen struggle was a big downer.

Nevertheless a Big Thank you to Ferrari for all the Hospitality and Entertainment over the weekend.

A Big Thank you to Ma'am Emilia Capasso, Simona De Filippis and Shotije Bega from Ferrari for being Fantastic Hosts!

The Circuit of the Americas was the best circuit in terms of the Facilities offered, the ease of access and really friendly and welcoming nature of each and everyone working at the circuit.

The Staff ensured smooth running through the whole weekend and full credit to the organisers for putting together such a fantastic weekend.


The Paddock Club Diaries series will be back in 2015. 

Season Review coming up soon.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone. Thank you for continuous support offered to this Blog.

Be safe and God Bless you all!

Saturdays mean early morning starts and Day 2 of the 2014 United States GP started with a bang.

Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 were sharing the same hotel at the Domain and after a long wait I was able to get close to Lewis Hamilton who was preparing to leave for the Circuit.

Enroute to the Circuit :

I reached the Circuit and soon enough I was escorted downstairs for the Garage Tour with Scuderia Ferrari F1!

Shots from the Garage Tour :

I also got a few minutes with Mark Arnall, Kimi Raikkonen's Physical Instructor. Its always a pleasure speaking to him.

We made it back to the Paddock and it was time for the Saturday Free practice ( FP3 ). Teams would run Qualifying Simulations and prepare the cars for the Qualifying in the afternoon.

Shots from FP3 :

Scuderia Ferarri F1 during FP3 :

Kimi Raikkonen Pit Stop Practice in FP3 Video Link :

Lewis Hamilton was the fastest again in FP3 and the gap had increased to Eight Tenths of a second over team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen finished P5 and P9 respectively for Ferrari.

We were once again joined by Mattia Binotto ( COO - Power Unit ) who discussed about the technical changes in the power units this year and the challenges faced by Ferrari so far.

His Departure meant the arrival of THE ICEMAN KIMI RAIKKONEN! I was waiting for the moment to meet the Flying Finn and it happened again!!

Shots from Kimi Raikkonen's Interview :

Video Link to Kimi Raikkonen's Interview :

The End of the Interview came soon and Tom Clarkson, the Host announced my name to invite me onstage to get a quick photo with Kimi Raikkonen. Kimi was in a great mood and smiling ear to ear.

I gifted him the poem I had made for him and he was appreciative of my effort. It was a surreal moment!

The Poem :

Scuderia Ferrari were gracious to send me photos with him and here they are : MOMENTS WITH THE ICEMAN, THE FLYING FINN - KIMI RAIKKONEN!!

A Special Special Special Thank you to Mr. Larry DiBiase from Lambda Performance GmbH for ensuring that I get the opportunity that I waited for so long! I am so thankful for all the efforts he took. Thank you Sir!!

It was time for the Pit Lane Walk before Qualifying and the rush was enormous :

The Sun was out in full force and here are some shots from the Pit lane :

A moment with Claudio Bersini of Scuderia Ferrari F1 :

Shots from the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Garage :

The Boys from Sky Sports F1 busy in the build up to Qualifying :

I returned upstairs and had a quick lunch.

Tummy Full, Camera Charged it was time to head outside and enjoy Qualifying.

The Absence of Caterham F1 and Marussia F1 meant that only 18 cars would take to track. Q1 would see the ouster of 4 cars, Q2 likewise. Q3 would be the usual 10 minute shootout between the remaining 10 drivers.

The Team Pit Walls are all occupied before the action starts.

Shots from Q1 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 during Q1 :

Kimi Raikkonen Returing to the Pits in Q1. Video Link :

Lewis Hamilton was quickest in Q1. Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen were P5 and P9 respectively for Ferrari.

Sebastien Vettel had switched to a 6th Power Unit and Red Bull decided not to put extra mileage on the unit. They let him do one flying lap but the German couldn't make the cut into Q2.

Vergne, Gutierrez, Vettel and Grosjean were eliminated.

A dejected Vergne returning to his garage :

Q2 started on schedule.

Shots from Q2 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 in Q2 :

Nico Rosberg turned the tables and was fastest for the first time. Fernando Alonso was P6 and Kimi Raikkonen was P9 for Ferrari.

Maldonado, Perez, Hulkenberg and Kvyat were eliminated in Q2.

Q3 would be the final shootout. Shots from Q3 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 in Q3 :

Nico Rosberg powered himself to another pole, being the fastest when it mattered against Lewis Hamilton. Lewis was P2 with Bottas P3. Alonso and Raikkonen could only manage P6 and P9 respectively for Ferrari. Raikkonen however moved up to P8 as Button qualified P7 but dropped 5 grid spots for a gearbox change. Kvyat qualified P14 but dropped 10 places for an engine change.

Vettel who qualified P17 started from the pit lane for the complete power unit change.

Parc fermé ready after Q3 :

Sky Sports F1 interviewing the Mercedes Pit Wall at the end of Q3 :

The Paddock abuzz after Qualifying :

Graeme Lowdon ( Marussia F1 President and Sporting Director ) in the Paddock and deep in conversation with a FIA Representative :

The Team Principals holding a meeting following the crisis in F1 in regards to Fund Distribution

A Happy Mr. and Mrs. Rosberg posing with Friends. Lewis Hamilton in conversation with friends from the UK :

Fernando and Kimi look the part..don't they?

Some amazing clicks of the First turn in the setting sun :

A Moment with the Race Winner's Trophy :

Returning to the Domain :

It was a memorable Saturday, a dream come true. The Moment with Kimi Raikkonen was surreal. Expectations were high for Sunday.

A Special Thank you to Mr. Larry DiBiase from Lambda Performance GmbH for all his efforts to ensure that I got my moment with Kimi Raikkonen!

Thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team for all the Hospitality.

A Big Thank You to Ma'am Emilia Capasso, Simona De Filippis and Shotije Bega from Ferrari for helping me get a picture with Kimi Raikkonen and entertaining me throughout the day.


Sunday Experience coming soon so watch this space!

2014 has been a busy year and unlike last year I was able to attend only 2 races.

The German Grand Prix was a fantastic experience and I was really looking forward to go across the Atlantic and attend the 2nd race this year held at Austin Texas.

As always, this is the Day 1 Experience at the 2014 United States Grand Prix.

It was an early morning start and Austin is pretty cold. The Circuit of the Americas is right next to the airport and is an hour's drive away from "The Domain". Austin is a city scattered all over and getting around is quite a journey.

The Passes arrived a day earlier and everything was in place for the Weekend :

Enroute to the Circuit :

Welcome to the Ferrari F1 Club at the Circuit of the Americas

I hardly got time to settle in and the Friday Free Practice ( FP1 ) was already underway.

Shots from FP1 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 during FP1 :

Lewis Hamilton dominated FP1 and was 3 tenths faster than his team-mate Nico Rosberg.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen were 6th and 12th respectively for Ferrari.

The Lull after Free Practice :

For the first time in my Paddock Club Experiences, I came across Breakfast Service being offered :

We were soon joined by Mattia Binotto ( COO - Power Unit ) who discussed about the technical changes in the power units this year and the challenges faced by Ferrari to match up to the Mercedes.

Video Link :

The Paddock abuzz with activity after FP1 :

The Menu for Lunch :

Time for a Power Lunch before the Pit Lane Walk :

The Sun was out in full force and it was a windy day too. It was an amazing day for racing in Austin and I must admit that this was one of the best pit lanes I have been in. Caterham F1 and Marussia F1 could not make it to the race and their garages were taken up by Pirelli who showcased all their tyres.

Shots from the Pit Lane Walk :

The Scuderia Ferrari F1 Pit Garage :

Some moments in the Garage :

A moment with the Ferrari Team Boys :

The Ferrari F14 T Firing Up before the start of FP2 :

Video Link :

Free Practice 2 was soon underway and the Teams would run through the qualifying simulation and more importantly the Race Simulations :

Shots from FP2 :

Scuderia Ferrari F1 during FP2 :

Lewis Hamilton was the Fastest again in FP2 but the gap to Nico Rosberg was down to only 3 thousandths of a second.

Fernando Alonso and Kimi Raikkonen improved to P3 and P6 for Ferrari.

Post FP2, I was able to send some time with an amazing man who excels in artwork viz. oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings. He has a unique skill-set and has made some stunning art works, be it F1, Moto GP or Nascar!

Please do visit his page and be awed : www.kevinpaigeart.com

Kevin honoured Jules Bianchi with an art work of his car - a gesture that really moved me. The Mood was sombre after what had happened at the Japanese Grand Prix and the everyone from the F1 Fraternity rallied to offer Jules encouragement and support and prayers for a miraculous recovery!

TOUS AVEC JULES!!

Marc Gene ( Ferrari Reserve Driver ) joined us in the Lounge to discuss about the performance of the team on Friday and the expectations they had from the race.

The High Banking into turn 1.. it is quite a climb!

Some Shots of the Ferrari Formula 1 Club Lounge :

The Media interviews for drivers in the Paddock :

One of the support events for the weekend was the Ferrari V8 Series.

The 458s strutting their stuff on track :

It was time to head back to the hotel and the Track looked amazing in the setting sun!!

A Big thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team for all the hospitality shown to me over the day

A Big Thank You to Ma'am Emilia Capasso, Simona De Filippis and Shotije Bega from Ferrari for a memorable Friday.

Day 2 and Day 3 Experiences coming soon!!

2014 United States Grand Prix, Round 17 of the 2014 F1 Season was held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.

This was the 2nd race of the season that I attended after the 2014 German Grand Prix and I was once again honoured to be a guest of the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team.

This is the newest addition to the Gallery of Memories Series... here goes.

I was in Downtown Austin to pick up my race passes from the team hotel and I met Giedo Van Der Garde ( Ex Caterham F1 Racing Driver and Sauber F1's Reserve Driver ). A Very Kind and Gracious man.

With the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team Personnel during the Pit Lane Walk :

I also met a great artist Kevin Paige. Kevin Paige is a maestro at creating original works of art, including oil, acrylic and watercolor paintings. He has a unique skill-set and has made some stunning art works, be it F1, Moto GP or Nascar!

Please do visit his page and be awed : www.kevinpaigeart.com

Kevin honoured Jules Bianchi with an art work of his car - a gesture that really moved me. The Mood was sombre after what had happened at the Japanese Grand Prix and the everyone from the F1 Fraternity rallied to offer Jules encouragement and support and prayers for a miraculous recovery!

TOUS AVEC JULES!!

Mark Arnall, Kimi Raikkonen's Physical Instructor. Its always a pleasure to meet him and he is the man that keeps the Iceman fit!

First I met the Physical Instructor of Kimi Raikkonen and then I met the Man Himself!! Scuderia Ferrari F1..Thank you sooo much for making my dream come true.

A Special Thank you to Mr. Larry DiBiase from Lambda Performance GmbH for all his efforts to ensure that everything happened smoothly!

A moment with the Race Winner's Trophy :


The Hosts at the Ferrari Formula 1 Club!

I flew out of Austin on Monday Evening and met old friends from Lotus F1 and got a chance to get a photo with some too!

Rob Smedley..Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams Martini Racing. Had a nice chat with him before he flew out to Sao Paulo.

Matt LeBlanc ( Joey from Friends ). It was such a pleasure meeting him. A thorough gentleman.. we talked a lot about F1. I hope I get to meet him again. What an honour!

It was a fantastic weekend for me as I got to meet the man I have admired for so long - KIMI RAIKKONEN!

A Big thank you to the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team for hosting me over the weekend.

A Big Thank You to Ma'am Emilia Capasso, Simona De Filippis and Shotije Bega from Ferrari for being so hospitable and helping me get a picture with Kimi Raikkonen. Really Thankful to all of them!!

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 Experiences coming up soon..What a fabulous weekend!!

I have been an avid Fan of F1 since 1998. Mika Hakkinen was the man I admired during his years at McLaren and as his retirement neared, a New Finnish driver was destined to take his place.

Mika called it at the end of the 2001 season and Kimi Raikkonen took his place in 2002 at McLaren Mercedes.

I became a die hard fan of Kimi Raikkonen very quickly and followed his exploits since 2002. In 2007 he switched to Ferrari and won the Driver's World Championship in the most dramatic way possible. He left F1 in 2009 to return with Lotus F1 in 2012.

The News of his return came as a surprise. 

I knew this was the opportunity to meet him before he hands up his boots for good.

So Began the Journey..

3 years..11 races.. 9 countries.. 8 Paddock Clubs and finally the moment arrived!

Friends The Dream Came True at the 2014 United States Grand Prix. The Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team gave me the opportunity to get a couple of photos with the Iceman.

Moments with the Iceman... The Flying Finn.. The Kimster.. KIMI RAIKKONEN!!.. Captured for a Lifetime!!

A Big thank you to Shotije Bega from the Scuderia Ferrari F1 Team for helping me with getting the photo.

A Special Special Special Thank you to Mr. Larry DiBiase from Lambda Performance GmbH for ensuring that I get the opportunity that I waited for so long! I am so thankful for all the efforts he took.

Most Importantly..God made it happen..

More coming soon from the 2014 United States Grand Prix.. so watch this space!


Formula 1 returned to USA after a 5 year sabbatical. A new track was built in Austin, Texas and it promised state-of-the-art facilities and varying gradients on a very challenging track.

The first turn itself was a steep climb towering at 41 m, a recipe for incidents at the start of the race. This track would test the true prowess of the drivers.

However this race was pivotal for 3 reasons. The outcome of this Grand Prix would influence future ventures for Formula 1 in North America.

Red Bull Racing were on the brink of winning their 3rd consecutive Constructor's Title while Sebastien Vettel was on the verge of becoming a Triple World Champion. Ferrari had nothing too lose and it was clear that they would channelise all their efforts in ensuring that Alonso still has a shot at the title at the final race of the season in Brazil.

Let us see how the drama unfolded!

 

 

FREE PRACTICE :

  

Sebastian Vettel was the fastest driver in both FP1 and FP 2. He set a time 1.5 seconds faster than Lewis Hamilton in FP1, and 2 seconds faster than title rival Fernando Alonso. The session was run without incident, though drivers reported that there was very little grip around the circuit. Ma Qinghua was the only reserve driver to take part in the session, replacing Narain Karthikeyan at HRT. He finished the session in twenty-fourth and last position, 10 seconds behind Vettel.

Vettel was again fastest in the FP2. Mark Webber and Alonso completed the top 3. Vettel's running was limited by a water leak that forced him to spend half the session in the pits, while Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen suffered a puncture when he made contact with Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne.  Pastor Maldonado suffered an engine failure in his Williams late in the session.

Vettel topped the timesheets in FP3 too. Hamilton was 2nd Fastest. The hour-long session was marked by a collision between Sauber's Sergio Perez and the Marussia of Charles Pic that damaged the floor of Pic's car. Perez escaped without penalty. much to the annoyance of Marussia. Jean-Eric Vergne also ran into further trouble, breaking his front suspension when he hit a kerb and stopped on the circuit.

 

 

QUALIFYING :

 

There was very litte grip on the circuit in Q1. Every team sent their drivers out for extended runs  with the objective of laying down enough rubber on the circuit to improve their overall lap time, and trying to time their final flying runs to take full advantage of the circuit.

HRT were initially concerned that they would fail to qualify inside the 107% cut-off, however their decision to send Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan out on the softer option tyres, paid dividends as they made the cut. Karthikeyan's session ended early when he pulled over onto the tarmac run-off at Turn 2, the victim of a mechanical fault.

Caterham's Vitaly Petrov struggled early in the session with traffic, and spent most of the twenty minutes outside the 107% cut-off. His final flying lap saw him qualify 21st for the race, one place ahead of team-mate Heikki Kovalainen. Daniel Ricciardo was the seventh and final driver eliminated at the end of Q1.

Sebastian Vettel, who had recorded the fastest time in Q1, went on to beat his best time in Q2. The faster lap times now meant that the softer option compound was a necessity. Despite narrowly beating Ricciardo in Q1, Nico Rosberg was unable to improve his time in Q2, and qualified in 17th overall. The Saubers of Perez and Kobayashi filled out the 8th row of the grid. Jean-Eric Vergne overcame his free practice dramas to qualify 14th. Paul di Resta was disappointed to be eliminated in Q2 when team-mate Nico Hulkenberg comfortably progressed to Q3. Jenson Button had to settle for 12th overall when his McLaren MP4-27 lost all power late in the period, and he later admitted that he was afraid of getting caught up in what he called a "chaotic first lap". Bruno Senna was the last driver eliminated in Q2, qualifying in 11th place.

Sebastian Vettel took pole position with the fastest lap of the weekend. In spite of this, Lewis Hamilton was closer to Vettel than he had been all weekend, missing pole position by just one tenth of a second. Mark Webber qualified 3rd, ahead of Romain Grosjean, who was later demoted to 9th when he received a five-place grid penalty for an unscheduled gearbox change. Kimi Raikkonen , Michael Schumacher,  Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg, Fernando Alonso, Pastor Maldonado completed the top ten.

 

 

Michael Schumacher and Mark Webber were summoned to the stewards' office after qualifying. Schumacher had been cited for blocking Alonso during Q2. Schumacher escaped without punishment, as he had been on a flying lap of his own at the time, and blocking Alonso had not prevented him from advancing to Q3.

Webber, on the other hand, was called to answer charges of missing the mandatory weight check at the end of qualifying. The stewards accepted that Red Bull Racing had made an error and saw that the car was immediately sent to scrutineering once it was realised. Webber escaped with a reprimand, thereby allowing him to keep his grid position for the race.

 

However Ferrari would produce the greatest story of the day. The Team broke the seal of the gearbox of Massa's car causing him to accept a 5 place grid - penalty which would demote him from 7th to 12th and promoted Alonso from 8th to 7th. This allowed the Spaniard to start from the cleaner side of the track and help keep his title hopes alive.

Red Bull too could have countered this move in a similar fashion using Webber and send Alonso back to the dirtier side. However they chose otherwise. Sportsmanship lacking again in this decision by Ferrari.

 

 

RACE :

The Grip on the grid varied drastically between the Cleaner side and the Dirtier side of the Track.

The Five Lights went out and a lot happened going into the First Turn. The Prediction was right, starters on the Dirty Side suffered lack of Traction and lost places rapidly. Sebastian Vettel pulled cleanly away from P1. Mark Webber attacked Lewis Hamilton around the outside in the battle for 2nd. However it was a sensational start for Fernando Alonso who climbed from 7th to 4th in his Ferrari ! Lewis Hamilton lost out to Mark Webber for second, but managed to hold off Alonso.

Michael Schumacher, who started 5th had a terrible lap. First he lost out to Nico Hulkenberg and then to Kimi Raikkonen only to fight back and reclaim his place but in doing so, left the door open to Romain Grosjean who passed both in one move ( Lap 2 )

Lewis Hamilton and Mark Webber were squabbling for 2nd place while Vettel pulled away from the pair. Hamilton's efforts finally paid dividends on Lap 4 as he passed Webber for 2nd.