F1 Fanatic

At the British Grand Prix on Friday I had the chance to enjoy some hospitality courtesy of Shell and Ferrari. It was my first chance to see inside the Formula 1 Paddock Club, an exclusive venue where Formula 1 teams and major suppliers can entertain their clients.

Here’s a photo tour of the Paddock Club and Ferrari’s hospitality. It was an excellent experience which I’m very grateful to them for providing.

My Paddock Club pass.

On the way in. The sign reads: “Guests with a pacemaker should contact security officials for assistance before approaching any electronic turnstiles”.

Inside Ferrari’s marque in the Paddock Club. Several F1 portraits and models were on display including this cabient with what I assume were models of Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen’s helmets.

Further inside pieces of Ferrari bodywork were hung like small sculptures. To the left of this were a few PlayStation 3s running Gran Turismo 5 with, of course, the F1 Ferrari set as the default car.

The wine and food was predictably exquisite.

The menu included:

• Seared tuna with ginger, deep fried prawns in a basket with balsamic (pictured).
• Selection of meats including stry fry beef, grilled lamb, grilled pork and vegetable options iincluding risotto and various other dishes
• Dessert was a poached pear with lemon ice cream and a french pastry

The teams’ marques were arranged around a central Entertainment Tent.

Goodies on offer in the tent included ice cream, sweets, chocolate and candy floss. There was also a bar in the centre.

Also in the Paddock Club Entertainment Tent was an artist doing F1 paintings.

DJ Tone C from Paris played mellow house music from behind a giant live timing screen. You can achieve the same effect at home using F1.com and WinAmp.

A Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren convertible was on display outside the Paddock Club. But to give you an idea how well-heeled the visitors were, there was one in the car park as well. And a Ferrari F40.

Paddock Club members also had use of a grandstand overlooking Priory which was an excellent vantage point. You can see some of the pictures I took from it here: Pictures: Friday at Silverstone.

Renault had an F1 car parked in their section of the Paddock Club. I think it was a 2005 R25 with the 2008 season livery.

I signed the guest book on my way out and, as ever, couldn’t resist the opportunity for a bit of self-promotion.

Some information on the Paddock Club.