Drivers on duty in Melbourne (Pictures)
25 March 2010 by Keith Collantine
Mark Webber meets his fans in Melbourne
There’s always a busy build-up to the Australian Grand Prix as teams take advantage of the local weather and scenery to carry out their PR duties.
The drivers have been sailing, surfing, meeting fans and – of course – throwing boomerangs and playing didgeridoos. See below for pictures.
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- Vitantnio Liuzzi, Paul di Resta and Adrian Sutil
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- Force India drivers signing autographs
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- Paul di Resta
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- Adrian Sutil in Melbourne
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- Adrian Sutil signing autographs
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- Adrian Sutil swimming with sharks
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- Felipe Massa meets Confederation of Australian Motorsport president Andrew Papadopoulos
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- ‘Make Roads Safe’ logos on the Ferrari F10
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- Ferrari mark 450 race starts with Shell
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- Lewis Hamilton sails the America’s Cup yacht Spirit in Sydney harbour
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- Lewis Hamilton sails the America’s Cup yacht Spirit in Sydney harbour
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- Jenson Button tries Jamie Whincup’s Australian V8 Holden Commodore
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- Jenson Button tries Jamie Whincup’s Australian V8 Holden Commodore
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- Jenson Button tries Jamie Whincup’s Australian V8 Holden Commodore
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- Jenson Button tries Jamie Whincup’s Australian V8 Holden Commodore
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- Mark Webber signs autographs for fans
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- Mark Webber signs autographs for fans
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- Sebastian Vettel signs autographs for fans
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- Mark Webber in the press conference
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- Sebastian Vettel gets a boomerang-throwing lesson from Ron Murray
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- Sebastian Vettel gets a boomerang-throwing lesson from Ron Murray
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- Sebastian Vettel plays a digeridoo
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- Mark Webber at a lecture on F1 car physics at Melbourne university
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- Mark Webber at a lecture on F1 car physics at Melbourne university
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- Jaime Alguersuari celebrates his 20th birthday
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- Lucas di Grassi and Andy Soucek surfing with ASP world champion Damien Hardman
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- Lucas di Grassi and Andy Soucek surfing with ASP world champion Damien Hardman
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- Lucas di Grassi and Andy Soucek surfing with ASP world champion Damien Hardman
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- Lucas di Grassi and Andy Soucek surfing with ASP world champion Damien Hardman
2010 Australian Grand Prix
- 2010 Australian Grand Prix - the complete F1 Fanatic review
- Australian GP team-by-team analysis
- Australian Grand Prix stats and facts
- Melbourne was a blast but F1's aero problem remains (Australian GP analysis)
- Alonso fourth, Schumacher tenth in their battle from the back in Melbourne
- Australian Grand Prix fastest laps
- Australian Grand Prix in pictures
- Unreliability costs Vettel another win
- Hamilton fumes after strategy mistake
- Button wins thrilling Australian GP
- Australian Grand Prix result
- F1 championship points after Australia
- Rate the race: Australia
- Australian Grand Prix live blog
- Vettel looks hard to beat at Melbourne (Australian GP pre-race analysis)
- Australian GP qualifying in pictures
- A bad weekend gets worse for Hamilton
- Vettel beats Webber to Melbourne pole (Australian Grand Prix qualifying)
- Australian Grand Prix grid
- Australian Grand Prix qualifying live blog
- Webber fastest at home in final practice
- Australian Grand Prix practice 3 live blog
- Make your Australian Grand Prix predictions now to win F1 prizes
- Australian Grand Prix practice in pictures
- Australian GP practice two analysis
- McLaren on top after wet second practice
- Australian Grand Prix practice 2 live blog
- Australian GP practice one analysis
- Kubica quickest in disrupted first practice
- Australian Grand Prix practice 1 live blog
- Drivers on duty in Melbourne (Pictures)
- 2010 Australian Grand Prix - The F1 Fanatic unofficial race programme
- Di Resta excited ahead of Force India debut
- 2010 Australian Grand Prix preview
- Low chance of rain at Melbourne
- Australian Grand Prix live TV Times
Images (C) Ferrari spa, www.mclaren.com, Getty Images/Red Bull, Force India F1 Team, Virgin Racing
I wish I were in Australia…
Every reason for it to be the opening race of the season.
Its great to see the drivers out and about in Melbourne.
Its a pity though that this race clashes with the opening round of the AFL (most popular sport in Melbourne) season – as it does take some attention away from the sport.
It would be great to have the season start a few weeks earlier to avoid this (and also because its probably the best season opener) – and also, the earlier it is, the more sunlight there is in the evening.
It also clashes with the Comedy Festival, especially all the cheap preview nights !
Jamie Whincup took the McLaren for a spin, and said that it made his V8 Supercar feel like a pram! lol. He mentioned that for the 1st lap, he couldn’t keep up with the car, the car was driving him! After a few laps he really got to feel what an F1 car can do, he was amazed.
Its 11:30pm Thur here in Adelaide, just about to go to bed to get up at 4am to drive to Melbourne, should get there mid afternoon. Can’t wait!
Wow. Could Ferrari have made the Make Roads Safe logo any smaller if the tried?
Also, it’s unfair that Jaime Alguersuari is a Formula 1 driver at 20 when I’m 23 and not a driver.
And that shot of the MP/4-23 and the V8 Supercar (even if it is a Holden …) is my new wallpaper. Keith, you always bring me the very best in violence.
He’s still less than half Michael Schumacher’s age!
Schumi could be his daddy then
is this how much ferari cares about road safety?
Caption “Make Roads Safe’ logos on the Ferrari F10″
My instant reaction, where??
Click to zoom, and it still wasn’t obvious,how oh how are you supposed to see that on the car at 300kmph!
It’s like saying as concorde flies past, Oh look there’s an ant in the wing tip!
I also couldn´t find it!!! The next step would be to put it on the inside of the pillars (where Virgin has the Manor logo)!!! Pretty smart…
Red Bull has their “make Roads Safer” logo on the inside part of the rear wing…another high profile, easy viewed section!
I wish any of the F1 drivers came to Uni of Sydney =[
do they sign autographs at silverstone like they do there or is it more of a thursday thing before practice etc….
Saw a clip on the news, Vettel hit a parked car with the boomerang. ^^
I saw that. Classic. And his face after he saw it hit. ha.
Oh man!
On top of driving an F1, they get the whole package! unfair!
lol, love how small the make roads safer logo is!
Love how it’s under the nose where no one will see it lol.
nice Make Roads Safe logo…
hillarious how small and how well placed it is considering front wings are the first thing to explode into pieces on a collision
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i cant even see it
It’s placed just under the Bridgestone logo between the two front wing supports
I’m guessing the sharks already had breakfast and that the other guy in the tank is Sutil’s bodyguard. Or maybe just his lawyer.
That actually looks amazing. Melbourne, I can understand you being disappointed with road disruptions but the specatcle created must make it seem worth it. The racing has not began yet so instead we get to see world class athletes having a go in each other’s disiplines, the weather is fabulous and the drivers are immersing (or in Sutil’s case “submerging”
) themselves in the Sydney culture, surfing and aborigine music! It all looks great fun and the everyone seems to be having a great time,the fans get autographs, the drivers enjoy all the fun PR and everybody gets a tan. Melbourne looks ace and I would certainly love to visit! Plus there’s a race to look forward to on Sunday!
D’oh, I nearly made it onto your site Keith, I am just out of shot of the picture of Sutil signing autographs. I don’t know why, every year I say I am not going to bother getting driver autographs, but then when I get there some sort of frenzy overtakes me ! I have 19 drivers so far, just about to head off to chase the other 5…
you lucky …!!!
Why does Di Resta have a saltire on his waist strap, but when he wins, they won’t play Flower of Scotlansd?
I’ve live in Australia most of my life and i haven’t even surfed or thrown a boomarang! Man, I’ve got some catching up to do.
I wonder if Lewis was singing “I’m on a Boat!” when he was sailing?
(for those who don’t know what i’m talking about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8F3UE9qFsg)
funny, exactly what i thought of when I saw the pics
Doesn’t DiResta smile……..EVER?!
In other news; Let the racing begin!!