Tell us about your F1 race experiences in 2010

2010 F1 season review

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Crowd, Monza, 2010

Did you go to an F1 race in 2010?

Throughout the year we’ve heard from loads of F1 fans who witnessed the season from the stands.

If you made it to a race in 2010, share your experience with us in the comments below.

Did you enjoy the experience? What did you see? And will you be going back again? Tell us about your F1 race experiences this year.

More stories from the stands

Several F1 Fanatic readers have already shared their experiences of going to races this year at length. Read their reports here:

Going to a race in 2011?

Have you already made plans to go to a race in 2011? You can find other F1 fans who are planning to go to next year’s races via the links below:

2010 F1 season review

Browse all 2010 F1 season review articles

Picture courtesy of Jamey Price. See more of Jamey’s photos on his website and follow him on Twitter.

Author information

Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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35 comments on “Tell us about your F1 race experiences in 2010”

  1. I mentioned my trip to the Korean GP just after the race. The race itself was exciting, and the weather was not the organisers fault…however the organisation was appalling: confused, unclear and highly frustrating. Shuttle bus success seemed like pot luck, my ticket hadn’t “arrived in Korea” yet and my grandstand hadn’t been built yet. The facilities (like decent food, drink and adequate toilets) were dreadful, and the place was just a gravelly mud-bath.

    The Koreans are embarrassed easily, and any loss of face is bad. The general feeling after the race was that they had made a mess of it on a very public scale, which is a shame.

    I enjoyed myself, and will return next year (if I’m still living here) and I fully expect it to be massively improved.

    A couple of pics here:

  2. Hmm, link failed in my previous comment…

    A couple of pics here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/keirdre/sets/72157625110376097/with/5112482705/

  3. Spotting Lucas di Grassi riding into silverstone 10 minutes before friday practice started was fun, he was on the back of somebody elses moped and he drove straight past the queue of pople waiting to get in.

  4. I went to Silverstone this year, I arrived just before 5am and left at around 3pm. It was amazing how cold it was first thing in the morning, then how hot it was in the afternoon (I got sun burnt!). Before anything happened I went to have a look around all the stalls and I was a bit confused when a fleet of buses started coming around the track. The support races were good to watch as well, I was in the general admission area opposite the ‘Silverstone Wing’ so I had a very good view from that mud bank I was on. The atmosphere was exciting when the F1 cars came out, I was deaf by the time the cars had all gone to the grid (should’ve put ear plugs in earlier!). Great to see the fans cheering on Lewis and Jenson, everyone was shouting encouragement at Lewis to catch up with Mark Webber. And everyone was laughing and booing at Vettel when he finally came past with his puncture, very funny!

  5. We have be to Silverstone and Spa in the past and when we found out Spain and Monaco were going to be back to back in 2010 we decided we had to go!

    12 hours before we were due to depart Edinburgh Airport for Barcelona our flight was cancelled due to Scottish Airspace closing due to the ash cloud. We were gutted, the company we were flying with sent us a text message informing us of our cancelled flight and we were left with a flight from London to Barcelona but no way of flying to London. We didn’t know if to stay put or take the chance of making our own way down to London in the hope that we can still fly out. To cut a long story short we booked the first train down to London from Edinburgh and during the journey we phoned customer services to try and reschedule our flight from London to Barcelona (as we were not going to arrive in time for our original flight). Also on the journey we got a phonecall from Mclaren Mercedes offering us a paddock tour during the Monaco weekend! Things were looking up!!

    We arrived at Heathrow, checked in and waited to board. It was so surreal, we were surrounded by Mercedes and Virgin team members. We jumped on the bus waiting to be transferred to the flight and the last folk to jump on included Jenson Button! After much deliberating we didn’t talk to him, didn’t like to bother him… we sat on the flight and he then was stood right at our sides as he waited to get to his seat… We were sat in amongst Mercedes team members, and had a brilliant flight hearing stories about F1 behind the scenes, so interesting. Our flight companion said to come down to the Mercedes garage and ask for him after we had the Mclaren tour when in Monaco.

    After the flight we went to baggage reclaim. Jenson came and stood right next to us. We couldn’t let a third oppertunity pass! I said hello and asked if he minded if I got my photo taken with him. That was no problem and we had a quick chat as we dug out the camera, he was so polite and down to earth. It was the most surreal day ever, especially since it looked like we were going no where the night before!

    Barcelona at the track

    We just went general admission at the track for the three days. We went round all the grandstands on the Friday it was great seeing the action from different angles. On Saturday and Sunday we sat in amongst mainly Alonso fans on the hillside, the atmosphere was electric! Every time Alonso went past on the track they were up on their feet cheering him on. The build up to the race was intense, air horns going off, mexican waves on the hillside, giant balls being bounced across the crowds. Great entertainment! The race itself was good, we missed kangaroo TV so struggled to follow what was going on, but was sat not far from a big screen. It was exciting watching Button try to get back at Schumacher… when Hamilton stopped on track the crowd went crazy!

    We stayed in Barcelona and got the train up each day. It was a piece of cake and really cheap! A bit of a walk to the track but we managed it no problem. We bought sandwiches from the bakery in Montmelo each day to take in to the track and was not too expensive.

    Monaco

    The day we were booked to fly to Monaco was the day the ash cloud decided to descend on Spanish airspace would you believe it! It resulted in a long day at Barcelona airport waiting and an unexpected night stranded at Geneva airport with no flight to Nice with that airline until Thursday! Thankfully the very nice concierge at the hotel we booked into knew of another airline that flew to Nice and we got booked on to the flight first thing the next morning. Thank goodness for credit cards!

    We stayed in Nice and took the train in to Monaco each day, again very easy. On the Thursday we sat in grandstand T and got a great view of the pits. On Friday we sat in Casino Square to watch the GP2 race then we had our paddock tour with Mclaren. On the Friday, remember to take your weekend grandstand tickets with you, as it allows you to walk past all the team garages! We didn’t take ours and were gutted not to get in… Never mind, we just stood waiting for our tour to begin. Whilst standing we noticed the boy we sat with on the plane to Barcelona, he was taking to a GP2 driver. He remembered us and took us along to the garage. It was amazing to see the cars up close. We could ask whatever we wanted, I got to hold Nico’s steering wheel. We took loads of photos and spoke to other team members too. It was now time for our Mclaren tour, so we said our thank you’s and good byes and headed to the meeting place. The Mclaren tour was a bit more restricted, we weren’t allowed to talk to the mechanics or get into the garage properly, but the guy leading the tour fairly knew his stuff! We then walked the track, saw Jenson relaxing on his boat! Then headed home to reflect on an other very surreal day!

    On the Saturday we sat in V opposite the pit entrance, it was amazing being so close to the cars. We had a big screen in front and Kangaroo TV too.

    On Sunday we sat in N beside the swimming pool, it was so crammed with little legroom and it was hot! We would sit there again but would try for the back row so you could stand or sit as you pleased without bothering anyone around you. It was a good race, apart from Button only lasting a couple of laps. It was great seeing Webber win again too. The atmosphere was a bit more refined compared to Silverstone and Barcelona, you got the impression there were a lot of people sitting there who were not really big F1 fans.

    We had an uneventful flight home a couple of days later and we have been left with memories and photos of the holiday of a lifetime!

    1. That sounds like quite an experience! I think the ash cloud situation just made this whole trip more intense. I hope to have enjoy an f1 trip like that in some point of time in my life.

  6. This year I went to 3 GP’s, Malaysian, Turkish and European. I think as an Australian can’t get much better than that than Mark racing at every meet, although he had incidents at 2 of these, which I saw with my own eyes.

    1. Wow – did he crash at Valencia right in front of you?

  7. After following F1 since 1997, although I did doze off a few years after the 2002 season, I finally went to Hockenheim this year to watch the German grand prix. It was pretty exciting. Finally watching F1 cars in the flesh. I went to Robert Doornbos’ demo in 2004 at the DTM weekend at Zandvoort and I remember his V10 revving up all the way to 20.000+ rpms, it was the best thing ever. I almost still get goosebumps six years later.

    So after a long drive I finally was at my seat at the süd tribune watching the Porsches go by Saturday morning, eagerly anticipating free practice three. I remember Liuzzi coming by and after the first shock and realizing that yes, finally, this is not TV, I’m actually here, I couldn’t help to feel a tiny bit of disappointment about the whole F1 live experience. Don’t get me wrong, I love F1 and being there was great, I’ve expected more somehow. More noise, more insight. During the race the cars come by very quickly and you’re thinking cool! But that was pretty much it.

    Now watching a couple of hundred races live on TV you kind of get used to all the info you’re getting. Especially during the race with live timing, the live blog and all. I missed that a lot. During the race I remember feeling bad for Felipe and understood the team telling him about Fernando being faster as my neighbor told me, but had no clue of the sour taste it apparently left with everybody.

    During this weekend I came to realize I didn’t really care that much (or enough) about the current noise and the cars coming by. It didn’t seem to be enough, that was a bit of a disappointment. But I’m still very glad to have gone. I’d like to go again, but I wouldn’t want to more than one in a single season (besides not knowing how to finance that, but if). I wasn’t that insanely great as I had anticipated and hoped for.

    As it looks now, I should be in Hungary next season. I think I should rent a kangaroo (right?) set next time and bring some more mates. Can anyone relate to this tiniest bit of disappointment?

    1. i had the same feeling last year at the turkish gp. The noise was disapointing, and the luck of power too obvious. I am glad i am not alone outthere.

  8. I went to the Abu Dhabi grand prix for the second year in a row. Had a seat just after the 50m board on the long straight.

    While we all know the limitations of the Yas Island circuit – I wasn’t going to spend my own money to go there but a supplier offered me a ticket – I was blown away by the heat of the brakes. I have watched F1 since the early 90s no know how hot they get. But to be on the 2nd row of seats and feel the heat coming off them was incredible.

    My seat also included a long distance view of the start/finish straight. I saw Vettel coming on to the straight and I could see the chequred flag but a whacking great advertising board was in the way of the actual event.

    Won’t be at a GP next year but hopeful of going back to Silverstone the following year as I will be back living in Milton Keynes.

  9. Hey Keith, I went to the British Grand Prix this year and really enjoyed it. We were sat just before the start of the new section, it was really tense sat up there. We watched the GP2, GP3 and Porsche Supercup races before the F1 race started. When it started, I heard them roaring down Hangar straight and when they came to the new section, it was Webber in first and Lewis in second. But I had no clue where Vettel was (I am not keen on Vettel) so I was asking my dad where Vettel was and he said that Vettel was in the lead and I was like ‘NO HE WASN’T’ as Massa trundled past us. A long time afterwards, Vettel finally came past and I cheered so loud, I must have been the loudest in the crowd. There were these group of Polish people in ridiculous Renault hats who obviously cheered for Kubica. But everytime Lewis came on the screen or went past us, they booed and hissed and shouting ‘LEWIS, SAFETY CAR’ (Because of the incident in Valencia with the safety car) but when Kubica went out, somebody stood next to my dad was looking through the binoculars saying ‘Kubica’s car has had it’ and all three of the Poles stood up and you could tell they were gutted. Robert parked up in the pit lane (Being shown on the big screen), all of them sat down and one of them looked at us as if to say ‘Okay, you can start cheering now’ and we cheered, they had their faces in their palms for literally 20 or so laps. I should have started singing ‘He’s going home, he’s going home, Robert Kubica’s going home’ but I didn’t. My dad fell asleep for the last few laps, I woke him up when Webber won but he was in no mood. That was my 2010 British GP, I am planning to go in 2011 as well.

  10. Went to Monza for first time with my girlfriend who is now addicted to F1.
    We were in the stands 200 metres after the start line and I was the only one wearing a Jenson Button tee shirt in a sea of red and I gave them loads of stick until the pitstops, still convinced Mclaren shouldn’t have blinked first, after that the Tifosi had their revenge and returned the banter, but all good nature
    We hired Kangeroo TV,s which were simply brilliant, just wish we could have had more car to pit radio.
    Monza is magical,a must for any F1 fanatic !!

  11. I went to my first GP this year at Silverstone. I went on the sunday in Hangar straight grandstand. The view was good as you could see the cars coming through Becketts then out of view for few seconds under the bridge then all the way to the braking point of Vale. You could also catch a glimpse of them in the new arena section. Saw some good overtakes into Stowe and is also a good place to see the downforce the cars have. However next year I am camping all 3 days with general admission as same price for one day in the grnadstand!

  12. I was lucky enough to go to the Italian Grand Prix this year and it was undoubtedly one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

    We flew out from Gatwick on the wednesday before the grand prix with barely a clue of how to get to the circuit. Considering this, it was pretty easy and inexpensive to navigate our way, firstly to Milan central train station, and then on to Monza-town. The circuit itself is a little way out of Monza-town, meaning a taxi was neccesary for the final stretch. This was quite hard to come by but we did get to the circuit campsite just as it was getting dark.

    The campsite itself was basic, but had a great atmosphere, with music pumping out until all hours and fans chanting late into the night. It was expensive as campsites go at 60 Euros per night but this was made up for by the party atmosphere. It was mostly filled with the tifosi, but there were a good number of fans supporting Red Bull, Mclaren and the Renault of Kubica too, which made any trip around the campsite a lot of fun.

    On thursday morning we awoke and found out our exact position, which was about 100 metres from turn one! We couldn’t believe our luck.

    We decided to get to know the place and started to walk around the boundaries of the track, watching the maintainence crews do their final preparations, and the drivers go out on their track walks. It seemed the whole Virgin team accompanied di Grassi on his track walk, whilst other drivers like de La Rosa took only two engineers with him. Pedro gave us a wave as well, which was pretty cool.

    It was great to explore the circuit when it was quiet. Its set lush park land which is beautiful in the early autumn and filled with faded reminders of its past.

    A trip to the old banking is a must for anyone visiting Monza. You can get onto it by clambering through a wire fence as the banking passes over the back straight. Pictures and videos do not do justice to just how steep it is. You need to be on all fours and probably take a run up to stand any chance of getting to the top as it must be around a 50 degree angle.

    Once at the top the views are tremendous; we watched the safety and medical cars familiarising themselves with the track, blasting through the tunnel below us as we clung onto the barrier at the top of the banking. The medical car sounded particularly good.

    A pitlane walk is available to all three-day ticket holders in Monza on thursday afternoon and was definately one of the highlights of our weekend. I was expecting to just be herded along the pitlane looking into the garages, watching the mechanics work and occaisionally seeing a driver. Instead, the teams put parts out on display, started doing practice pitstops in front of the crowds, and Renault even let us go on their pitwall and take pictures of ourselves looking as if we were making difficult strategy decisions!

    Then the drivers came out. I was really impressed that most of the drivers came out for a good half an hour to sign autographs and meet the fans. They were happy to have photographs taken and most seemed to be enjoying themselves. The crowds outside the big teams were pretty huge but it was easy to see the drivers further down the pitlane. The Force India, Virgin and Williams guys were very friendly, Barrichello even signing my friends Bruno Senna picture with a wry smile (my mate had missed the handing out of the Barrichello cards!)

    Kovalainen was my star of the show though.He was so friendly and approachable. After he’d had his picture taken with the Monza fire brigade (perhaps getting some tips should his car ever burst into flames!) I chatted to him for a bit about drumming, given his recent collaboration with the finnish band Nightwish. Then he signed an autograph for me and asked if I wanted a picture. He was just such a nice bloke.

    After two hours we were ushered out of the pitlane, truly buzzing from meeting so many drivers.

    I was woken on Friday by the sound of the Formula BMWs practicing. Today was going to be a day with a difference as one of my friends knew somebody in the Ferrari team, and said he would try to get us in the garage for free practice one.

    We waited nervously outside the paddock wondering if this was all a bit too crazy to be true, but 5 minutes into FP1 a man in a red appeared, gave us hospitality passes and led us in. He was a PR guy for Shell, Ferrari’s fuel supplier but for the life of me I can’t remember his name. He was great though, answering our questions as we walked through the paddock. He said Ferrari had Fabio Cappello and Hugh Grant visiting this weekend so it was so good of him to spend his time showing 3 scruffy students around.

    He led us to the heart of the Ferrari garage, letting us view the mechanics in work. Rob Smedley appeared and I wondered if it was slightly odd to be star-struck in seeing a race engineer! Then Massa himself appeared. He really is tiny. We watched his side of the garage at work, and even spotted ourselves on TV standing just behind him, a moment I have since enjoyed on i-player several times and stuck as my facebook profile picture. Alonso appeared next and it was great to watch him, just a few feet away, deep in discussion with Andrea Stella, his race engineer. We couldn’t take many pictures in the garage, but the few I did get can be seen in the link below.

    We were then taken to look in the analysis rooms at the back of the garages before going up to Shell’s laboratory that they take to every race. It was fascinating stuff, talking to the guys about their research into fuels. I should probably point out that I’m not a Ferrari fan. I really respect them, but I like Mclaren, plain and simple. I told our host this but this didn’t stop him treating us in anything other than a warm and friendly manner. The whole team was great to us and I’m so grateful to them for giving us a truly unforgettable experience.

    After this we walked around the track watching the cars as they blasted by at unbelievable speeds just a few metres away. We watched from the inside of the Parabolica which gives tremendous views of the cars close up, whilst in the afternoon session it was brilliant to watch the cars as they thundered along the long straight towards Ascari and tackled the Lesmo corners. Webber coasted to a halt infront of me at Lesmo 1 which gave us a chance to see the RB6 up close.

    Another great thing about Monza was the huge number of supporting series. GP2, GP3, Formula BMW and the Porsche supercup were all in attendence which meant there was no shortage of action inbetween the F1 sessions. Even if you aren’t totally familiar with some of the series’, the programme has a lot of really interesting stuff to get you into it and tell you who’s who. Undoubtedly, buying the programme improved my enjoyment of things like GP3, which at the start of the weekend, I didn’t know too much about.

    On Saturday, we watched final practice from the inside of the first chicane before making our way to our grandstand for qualifying. We watched from the outside of the parabolica infront of the entrance to the pits. There were loads of big screens, usually right opposite the grandstands and occaisional ENGLISH commentary, meaning we were kept in the know of events, though there wasn’t much to tell us about the different technical aspects of the Mclarens for example. We had worked out that Hamilton and Button were doing different things with the F-duct but it would have been nice to know a bit more from the commentary instead of just who was in what position.

    The seats and views were good, but when we go again I think we’d go for seats at Ascari as it seemed like a better spot, even if it was a little more expensive.

    The atmosphere when Alonso took pole was incredible. The crowd erupted and the obligatory ‘Alooooonso’ chants began. We’d marked ourselves out by wearing Button, Lotus and Force India hats, which meant that amongst the sea of red tifosi, we were easy targets for some banter, but it was all good natured and fun.

    Later on, after enjoying more support races, we got to see Lewis Hamilton giving a VIP or two laps of the track in the safety car which was pretty cool. Lewis seemed pretty chirpy despite having only qualified 5th.

    On raceday we got to our seats early. As with most grandstand events people tend to migrate to the places where they can see best, despite what their ticket number says. The drivers parade came and went with rapturous cheers for Alonso and Massa, but massive boos for Hamilton and Schumacher. The italian man I sat next to said Schumacher had ‘betrayed’ Ferrari and shouldn’t expect a warm reception. The atmosphere at the start of the race was incredible. The noise from 23 cars (Kobayashi started from the pits) was unbelieveable. The crowd seemed deflated when Button got past Alonso at the start, but were soon brought to life when Hamilton crashed out at Lesmo 1. From then on it was tense to say the least, with Alonso hounding Button until the pitstops. We saw Button come into the pits, tyres billowing smoke, and the tifosi awakened, obviously sensing blood. As Alonso exited the pits the next lap, they erupted seeing that he was, by the tiniest of margins, ahead.

    As the end of the race drew near, and despite the entertainment of the Webber/Hulkenberg scrap the crowds started to gather near the gates to get onto the track. If you want to get out onto the track for the podium you need to get to these gates quickly or you don’t stand a chance. The horns and cheers as Alonso crossed the line, weaving across the track in celebration were deafening and it didn’t seem long before he, Button and Massa were on top of the podium spraying champagne onto the crowds below. We weren’t mightily close to the ceremony, but we could still see it and loved the carnival atmosphere that lasted on the track long after the drivers had gone inside to their press conferences and celebrations.

    After the ceremony, we walked the track as part of a steady stream of fans eager to explore the circuit. We wandered, discussing the race, looking for some bits of car, and sitting down on the tarmac to see what it might be like to see the track from a drivers point of view. It was the perfect end to a perfect trip.

    I’ve been to grand prix before and loved them, but Monza was really special. The organisation was good, the views were spectacular and the atmosphere was electric. I urge everyone to go.

    Some pictures:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/54772137@N06/sets/72157625017300855/

    1. I went with three mates, we’re from Australia and was the highlight of my 3 weeks there.

      It struck me how much emotion there is with the fans there… we were at the exit of parabolica ad they were all relently pleading to get out onto the track with cars still getting back to the pits.

      Once the gates open, we were carried by the wave of fasn surging onto the track and suddenly bolted to the podium. I was lucky enough to have a good spot between the podium and the giant ferrari flag, just out of reach of the champagne though.

      A sea of tifosi singing the italian national anthem all around you, and the massive cheers for their hero’s is something to behold!

      I’ll never forget it, all in my first time O/S, and definately not my last!

  13. I went to my first GP this year at Silverstone, the atmosphere was amazing and I had a smile on my face for the entire day. I was sat at Vale which wasn’t very exciting but I did get an opportunity to see Vettel overtake Massa just infront of me – so it was worth going just for that!

    I am a Vettel fan and it was nerve racking every lap when the cars appeared at the end of Hangar Straight and I had to work out the order (I couldn’t see what was on the big screen on the other side of the track,and the tannoy was so muffled I couldn’t make out what they were saying!)so it was red and yellow cameras for me.

    I am definitely going back next year and if possible to SPA as well

    You definitely get a better overall view of the race at home infront of the telly, but nothing beats the real thing.

  14. My first trip to a GP this year. Me and my housemate went to Silverstone. We embarked on our 9 hour journey and finally collapsed early Thursday evening in the Woodlands campsite. We spent the rest of the evening walking around the outskirts of the circuit, spotting the odd Porsche flying by! Friday rolled on and we exploited our GA tickets to the max, putting ourselves down the pit straight for FP1 and the stand at the first corner for FP2. The noise? Just incredible. The initial few laps did us no harm but after that I started to appreciate the raw agression of those V8’s. Having been to countless gigs, loud noise is nothing new to me, but those engines know no bounds, it was painful…and I loved it! Quali rolled around and we were torn between the track, the two TV’s around Club and our timing apps! We feared we would miss the intricacies television offers but this came to nothing…still intense stuff! We waited for the race to come around and once it did we found a brilliant vantage point in the shade of the stand at Club without being removed from the action. Seeing a lack of Vettel on lap 1 instantly excited us…knowing we had a chase on our hands. Watching him climb back up, held behind an impressive Sutil was amazing.

    Spa 2011 please!

  15. I was at Melbourne this year, my second GP after Melbourne 2008.

    I flew down on Saturday morning. I watched FP3 at Turn 3/4/5. You get an incredible impression of the speed and grip through this section – particularly Turn 5. Luckily there was a marshall’s gap in the fence, so you could see the cars unobstructed going through Turn 5.

    For qualifying, I went to the big spectator hill at Turn 8/9. While you aren’t particularly close to the cars, this location has a good atmosphere, and also a screen which assisted in following what was going on.

    Then on Saturday night I went to the autograph area and got several autographs. The best to get was Schumacher, as I hadn’t seen him in 2008 obviously, and it is a fantastic autograph to get. He seemed very relaxed at the time. Also, Button was nice to get as he had become world champion since the last time I saw him. It was nice to get Wurz’s autograph on my Le Mans 2009 poster, as I already had Brabham – so two of the winners. Unfortunately I missed Gene, although he was there for Ferrari. I also got Massa, Webber and many others which is fantastic. I left the track at almost 10pm, and still many drivers hadn’t left the pits.

    On Sunday, I started off at the Turn 10/11 chicane for some of the support races. Along with F1, there was V8 Supercars, Australian GT, Formula 5000, Mini Challenge and other categories. Then, I moved to Turn 2 about midday to reserve a spot for the race – which was already packed.

    This is a fantastic spot to watch the race. You are very close to the cars as they exit Turn 2, and also get a view of them into Turn 1. The start of the race was interesting, with Alonso spinning and having to dodge the safety cars and Virgins on his way back around. There was also a good view of lots of overtaking, as well as a good screen and audio access. Obviously the crowd was supporting Webber, so our hearts went into our mouths when we saw a Red Bull crashed (it turned out to be Vettel) and then a collective groan when Webber hit Hamilton.

    After that, I sprinted to the podium, and just made it to see the top 3 enter the stage. It was a pity that Webber had a poor race, but it was great to see my other favourite driver, Massa, on the podium. In fact, it was a very likable podium with Button and Kubica as well.

    My tickets are already booked for 2011, and writing this is making me quite excited already!

    1. Yea I agree with Ed. Turn 5 is by far the best, and closest you can get to the action. Very good corner to be on as you get a great appreciation of the noise, speed and cornering ability.

      Cheapest tickets in the house, but easily the best.

  16. My son and I attended Montreal this year and what an amazing time we had… we were there from Thursday so not only did we get the full race weekend but were able to see lot’s of that great city..:) The travel to the venue was simple as our seedy little hotel was one block away from the underground Metro which after one change took us directly to the front gates of the track.. :)
    Line ups were acceptable for this scale of event and it seemed that even though Montreal had a year off they still know how to throw a party!!

    The Thursday pit walk was a bit damp but nothing was soaking my spirits for my first GP… the excitement of seeing the garages close up was amazing… the capper was a mechanic from Lotus came and took my camera into the pit and got some great shots for me! very different from other garages where they wouldn’t let you see part of the cars.. lol…

    Friday was awesome having the freedom to watch from other grandstands as we moved around the track… our seats were at Senna corner in GS11 but my favorite spot was GS21 right at the breaking zone for Epingle… it was amazing watching the cars accelerate out of turn 9, brake for the hairpin and accelerate on there way down Droit Du Casino… that was where the RBR’s really shone… exiting that hairpin was truly crazy just how fast they were… :)

    Saturday we packed a lunch and a 6 pack of beer in our backpacks.. (as per everyday..:) and headed to our seats… Quali was awesome because you could really see that the cars and drivers were getting to grips with the track… the speeds were dropping and the excitement was building! Watching Lewis pushing his car down the back straight on the big screen was a sight to behold.. never seen that before… lol

    Did I mention that the City of Montreal really knows how to throw a party!! There was huge sections of downtown blocked off with stages scattered all over the area… Franco Bars every 40 feet so there was NO excuse to have an empty beer… every kind of music you could imagine playing all around you.. and great people that were more than willing to help out some “out of towners” with directions to the hottest clubs… but the atmosphere on the streets was where the real action was… we partied until 4am every morning then were up at 8 on our way to the track… the perfect schedule… 8)

    Race day was almost too much to take for me… being my first GP I was asked a few times to settle down by the people behind me as I was jumping around like a school boy! The race was spectacular and the perfect weather so all was awesome!! as the last laps wound down we found a spot to crawl over the fence so we were ready… as the cars passed the start/finish line we bolted for the fence..
    climbing the grandstand and hopping the fence… then sprinting towards the podium… obviously my son had an easier time of this but I kept up with him… :) We got there just as Lewis, Fernando and Felipe made it to the stage… what a moment!! We soaked in the atmosphere in all it’s glory… when that was said and done we walked back to Senna corner looking for scraps.. I managed to find a piece of kevlar and many marbles as trophies… We carried on walking the pit wall watching the crews start packing up when we noticed a group of people in front of the Mercedes pit… there was Jock Clear having a Q&A session with the fans… the best question being about Micheal’s driving during the race.. lol

    So we made out way back to downtown and enjoyed one more night in Montreal before flying home Monday… the fact that we have to fly to our home race got me thinking that since we have to fly to Montreal, we might as well start flying around the world to watch GP’s… so that’s our plan for next year.. :)

    I had a thrilling trip for my first GP and look forward to seeing not only Montreal again but other sites around the world…

    Cheers… 8)

  17. I only went to Albert Park this year. I only attend Sundays now after being there so many times. I’d much rather watch the rest at home with live timing and (of course) the live blog here to read! All FP’s are live on tv in Melbourne when the GP’s on, so no need to stand at the track (and pay for it) when you’ve been to a few weekends before.

    The exciting moment for us this year was standing against the fence at the inside of turn 6, chatting to a VERY young marshal, when the cars came around and a white flash flew past our eyes, rubbing the fence, and then it seemed an explosion happened and we were all completely covered in black and white flecks of carbon fibre and foam! This was Kobayashi taking off and slamming into Hulkenberg and Buemi!

    An all ’round check to make sure we were all still alive, a bit of dusting of each others shoulders and we all stared as some morons across the track were giving schtick to Hulk and Buemi as they stood beside the track fuming.

    Otherwise, a fairly standard affair at the Melbourne GP – except when the security guards turned up in numbers to force us to stop looking at or taking photo’s of the stricken Williams. I had a fair argument with them, but soon realised I’d be kicked out if I continued, so chose the better part of valour and walked off. ;)

    Overall, the Australian GP weekend is a fantastic time, and I recommend to anyone who can, come down to Melbourne and experience it for yourselves!

  18. I attended Montreal with my husband and our two adult children…we attended several races in Indianapolis and were thrilled at the chance to attend a GP race again. We planned to arrive on Thursday in hopes that the paddock would be open as it had been at the USGP…to our delight, we were able to visit. Unfortunately, it was wet and very cold–however that didn’t dampen our spirits too much. We watched both the McLaren and Toro Rosso teams practice tire changes and were delighted to see both of the Virgin drivers…Lucas surprised us all by coming out, signing autographs and posing with fans for pictures. Timo stayed in the garage, but waved a bit. We were also able to spot Jenson Button’s dad in his garage, but no sign of Jenson. I did catch of glimpse of Rubens as he came in to the paddock area, but he was moving pretty fast so I did not get a photo. We left a bit early due to the cold…but we got to and from the paddock on buses that drove right on the race track, though traveled counter-(anti)clockwise.

    Friday was MUCH warmer so that aspect was a lot more enjoyable. We settled in to our seats–stand 34–right at the inside of the apex of L’Epingle. The sound is unbelievable and seeing F1 cars on the track after a two year break was really fun. We spent the entire day at the track getting views of some of the other cars racing from a variety of different viewpoints.

    Saturday was another great day…and an opportunity to see which cars were really fast in quali. We were a bit distracted for a while by some workers climbing the huge geodesic dome display that is a remnant of the island’s history as the location for the World’s Fair (1966, I believe)–I bet it was a great view up there! The biggest problem during quali was the inability to track of who was where. We had a Jumbotron directly in our line of sight, but the letters were too hard to see without binoculars…and if you were looking through the binoculars, you were missing the action on the track. But there is just nothing like being there!

    Finally, race day! The day dawned bright with sunshine and warmth…and anticipation for a great race. As we all know now, that’s exactly what happened. Although we missed a great deal of the action, our viewpoint at the hairpin was great…and I’m not sure if I would consider tickets anywhere else on the track.

    We’re not planning to go back for 2011, but not because it wasn’t a great experience…maybe 2012?!?!?!

  19. I just love reading all these first hand stories of all of you visiting the GPs. Great idea to have them posted here!

  20. I was lucky enought to get to 3 Grand Prix this year – The Spanish, Hungarian and the Italian Grand Prix and with a 3rd child coming along next year it will be a long time before I will be able to get to anonther…
    Spanish GP
    Flying out of Belfast we were also caught up in the Ash cloud disruption, and we spent the night before coming up with Plan B, Plan C and plan D, looking up boat times and train timetables! On the day of travel our flight went out as if there was no problem, it was the only morning that week flights had been going so we were soo lucky!! I found the Spanish GP and Barcelona great – the Gp is well orgainsed with special trains well signposted and no hassle. The Spanish fans really love ALonso, and have an intense dislike for Hamilton which was evident when he went out in the last few laps. We bought food in a deli in Barcelona and brought the food with us – which was much cheaper than buying it at the circuit. We had tickets at the first corner and it was interesting to see Button trying to get a way past Schumacher – I would have just taken Schui out….
    Hungarian GP
    I flew from Dublin with Ryaniar (crap) and back with Aer lingus (great). Usual train and walk to the track – it was not too far and easy enough to find. We sat at the 1st corner and for 99% of the time did not think the price was worth it as the track is in a bowl and you can see more of the track from General Admissiion tickets – UNTIL the Schumacher Barachello incident right in front of us – AMAZING!!!! I swear people in the stands ducked as they thought Barchello was about to hit the wall and end up alongside us!! I text a guy who works for Renault hoping to get into the paddock but no joy.
    Italian GP
    If you are into F1 at all – GO THERE – it is an amazing track with great fans and history just drips from everything. I have been to the British, French, Austrian, San Marino, Spanish and Hungarian GP but Monza was without any doubt the best. We had tickets for inside the first chicane which was OK but being able to walk the track after the race and being at the podium was AMAZING!!! A note of warning, on Sunday morning at the track we were given an armband to get us back in if we left it. When I went to the mercandising area for a drink someone CUT if off my wrist – looking back now I remember them doing it but did not realise what had happened at the time – a tense 10 mins was spent at the gate on my return to the grandstand convincing the marshall to let me in!! I could go on about the Monza trip for pages and pages but if that was the last grand prix I ever go to I will be happy!!! Bernie – please do not sacrifice more of the traditional GP venues for more Bahrains etc – F1 NEEDS THEM – passion is more important than a few more quid…..

  21. I went to the Turkish GP this year, it as epic!

    The Friday and the Saturday felt more like a test as there was almost no one there, while it didn’t have any atmosphere, I was really nice being able to park next to the main gate, walk in and get to our seats with in 5 minutes, there were no queues for anything. We got seats high up at the end of the start finish straight and I think we got the best seats in the house – they were covered (definitely needed in that heat), we were able to see all of the straight, the pits, the first and second corners and the complex of corners at the end of the lap. On the Friday we walked around the track and enjoyed watching a lot of drivers get it wrong at turn 8. It was a shame we couldn’t get a kangaroo but we were able to follow the racing well enough. The race on the Sunday was really tense with the front 4 running so closely, all the previous races we’d been to had been rather dull and we were worried the same thing would happen here, then it all kicked off right in front of us and we couldn’t believe our eyes. Definitely going back next year!

  22. I went to SPA this year. It was fantastic, the weather made it even better. During practice 1 and 2 we walked around “The greatest corner” – Le Rouge! Friday it rained all day, and there was so much wind = very cold. But throughout the rest of the weekend the weather changed from wet to dry. The race was epic! Especially because the track was wet in some places and dry in others. I saw some great driving, especially the to Merrcedes GP made it fun. And me being a Hamilton fan, the weekend couldn’t have had a better ending

  23. I went to my first Singapore GP this year- my forth different overseas GP (try and make it to Silverstone every uear). I enjoyed it so much that I will be returning again in 2011. For a Spectator, this is the best GP I have been to eclipsing even Monoco for spectator experience.
    Its a 12hour flight from London for me, but I got an over night flight and was asleep most of the way. My Hotel and and the circuit was a 20min taxi ride from the Airport.
    I stayed at a trackside hotel and was able to walk to the circuit and return to the hotel inbetween sessions. Whilst the drivers may get driven to the paddock, you get to walk with all the other team personnel in and out of the circuit and they go to and from their hotel. Watching a GP under light is quite some experience, sound of the engines reverberating from the building was very different from a traditional track. There is spot where you can stand under the Esplande bridge and hear the cars raceing a few feet above your head – amazing! The concerts and off track entertainment (all included in the ticket price) was were all top notch. The underground train network has 4 or 5 stops around the circuit so it is very easy to get around and to pop in and out of the circuit to do other things, have meals etc between the 15.00 gates open time and the evening track action. You can get very close to the cars on this circuit. All seats have view of a big screen too so its eay to follow the action.
    For those thinking of attending in 2011 I have written a list on how to get the most from the event, in the 2011 Singapore Grand Prix section.

    https://www.racefans.net/f1-2011-season/2011-f1-calendar/2011-singapore-grand-prix-discussion/

  24. Went to Belgium this year and it was amazing. Having not been to a grand prix weekend in 10 years it was long overdue.

    Some photos here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/somethingness/sets/72157624857280222

    Drove over with 3 friends and camped along with a lot of other people on here at the Elephant (didn’t get to meet a lot of people thanks to the weather though!). The wet weather did make it tough going at times, but it also contributed to an unforgettable weekend.

    Spa is a simply amazing track on which to watch the best drivers and cars in the world in action, and certainly the best track I’ve been to for viewing and photography (unless you get barged out of a good spot by an Italian photojournalist backed up by the police!). So many great areas that you can get to with a general admission ticket, though you do have to get there early for the best spots on Sunday.

    I think we’re going to tick Monza off the list in 2011, but I can’t think of any reasons not to go back to Belgium.

  25. After sacrificing 5 years to saving every penny I had, I was lucky enough to realise a dream and be able to go to all 19 races this season – it’s been a hell of year!
    So I guess you could say that I’m in a fairly unique situation in terms of being able to compare all the races.
    Despite this though it’s virtually impossible to pick just one stand-out venue, every race has it’s own unique character – yes, even Turkey & Valencia!
    Some fairly good advice though is to follow the rule of the 3 M’s: Monza, Monaco, Montreal.
    Monza – If you’re a real race-fan, and after nothing more than the simple pleasure of man & machine hurtling around one of the all time classic tracks – then this one’s for you.
    Montreal – Fantastic track, brilliant fans, and a city that embraces the GP like no other. Take a trip down Crescent Street of an evening & it’s a full-on F1 carnival!
    Monaco – Well, let’s be honest, I don’t need to sell this one to you!!
    If you’re able to go a tad further afield, then Japan is an amazing experience, as much for Japan itself as for the stunning Suzuka track. Singapore is also an amazing spectacle to behold, even if the racing can be a tad dull. And not forgetting Interlagos, probably the best race day atmosphere I experienced all year. Don’t be put off by the scare-mongering about car-jacking, you can jump on the metro & in 20mins you’re at the track – safe & simple!
    Obviously I could write tons on my experiences, but I won’t bore you all! If you’ve any questions you think I could help with please just ask, I’ll happily help all I can. You can get me on twitter: @alexjsnell, or on the message board of my blog: http://www.getjealous.com/alexjsnell.

    Cheers.

    1. Wow! THE #1 fan! I’ve enjoyed your blog the whole second half of the season after Buxton tipped us all off.

    2. You picked a great year to do it! Brilliant!

  26. Went to Monaco this year and nothing can quite match the magic of Monaco. If you’ve never gone then do try to see the race. The noise and the smell of the cars is something that you will never forget. Oh and don’t forget your eye plugs!!! ive attached my Youtube videos i took on the sunday from stand K. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9wJw2KtnGc

  27. I went to Interlagos this year, and it was thrilling as always (my 5th and last time was in 1995). This year I watched the Friday practices from right behind the paddock and couldn’t see much “action” except for the cars leaving the pits and they managing to handle the Senna “S”. First car I put my eyes on was Nico Rosberg, shining at the morning Brazilian sun… and Button’s McLaren were… Oh man, what a moment!
    Some pics HERE
    I watched Saturday and Sunday’s events from the Juncao, right from that big red stands you can see at the beginning of the straights. That was quite an amazing experience: the cars passing with low gears and rpm on Friday, and at full throttle on Sat and Sun.
    I saw Emerson with his historical Lotus (shame it was only 2 laps), I saw Hulkenberg’s pole twice (the first and when he lowered his time), I saw Massa colliding with Buemi on the opposite side of the circuit, on the Curva do Lago.
    Not much happened in front of me (like Graeme above), but staying right there at Juncao makes your ears blow on the first lap, pal.

  28. I was at Spa again this year.

    My stuff should be dry soon.

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