Last week I had the chance to go to the Austrian Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. For anyone who loves cars and speed, a Formula 1 weekend provides the perfect opportunity experience both. The sweet smell of methanol comes as an added bonus.
Over the course of 3 days at the track, I was able to take in several F1 practices and qualifying in addition to support races in GP2, GP3 and Porsche Masters classes. Thanks to a friend (Grazie Scott!) who arranged for VIP credentials, I was fortunate to spend most of Saturday in the Paddock area and take in the unbelievable hospitality that F1 teams provide.
The most impressive part of that experience was the ability to visit the Red Bull team garage and watch the mechanics and technicians prepare the Red Bull cars for their race. Due to the nature of their work, photography was understandably not permitted, but the images are etched in my mind. The technology and telemetry involved with an F1 car is impressive, far beyond NASCAR and IndyCar.
The track lends itself to a fantastic F1 fan experience. The layout of the track and elevation changes give visitors several great vantage points from where to watch the race. The hospitality of the locals just adds to the wonderful experience.
The track’s location is easily accessible from nearby Graz where our group of 5 stayed. With only a quick 40 minute drive on the Autobahn, getting to the track each morning and back each evening was easy. The ‘suggested’ 80mph speed limit on their beautiful autobahns just added to the overall experience of the weekend. The only down side was the €8.50 tunnel toll in each direction, so commuting cost €17 euro a day. Small price to pay……
In the photos below you’ll find a shot of each car that entered the race. I found 3 excellent vantage points that gave me a good look at the track which allowed for me to catch some fairly decent perspectives as the cars made their laps. If you’re an F1 fan, a photo of your favorite driver can be found below!
Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel….playing second fiddle to Mercedes Benz so far this year…..
This year’s winner, Nico Rosberg driving for Mercedes, passes by on the final lap.
Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen failed to complete a single lap at the Austrian GP….Italians are getting impatient.
Lotus’ Romaine Grosjean
Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson
Force India’s Sergio Perez
Sauber’s Felipe Nasr
Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado
Mclaren’s Fernando Alonso….thanks to Kimi, he also failed to finish a lap at the Austrian GP…..
Williams’ Felipe Massa
Mclaren’s Jensen Button
Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat
Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg
Marussia’s Will Stevens
Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen
Mercedes Benz’s Lewis Hamilton….leading the pack this year….so far.
Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz
Williams’ Valtteri Bottas
Marussia’s Roberto Merhi
Nice review. Thanks for posting. My son and I are headed to the Mexico F1 race later this year. It would be nice to have VIP access but I’m sure we’ll manage from the cheap seats. My guess is that they will have less or no support races there though.
Great pics. I’ve heard the F1 race in Hungary is also a fun event, but I think that covers all of the races. Airbnb must be doing very well if they can afford to be a sponsor since it’s not a cheap proposition.
Thanks! Airbnb has a valuation of 22.5 Billion, which makes it even bigger than Marriott and even Lufthansa. Surprising how quickly they grew to these levels. From speaking with those close to F1 owners, I found that it takes about $750 million a year to finance a 2 car team.
Beatifull shots. I’m jealous of your VIP experience. Have you been to other F1 tracks?
I’m a big F1 fan and I’ve been lucky to attend few races. You should try to make it to one of the night races like Singapore or Abu Dhabi.
Yep, that was one of the reasons to consider Abu Dhabi. Would love to see them race at night.