The balmy English summer air lazily blowing through the hair of more than 100,000 excited Formula 1 fans packed into Trafalgar Square.
That’s how the 2017 British Grand Prix week kicked off and they called it “F1 – London Live”. Some chose to be within metres of ear-piercing old cars, sucking in petrol fumes and mingling with beaming drivers, while others sipped Heineken from historic balconies. Londoners of all ages swung their hips to the sounds of Bastille, Little Mix, and Kaiser Chiefs. The parade laps, with their “controlled slides” (remember, no donuts allowed…) were undoubtedly the highlight, showcasing the many eras of F1.
And the drivers? Well, they felt like rock stars, according to Force India’s Esteban Ocon.
“I came down the road to go back to the stage and everyone was making applause and shouting my name and shouting for pictures, so I tried to make the most pictures I could,” explained the young Frenchman. “People were really happy. It’s really something special. There was so much enthusiasm from the fans they were really close to us and that was the point. It was really impressive, I will remember it forever.”
I’m sure thousands of others will remember it too, and not just for the rare sunny day.
Fast-forward 24 hours and I was again chatting with Esteban, the ear-to-ear smile had not budged one bit, in front of the most iconic Formula 1 circuit on the map – Silverstone. This is where the championship first began on that fateful day in 1950 and now 67 years later, the sport’s future seems bright; almost as bright as young Ocon’s smile…
That first start grid at the famous high-speed cathedral saw the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio (Alfa Romeo), Reg Parnell (Alfa Romeo), Joe Fry (Maserati) and 18 other drivers line up for the inaugural race. Goggles stuck to their face protecting fearless eyes as their 1.5lt engines rumbled beneath them, vibrating every cell in their bodies with 1950s raw power. Today Hamilton, Vettel, Ricciardo, Alonso, and 16 others have taken their place. Silverstone is a circuit that holds an incredible amount of history and memorable moments, and talking of which, today’s Formula 1 drivers shared some favourite moments of their own…
.jpg)
“I saw René Arnoux yesterday and that reminded me of the fight they had in Dijon,” said Ocon, eyes widening. “It was crazy, the cars they had, how they drove it was those years and how brave those drivers were. Fighting like this on the last lap of the race and sideways, it’s bloody impressive you know.”
For the Toro Rosso boys this was a question that had them reliving their youth of watching the sport on TV from their lounge room floor.
“It’s very difficult to choose one, there’s a lot of good ones,” says Carlos Sainz Jr, deep in thought. “I think the battle Senna/Prost in Suzuka was a really good and bad moment for some. And the battle Hamilton and Massa 2008; that was also another high of Formula 1.”
“To pick out one moment in this kind of sport is hard. I think I can only judge from what I was watching, I was watching a lot when Michael Schumacher was in the car,” Daniil Kvyat admitted. “2004 was a very good year for Schumacher fans. For me also I remember watching in 2006 when Schumacher and Fernando they were fighting a lot and were really close, it was really spectacular to watch. Even though I was a massive Schumacher fan at the time, Fernando gained a lot of respect that year from everyone. It’s hard to believe I’m racing Fernando now. I just missed Michael for a couple of years so it’s hard to believe but it just shows you how life can be interesting.”
McLaren, of course, have their own unbelievable history and their newest recruit, Stoffel Vandoorne, had to sift through his memories to pick his favourite.
“Senna and Prost Suzuka, final chicane that’s always one that everyone remembers,” said Vandoorne sitting in the iconic McLaren Brand Centre that adorns the Formula 1 paddock. “Senna and Mansell in Dijon, that was quite nice as well.”
Fresh out of his impressive sixth place finish in Austria, and with a distinct spring in his step, HAAS driver Romain Grosjean maybe found it unfair to pick just one magic moment. “I just love all the history of racing,” he offered, with no apology.
Inspired by the stories of past duels between men and machines I decided to go exploring and experience as much of the weekend’s activities as possible. It proved to be more interesting than I thought. Once through the main gate, I was completely surrounded by Brits with their deck chairs and cooler bags filled with supplies to feed their family, making their way to claim a trackside spot.
As I made my way over to Force India’s fan zone in the famous Woodlands camp site I began to have vivid flashbacks to my life three weeks earlier at Glastonbury festival. Driving into this wicked area within the Silverstone Circuit, I passed lines of tents, merry men grooving to the beats and food stalls selling pizza and kebabs. Was this Formula 1 or another one of the world’s greatest music festivals? The similarities were uncanny, and very welcome indeed.
Invited behind-the-scenes by the Force India team I witnessed an incredible atmosphere full of excited fans. Live bands and DJs, driver appearances and even a Kingfisher combi photo booth… what more could you want!
And team principal Vijay Mallya was enjoying it too, alongside former team owner Eddie Jordan. Just like a Glastonbury rock star Vijay was swarmed for photos and autographs in his team gear. For some raw British GP fun I highly recommend checking this out next year.
Saturday was jam-packed with birthday parties and one very unique sleepover. For anyone who has ever dreamed of spooning a Formula 1 car, Martini, Williams, and Airbnb took two lucky guys as close as it gets. Even more evident that times are definitely changing in Formula 1, part of the Williams Martini Racing garage was transformed into a Big Brother-style bedroom. The competition winners snoozed just metres from the FW40s for that once-in-a-lifetime experience.
“[This is] not only a sponsor first but a first in Formula 1,” explained Giles Ritchie, Martini’s Global F1 Sponsorship Manager. “Surrounded by 50 years of Martini racing heritage… we thought ‘how can we bring this joy of racing we have and bring fans closer to the experience’. You can’t get any closer than being right at the heart of the garage. We approached Airbnb, working with Williams, the FIA, [and] FOM to get all the approvals. It’s an amazing, truly once-in-a-lifetime experience. It’s something that won’t be repeated again.”
Even YouTube super vlogger Paul Wallace was there to capture it all along with his first British Grand Prix outing.
.jpg)
Another unique event on Saturday evening was Renault’s 40th birthday in Formula 1 celebrations. And what a way they celebrated it! Not to be out done by anyone, they opened their own pop-up nightclub in their pit garages. Entering Renault’s Club Le Garage was simply awesome. Unintentionally dressed in the team colours I stepped into another world. Eerie nightclub lighting and a full DJ booth with pumping tunes from Haiku got my shoulders bopping and hair standing on end. Drinks flowed from the bar as the R.S.17 took centre stage.
This was something I never thought I would see in an F1 garage and I couldn’t resist asking FIA’s media boss if we can do this every race. “You don’t ask, you don’t get right,” said Matteo Bonciani with a wink in his eye. Even the Hulk jumped behind the decks for a set and was clearly enjoying celebrating Renault F1’s 40th birthday as much as we all were.
Leaving Club Le Garage was hard but I was already late for my next party… Making my way 50 yards down the paddock, I was soon climbing the bright white stairs to Williams’ rooftop Martini terraza for another ‘naughty forty’ party, which was underway. Lance Stroll, Felipe, Massa, Valtteri Bottas, Marcus Ericsson, and Pascal Wehrlein were all there, gathered around with guests as Claire Williams made a heart-warming speech to kick of the celebrations. The crowd sipped Martini cocktails, overlooking the entire paddock as the reality of the incredible milestone sunk in…
Come race day the paddock was totally brimming with the who’s who of Formula 1 and a long list of celebrities including Hollywood’s own Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, there to promote the latest of the Disney Pixar “Cars” movies in which their voices star. The vibe was amazing and I watched the race with a bunch of dedicated Lewis fans track-side, who I’m sure assisted with his crowd surfing efforts later on.
Back in London’s Park Lane on Sunday night, a world away from the race track, hip hop club Drama hosted a very cool after party which was enjoyed by friends, racing-family and a few of the drivers beckoned. After such an eventful weekend I felt like I could sleep for a week but nothing could keep me away from Formula 1 fun after dark…
This feature was originally published in Issue 226 of Motorsport Monday – click here to read the latest issue.
