The Melbourne Grand Prix Again

12th-15th March 2015

I always hoped, since I went in 2013, that I would be able to go back to the Melbourne Grand Prix on my second year in Australia. I had so much fun last time and this time I would be even better prepared.

Melbourne

So back in Melbourne for a third time. I checked into a campsite early morning after spending the night at a rest stop a little out of the city. I still had to spend a half hour on the train to get into the city but at least the campsite was cheap, only $10 a night. I caught the free tram from the city to Albert Park and the familiar sight of the Formula 1 circuit.

Last time I was here I was running around everywhere trying to see everything and not miss out on anything but this time I knew what to do. Thursday is all about getting close to the drivers. All day there is an autograph stage where the drivers come out in teams for interviews and autographs. There isn't much in the way of track action so there's little point watching. The first thing I did was go to the 'Melbourne Walk' where all the famouses arrive.

Maldonado                                                  Perez

Grosjean                                          Kvyat

Raikkonen                                            Toto Wolf

I stayed there for about an hour watching drivers and team managers arriving and walking past right in front of me. It was so exciting to see all these people you see on TV so close. Nico Rosberg actually stopped for an interview right in front of me and Lewis Hamilton was so close I could have reached out and grabbed him but I'm pretty sure that wouldn't have ended at all well.

Rosberg

World Champion Lewis Hamilton

Jenson Button

Then I moved over the autograph stage and pretty much camped out for the rest of the day watching the interviews with all the drivers. I occasionally got up to walk around a little bit but essentially I sat in the same spot all day.

Bottas and Massa

Verstappen and Sainz

Verstappen is (and now will always be) the youngest ever formula 1 driver, only 17. They've changed the rules now to not give a super license to anyone under the age of 18. He was asked by someone in the crowd about what would happen if he got onto the podium, would he be allowed to drink champagne? He said it was extremely unlikely and as yet this season he hasn't got anywhere near it. It would be interesting to see what happens if he did though.

Eriksson

They did a fan forum with the Red Bull and Mercedes teams at the end of the day. I think this is the first time they've tried it because it didn't seem to be organised too well. There was a lot of rearranging and last minute organising that seemed to be going on just before the drivers got there. There was also big queues for autographs from the drivers but they ran out of time. I obviously, wasn't in a queue. I was right up against the stage squashed up against a large pot plant!

Ricciardo, Rosberg, Kyvat and Hamilton

I knew Daniel Ricciardo was a bit of a joker but he was actually really funny. He got a massive cheer when he came out, being an aussie. He also got quite a few laughs with his answers to questions.

There's a few other things to point out from my brief wanderings around the circuit on the Thursday. Australia have the own version of the red arrows which are good but not as good as ours. There was a try-it-yourself pit stop place where you can race against a mate to change a tyre. I was keen to give it a go but I had no mates! Ha.

Pit stop practice

Porches getting ready to race

The two seater F1 car

That was it for the first day. Friday is the best day to spend looking around at all the side shows that happen over the weekend. Most have two or three showings a day so there's plenty of opportunity to see stuff but as Friday's track action is only practices and support race qualifying then there's not much point camping out by the track.

Timbersports

The first thing I went to on Friday was the Timbersports stage. I've never heard of this but apparently its a big deal in both America and Australia. Its all about wood chopping so I'm not surprised its not a big in the UK. They had a couple of champions competing but I couldn't tell you who. Apparently there's quite a few ways of chopping a tree. Who'd have thought!

Old car destroyed

I went over to the side of track to watch the Heritage car race and I chose a particularly good spot to watch from as there was bit of an incident. Coming down the pit straight one the car's accelerator pedal got jammed and he couldn't slow down. His only option was to spin the car to stall the engine. How he didn't flip I don't know but he did manage to take out another car while doing it. These cars are heritage cars so there's no buying new parts for it.

In the gravel

Another legend

I wandered over to the stunt show place where they had bikes, motorbikes and those little scooter things doing big stunts. The place was surrounded with school kids on a day trip from school. I'm pretty sure every school in Victoria was there! Then a car went past doing a wheelie!

Flying bikes

Wheelie

Planes out again

I went over to the other side of the track which was a little less like a school playground to have my packed lunch while watching the some of the first F1 practice. This was my chance to get a proper listen to the sound of the new V6s that came in last year. There was a lot of complaints that the new engines were too quite and I agree they are a lot quieter. Last time I was here my little portable radio I had for the commentary was up full blast and the earphones jammed hard in my ear there was still no hope of catching what they were saying. This time, though, the radio was still turned up full but I could just about make out what the commentators were saying which was way better.

Some F1 action

Raikonnen

The main side show event of the weekend was this magician guy called Cosentino who, randomly, won Dancing with the Stars or Dancing on Ice or something of that sort. I kind of got the feeling he was going to be a bit of a reality TV star and not be too impressive but I think he just used the show to get his name out. Or ,maybe he was famous before, I don't know. I've never heard of him anyway.

Trick?

He started with the extremely over done girl-in-box-gets-chopped-in-half but he did get better after that. His finishing trick was that he was locked in a box with knives about to drop onto his head and he had to escape. I'm sure there's no real danger but he did the set up well and I was cringing watching the clock tick down. He did another stunt the next day with a similar escape from a giant axe. I started to think what would actually happen if he chopped his head in half in front of all these people! It didn't happen and he escaped just milliseconds before pressing the secret button to release the axe! You don't fool me! much.

Noisy jet

The jet did a few flyovers over the weekend but the first time really scared the shit out of me. I didn't expect it, it was so close and so loud that I, along with everyone else around me, hit the deck!

Second fan forum

They organised another fan forum late on Friday as the first one had gone down so well. Ricciardo was there again with Rosberg, Magnussen and the ever uncharismatic Raikonnen. I think the picture sums it up quite well. Three people laughing away and then, on the end, nothing! He unexpectedly won the race I saw two years ago.

Raikonnen

Saturday its action time. I've seen most of the stuff I wanted to see off the track by now so I didn't venture too far from my favourite spot to watch the action from. There's a bit of F1 practice in the morning followed by a few support races and then the main event of the day, the qualifying.

V8 Race

Qualifying

As exciting as the weekend had been so far its nothing compared to race day. That's the reason I came and with Hamilton on pole there was a good chance I'd have something to cheer for. The gates opened as usual at 10.30am but it was bit more of a stampede this time. That's the trick. Get in early, leg it to your favourite spot and don't move all day! That's exactly what I did. I brought a pack lunch with me which I was half way through when I appeared on the TV! As in the internationally broadcast TV! I'm famous, HA!

Crowds gather

There was an extra stand in the area I was stood in last time I came to the race so my view wasn't quite as good as it was before. I was in a much better position though, as I managed to get onto the red steps which is like a mini terrace grandstand. Its not like I couldn't leave. People were happy to save your spot if you went out to the toilet or to grab some food. People started trying to squeeze in nearer the time though so I was stuck where I was for a while before the race.

Me and my hat are ready.

Drivers parade

Hamilton

There were a few people who started climbing the trees behind us for a better vantage point. That was until there was a loud crunch sound followed by a thud and people thought against it after that.

Comfortable?

After the drivers parade there were a few more flyovers from the red arrow types, the jet and then a big jumbo jet. Then it was time to race!

Crash!

I cheered loudly with a everyone else when Hamilton made it around the first corner still leading the race and even more so when a car crashed right infront of us! One of the people that had squeezed in was this crazy woman who had no idea what was going on. She was a boisterous character to say the least and she kept asking me questions. I was happy to answer them for the first few laps but when she was still asking me "who's that?" after 10 laps I lost interest and put both my earphones in to listen to the commentary.

I was great to be there but I could tell that it couldn't have been the most exciting of races to watch from home. Not too much happened but I was perfectly happy clapping and cheering every time Hamilton went past leading the race. He won it!

Hamilton wins!

After the last car went past, the mass stampede of people vaulting the fence and heading down the pit straight began. I was a lot fitter this time around so I didn't quite die like I did last time. I didn't sing the national anthem. I thought that might be a bit weird to do in front of all these aussies but I did cheer very loudly for Hamilton.

Arny

Why the hell they decided to get Arnold Schwarzenegger to do the podium interviews I'll never know. He has nothing to do with either Formula 1 or Australia! He somehow managed to shoehorn "I'll be back" into the conversation with Hamilton which got a cheer from the crowd and I must admit I couldn't suppress a grin.

The sky team

Last time I was here after the race there seemed to be a bit of a free-for-all in terms of security but I was too scared to push it. This time I was determined to get into whatever area that might present itself. No such look. The place had as tight security as it had had all weekend.

Thanks Melbounre!

Claire Williams

I therefore decided to call it a day and leave the circuit for probably the last time ever! It had been an immense amount of fun as it had been the first time and its certainly not the last ever Grand Prix I will ever go to. I plan to go the Malyasian Grand Prix next year!

Great weekend!

I went back to my tent in the campsite and had an early night. It had been quite an exhausting weekend and not only that, I had an early start to catch the ferry over to Tasmania.