Formula 1 was in town, and what a weekend it was. I happened to catch some of the action on Friday during the practice runs. Due to work related perks, I had a VIP pass for the practice runs. The day turned out to be fantastic with so many freebies and fun experiences.
We almost managed to make it to the 2.00 pm practice run, and the walked a mile listening to the deafening sounds of the race cars whooshing by, when finally we reached our suite. And what a suite it was, cool and very inviting. We were supporting the Renault team (F1 champions in 2005 and 2006) and so quite a few from the Renault team were there explaining to us the score boards and giving us all possible information on the F1 operation and how things work behind the scenes. The place had a hi-tech scoring screen, along with booths where you could listen to the Renault drivers talk to the technicians. It was brilliant. Then came lunch, which was simply delicious, from pasta to cheese mushrooms to thai rice and curry. Then followed cold and soothing desserts and a summer ice-cream cone. Lunch also comprised of a lucky draw, which I won J. The prize was a Renault car picture frame and signed by Heikki Kovalainen, the new Renault driver. We also got some freebies, which included Renault caps, a model replica of the Renault car, and fun little things.
The best part of the day was yet to come; we got a personal tour of the Renault garage, the pit stop. We actually saw how things functioned, from the seats, helmets, different types of tires, to the technology and aerodynamics involved. One of the members of the Renault team explained some of the technical details and answered our million questions. It gave me a kick to notice a desi manning the tech screens for one of the drivers, so very cool! After few pictures, we completed our fascinating tour, and came out of the high security zone. We went back to the suite which had these cool HP photo printers where we printed our pictures, and waving high the Renault flag walked out of one of the most fun experiences I have ever had!
Renault came in third this year, led by Mclaren and Ferrari, a fate they expected due to the numerous changes from losing Alonso to the Bridgestone tires. Yet Kovalainen has made an interesting Grand prix debut this year, so very cool. This is so definitely a day I am going to brag about. Yup!
