Dennis Amor Home Page: Formula One

Close and personal with F1 stars

SIX times world champion Michael Schumacher called it a 'tough' race ... but from where we sat in the second row of the Senna stand it looked like a Sunday afternoon cruise in the park.

Michael was speaking after winning the 2004 Australian Grand Prix which as far as we were concerned appeared more like the usual F1 'procession', with Ferrari leading the pack throughout the 58-lap race at Albert Park in Melbourne.

Pat and I on the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix circuit

^{Wife Pat and
I on Pit Straight after the F1 Grand Prix}

For my wife and myself, the most exciting part of race day was being able to greet several F1 drivers as they arrived for the big event including one of our idols, David Coulthard.

He certainly looked out of place when we spotted him just a few metres from the Drivers' Paddock entrance ... pedalling sedately on his black mountain bike and dressed in black cycling gear. He was doing all of about 10kph and smiled knowingly at us!

We next saw David four hours later after he had swapped his humble cycling garb for the familiar flame retardant Maclaren outfit and was screaming down Pit Straight in front of us at well over 300kph.

Thanks to the highly efficient free tram shuttle from the city centre we had arrived early at the track and were wandering aimlessly around when we found ourselves outside the drivers' arrival point.

And we were more than surprised when a gleaming red Maserati stopped alongside us ... with a beaming Michael Schumacher at the wheel. He too acknowledged us before continuing.

Then Mark Webber steered his BMW past us, leaping from of his car and immediately heading for a group of fans to cheerfully sign autographs. Such a nice guy and so refreshing after years of F1 drivers putting themselves on pedestals and keeping their fans at bay. Autographs were virtually unheard of! Maybe Mark is starting a new generation of approachable F1 stars.

Mark Webber delights fans by signing autographs at Melbourne

^{Webber
delights fans by signing autographs}

We were still recovering when McLaren's Kimi Raikkonen drove past us followed by F1 legend Jackie Stewart in his familiar green tartan trousers. He stopped alongside us and waved as I took his photograph. Straight-faced Kimi appeared to ignore the fans and walked straight past them.

Then it was the turn of five-times 500cc Motorcycle World Champion Mick Doohan who strolled past us and grinned when acknowledged by the small crowd which had now gathered. New Minardi driver Gianmaria Bruni arrived in a Ford and happily signed autographs.

For us it was a wonderful bonus being able to rub shoulders with these big names and a fabulous start to the day.

But the actual race was pretty much routine, with Ferrari's Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello taking over the number one and two spots from the word go. It was disappointing to hear that Webber was forced into the Jaguar garage following gearbox problems on lap 29.

stewart.jpg (19733 bytes)

^{A wave from
Jackie Stewart}

I suppose the second most exciting moment for us was when Coulthard screamed round the final bend during Saturday's qualifying session, almost crashing into the concrete barrier in front of our stand. His McLaren became airborne and thudded down onto the grass just metres away, showering us with dust and grass clippings! Yes, our seats in the Senna stand were THAT close to the actual track!

After the chequered flag we joined hundreds of other fans and clambered over concrete barriers onto Pit Straight for fantastic views of Pit Lane and the hallowed garages, including those of Ferrari, Williams, McLaren and Jaguar. We were amused to see Schumacher's winning Ferrari being manhandled past the Jaguar garage after being weighed.

Getting to and from the circuit was simplicity in itself and Melbourne is to be congratulated on its highly efficient tram shuttle service. It took a mere 15 minutes to get trackside from our city centre hotel ... and just 27 minutes from trackside to hotel following Sunday's race. A far cry from the several hours it took after our last F1 experience at Sepang in Malaysia.

Well done Melbourne!