Minimal

...wasn’t as good as I’d hoped it might be. At least, the experience just doesn’t compare to being part of the death-van burger brigade. Despite this, I’m still a royally jammy bar-steward for getting the chance to find out — thanks, John! :)

Ignoring the race itself (which was pretty bloody boring), I can only conclude that motorsport events really need to be sampled in their entirety. You really need to soak up every bit of atmosphere from the gathering. This means watching every race and visiting all parts of the circuit.

As it was, we saw only the part of the circuit that lay between the hospitality tent and our seats at Club Corner. We missed out entirely on the area around the pits, which is usually the heart of the event. No doubt there was all sorts of non-race entertainment and merchandising going on down there, but we weren’t party to it. We also saw only two of the day’s four races: GP2 (pretty good); and F1 (pretty crap).

Actually, it’s a bit gutting we missed the Porsche and GT races. If the F1 pace car was anything to go by, the more road-going cars would’ve given a much better impression of their speeds. The F1 cars, on the other hand barely looked like they were accelerating. You never heard tyre squeal from the F1 cars (engines were too damn noisy) and their suspension was such that they looked utterly untroubled by the turns. All in all, it’s a bit of a mystery why there’s such an aura around F1. Sure, it must be thrilling to drive an F1 car, but it’s not much of a spectator sport.

So, would I go again? Possibly, but I’d make damn sure I was the master of my own itinerary. I’d also choose seats at a better corner and, quite possibly, a better circuit. And, without a doubt, I’d be taking ear plugs. :)