I flew from Sydney to Melbourne on Sunday to attend the 2016 Melbourne F1 Grand Prix, in doing so I literally fulfilled a childhood dream.
After arriving at the circuit as the gates opened, I headed to the “Melbourne Walk” to watch the drivers arriving for the day. This is a great way to get really close to the drivers for photos and their autographs. I then met up with a friend who had also come down from Sydney for the day and we watched the support races from various areas close to the pits.
For the Formula One race itself we headed over to the back of the circuit and sat on one of the embankments with hundreds of other fans. The atmosphere around Albert Park was brilliant and had quiet a different vibe to the V8 Supercar events that I normally attend. The race itself was also excellent, with everyone making a lot of noise when Ferrari beat Mercedes into the first corner and whenever passing happened throughout the pack. I am also extremely relieved that Alonso was completely uninjured in his crash, it’s the worst crash I’ve seen at a motorsport event and how he simply walked away from the wreck shows the quality of the safety designs of the cars. Overall, despite the high cost for the general admission day ticket, the viewing mounds and off-track activities right around the circuit made it a great day out.
