Driving down the motorway this morning I was in a bad mood. Work should not affect your mood in your recreation time but the reality is, it does. But some overpriced coffee and a two-hour journey later I found myself at the Silverstone race circuit.
My cousin, let’s call him George, had arranged for us to attend a “family day” event. This is where the family members of F1 employees are invited to come to the circuit. This is a way of your relatives showing you what they do for work. It’s incredible what the F1 brand has put together as a complimentary experience.
I arrived at Silverstone and once I met George, he took me all the way through the labyrinth of stands to a special, access controlled area for the family members. Here, were laid out lots of picnic tables and chairs, and a big marquee surrounded by several different types of food truck. This was all provided free of charge so you just queued up and asked for what you wanted and a few minutes later it arrived. It was fantastic to be able to get some really nice fancy fast food and not have to pay event prices!
George swept me through the crowds and straight out onto the circuit to where a lorry was waiting. This was a posh version of a third world experience. The flatbed trailer behind the lorry had carpet on it and hand railings. We were invited up a few steps at the back to stand on this platform as it took a tour around the track of Silverstone. They had two blokes who were clearly very knowledgeable on F1 giving a running commentary on the historical significance of each of the corners. Who had spun off where and which corner had cost a driver the championship. It was very interesting but it was also very windy, so it was a bit difficult to hear. We happened to have grabbed the last truck that was doing this tour and so the driver, pressured for time, was taking the racing line as fast as his lorry would go. It was a bit hairy, but I loved how surreal it was to arrive and immediately find myself tearing around the track on the back of the lorry that had been snuck onto site behind the back of the health and safety officer.
The reason the driver was pressed for time is because the track had been scheduled for some “high speed activity”. This turned out to be the historic formula 1 cars racing around. They sound absolutely magnificent and clearly very different to modern formula 1 cars. The older cars came from an era where bigger engines equaled better, faster, louder. After we had the pit lane tour we found the compound where all these historic cars were laid out. They had been lined up in date order so you could see side by side how the design had evolved over the years. It was incredible to see how the aerodynamics changed and the materials changed and the technology changed with each iterative improvement on the previous year’s car.
Unlike the pit lane barriers keeping us all at least 10m away, these were so close we could have touched them. The team mechanics were doing little bits and bobs on the cars just behind barrier tape. One of the cars had its body shell completely removed and placed outside the barrier on the floor because they had run out of space in their garage tent. This beautifully crafted single piece of carbon fibre would have been thousands of pounds to produce and was just casually resting on the floor at my feet while a mechanic tinkered away on the engine. It was also funny seeing how even at the height of Formula 1 technology, the way to tune the temperature of the brakes was to put some duct tape over the air intake. This strategically placed piece of duct tape was there to block some of the cooling air and keep its brakes at the optimum operating temperature. Next time I tape a piece of bodywork back onto my crusty van I’m going to claim I’m making a formula one standard operational tuning adjustment….
George getting us these tickets was incredible and I feel so lucky to experience all this becasue of him! Wandering down the pit straight was the biggest highlight of the day. A bus took us from one end of the circuit to the other before we passed a checkpoint and entered the pit straight. Here, all the teams were busy setting up their garages and cars for the weekends racing. This is where George came to meet us again and spent an hour talking to us about all the technology found in the pit lane. Like the guns that had been specifically designed to install and remove one particular type of nut, to a very specific torque setting in the least amount of time possible. Red bull currently hold the record for replacing all four tyres in 1.9 seconds. In the fan zone, there was an interactive game where you could give a go at changing a formula one tyre. Mum, Dad and I did our best and even with a lot of practice the best we could do was 4.55 seconds. It turns out that was a pretty respectable time for untrained fans.
After all this and visiting some more stands, the family zone had closed for the day and it was time to make our way out. Checking my WhatsApp messages I saw that Aimi’s brother, let’s call him Matt, had a spare ticket for this evening’s concert. We had wondered why there was a huge stage in the fan zone. It turns out that alongside the Grand Prix, a full fat music festival was taking place where Kings of Leon were headlining. Never known to turn down a free ticket, I jumped at the chance to see this well-known band that contributes to my favourites playlist. Mum and Dad left to go home and so on my own I just worked my way closer and closer to the stage to ensure I got a good view. Being 6 foot 2 without the chunky boots I was wearing, I got a great view. Unfortunately, those behind me did not.
It was great fun seeing Kings of Leon surrounded by thousands of fans, I must have been only 10 metres from the stage. As the day faded into night giving a beautiful sunset, I reflected upon this incredible day and realised that I had meant to get home and vote in the general election. Unfortunately this free ticket shows my priorities. Or maybe it just shows that I’m resigned to the fact that I don’t feel my vote would make any difference given all the parties are equally bad options, so, ultimately it doesn’t really matter.
