My Melbourne Grand Prix Weekend

[dfunk257]

Ciao ragazzi.

Just a quick wrap of my weekend in Melbourne which turned out unbelievable for me. My friend in Melbourne who i stayed with knows the right people and because of this i was able to meet Andrea Stella, Davide (Kers engineer), Guiliano (Felipe's performance engineer), had a very long and good chat with him. Very briefly Massimo Rivola, Rob Smedley, Nicholas Todt, Jules Bianci, Pedro De La Rosa and finally Fernando himself.
We were lucky enough to get into the after race F1 drivers party vip area. The only drivers that showed up were Fernando, Pedro, Max Chilton, Jules Bianci and Esteban Gutierrez who looks like a teenage boy! I cant explain to you how surreal the whole night was, being in a small room with these drivers and other Ferrari members. The boys were well behaved even though there were loads of people hanging off them, especially women of course, Fernando himself was very calm casual and in control the whole time, not doing anything silly! Earlier in the day i got Felipe to sign my tattoo and i was on a mission to get Fernando as well which i finally did once he was more relaxed and was more comfy with me and my friends. The final time i saw him was towards the end of the night when i was walking back from the bar and he was drinking water by then, he was motioning to everyone that he was done for the night and that he was tired, he then did the same to me and then lifted his water and said chin chin. Bloody unbelievable!
Other than that i loved the race, enjoyed it alot even though we didnt get the win, i was just so happy we kicked Sebs ass and pulled away which was even more satisfying. I finally got to see Fernando on the podium and it was fantastic.
I just wanna say that every Ferrari member i met and saw, especially Stefano Domenicali, they all looked very happy and very excited about the season which tells me they are very happy with the car, but of course by now we all know this but it was soooo good to see them happy, such a big difference from the last few seasons. This gives me confidence in saying that i have no doubt that this season will be ours!

Im pretty happy with the photos i took, here are the links.

Me and my friends weekend, personal photos here so please respect them:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?s...1&l=01aaea1bd5

All my photos of the weekend here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/2998269...7633051843794/

Njoy and Forza Ferrari!

[Ferrari_Fanatic]

Lucky man

[ferrari1.8t]

You are one very lucky person! It looks like you had a great time, thanks for sharing all of your photos with us!

[SinanOzerS]

Very very lucky man you are.Thanks for the photos 1

[fratelliferrari]

Wow so jealous ! It looks fantastic there in Australia! Thanks very much for sharing your photos here on the forum!

[mirafiori]

Thank you for sharing your fantastic Melbourne experience with us on the forum, Melbourne is the place i love to go to, especially for a F1 weekend. On the tv there seems to be plenty of Ferrari fans there, and Alonso seem to be the most popular driver on the podium.

[Massimo]

@dfunk257,
Brilliant, you must've had a great time, except for the weather of course, grazie mille for sharing your pictures
Would love to visit the Melbourne Gp, just the 23 hour flight time doesn't sound to appealing
My revenge will be sweet, will "pay you back" with pictures from Monza later this year

[Greig]

Awesome

[Kingdom Hearts]

Cool story, did the drivers signed something more, not only the tattoo?.

[Rosso Corsa]

That must have been a blast Thanks for sharing I'm far too dishevelled and smelly during a GP weekend to be allowed into areas like that.

[Nero Horse]

Wow, awesome! Lucky you! Saying that I'm jealous would be an understatement.

[Marino]

Was Roberta Vallorosi there?

[gvsnraju85]

Awesome...i was at the melboune race and it was first ever experience and it was amazing. I finally got to see Alonso on the podium and i especially like the poster that some ferrai fans put up against Red Bull 'Sometimes behind is better'. Did u manage to see that poster? It was on the Start Finish straight after the podium ceremony was over?I will post the pic soon.
I also liked the way every one cheered more for Alonso than Raikonnen when he was awarded his trophy and people actually booed when Vettel was awarded his trophy

[dfunk257]

@ gvsnraju85. I didnt see that poster till i got back home and viewed all the media photos, very funny. The Ferrari drivers always get the best reception on the podium because there is a very big Italian community in Melbourne and Sydney. Seb getting booed was a big surprise to me because last few years was the complete opposite. I actually thought it was very rude to do that because i dont think he did anything wrong, but sometimes i think the Aussie crowd can be like that. Maybe they werent happy because of the fact that Seb always gets the better car over Mark, maybe thats where the booe came from but still i thought it was harsh, but i didnt care cause Fernando beat him good, thats all i cared about!
@ Marino. unfortunately i didnt get to meet any of the Ferrari team ladies, i saw a few of them walk in the paddock but thats the only place you will see them. Im not sure if Roberta was there or not.
@Kingdom hearts. i have allready in the past got Fernando and Felipe's autographs on my Ferrari photos. This time i wanted to do something different and make sure those moments were captured, i achieved my goal which im still over them moon about!
@ Massimo. i have been to Monza and it was the greatest day of my life! Nothing compares to that place no matter how badly organised it is or how bad the race itself is. Being in Monza is just an unbelievable feeling. I was lucky 2 witness the Ferrari 1-2 in 1998! I wont ever forget it!

[voiko]

If u don't remember me I'm the one who dressed up as the Lego characters last year at the melb GP.. I would pay absolutely anything to have the experience u had this weekend.. Would your friend be willing to accommodate me next year? Cheers man really appreciate the help.
Ta
Josh

[EL_NANDO]

If u don't remember me I'm the one who dressed up as the Lego characters last year at the melb GP.. I would pay absolutely anything to have the experience u had this weekend.. Would your friend be willing to accommodate me next year? Cheers man really appreciate the help.
Ta
Josh

I am also hoping to go to the Australian Grand Prix 2014, would love to have the same access to OP had to the drivers!!

[dfunk257]

Not sure ill be able to go next year, but i can always pass on the info you need to try and get you in the right place.