219 replies to this topic

[Marklar]

Meet several drivers in the paddock several years ago. Some were more friendly/talkactive, some not. Also saw half of the grid in 2011 or 2012 at the airport in Liege, at least two drivers stopped by for autographs....

Otherwise I happened to meet Fernando Alonso in 2010 (?) in a hotel during the Belgian Grand Prix. IIRC he was sitting in a pool and I was silently mourning what a lucky bastard he is, I left him alone though.

And Timo Glock happened to live in my neigbourhood during his Toyota days, if that counts.

Edited by Marklar, 19 May 2017 - 07:45.

[Tenmantaylor]

[worsic]

 My first encounter with drivers/ex drivers was Jean Alesi in 2014. We exchanged some words in the paddock in Monza, seemed like a really nice guy but was in a hurry for some Ferrari event.  well actually since 2014 i am a lot in the paddock but never bother the drivers, except if we somehow fall in to chat or something. I was amazed how warm and nice person Sir Frank Williams is, i was shooting some portraits of Susie in their hospitality unit and Frank was there and we had a short talk. While i wished him luck for the weekend he started to smile like the kid from the Spanish GP when he met Kimi. Then there is Mika, I met him twice and he is always joking around, great down to earth guy always up for a good laugh. I was amazed the first time i met Lewis, bumped in to him on thursday befor the Hungarian GP 2015. It was far away from the cameras where around 4-5 of his young fans were waiting for him near the parking. They had some posters and CDs with music they put together for him. He stopped and had a looooong chat with all of them, asked them to have a listen to the music they put together for him, went to the car and opened the door and they had a listend an a chat together. It was nice to see that the interaction with his fans we see on TV is not fake.

 I also met Jacques at few occasions. For the first time it was at the austrian GP in 2015, i was watching a gp2 race and had a glass of wine at the RBR motorhome, he had a sit at the bar with me and we started to chat a little bit. I was telling him how much of a fan of Gilles i am and we had a nice chat. Great dude but gave me a funny look when i asked him what was up with that music of his...

 Then there was that sunday morning at the Italian GP in 2015 when i arrived at the parking in the park, when i got out of the car i heard a strange sound that was new to me and in the distance i saw some guys revving up a old f1 car, went there and started to chat with them, it was Jackies car from the 1965 and some minutes later i see that he is standing next to me for the whole time. Told him that i was like a little kid when i saw the car and didn't even notice him standing there. We had a good laugh, he told me that he will drive one lap with the car before the race and i told him that he forgot to ducttape the spanner to his steering wheel.

 The most open person to people is probably Toto. He will take time for everyone and at any moment, also the same would go for Maurizio, always up for some jokes and not to forget Ricciardo of course, he saw me at the Belgian GP last year with my old polaroid camera on the shoulder and asked me what the **** am i doing with that and if it still works, asked him if i can shoot a portrait, he said sure, then i told him he would sign it after the race if he wins. Bumped into him in the garage after the race and he asked if he could sign it even if he didn't win, we had a laugh and he signed the photo behind the rbr garage. I am little bit in a hurry but i can put some more stories down about what a joker Bernie is or how i almost got drung with Jenson last year in ABu Dhabi but had to run to shoot the podium...

 

Edited by worsic, 19 May 2017 - 11:15.

[mangeliiito]

People that totally change my opinion of them when I met them are Toto and Max, so geniune, friendly and open, takes time for everyone. KMag on the other hand, yeesh, grumpier person is hard to find.

[worsic]

It also depends from the moment you meet em When they have problems at the track everyone gets grumpy as **** To media,fans,... Well except Dan... He's always laughing

Edited by worsic, 19 May 2017 - 11:34.

[CoolBreeze]

I've managed to meet some drivers, due to my career previously. 

 

1. Kimi - Met him twice. Ice cold, and said just one word most of the time

2. Fernando Alonso - Met him once, during his Renault years. Seems like a cool fella in person, and quite respectable in that sense. Not a fan of him though

3. Felipe Massa - Met him twice. The second time he was checking into a hotel with his family in 2013. Really really nice guy, and his dad helped me snap a pic with him. 

4. Michael Schumacher - Met him twice. Very humble, very down to earth, and he said thanks when i wished him all the best. Both times was in his Mercedes years. 

5. Nick Heidfeld - Cool guy

6. Nico Rosberg - Met him in 2010. He was very very chatty and polite. Smiled a lot, and really nice guy in person. 

7. Marc Gene - As many said here, he's really fun guy and very chatty. Has a knack of sharing lots of information. 

8. Tony Fernandes - Met him in 2011. Fun guy, very charming. Ironically, he became my client in 2014. 

[BullHead]

Jackie = king. Short and sweet but genuine. Big respect to that man. Lewis and jenson. Again genuine. But a bit busy

[BullHead]

As a side note. ... not drivers. .. but media folk... honestly all dicks. .. bar Ben Edwards

[Peat]

A mate of mine used to live underneath Nico Hulkenberg.

It was during a World Cup or Euro champs, we were chatting to his girlfriend in the car park and she suggested we come over to watch the match that evening. "Great! Get to watch footy with The Hulk" (I hadn't really met him, just the odd passing 'Hi').

Anyway, he came home later that afternoon and obviously wasn't keen on his girlfriend's suggestion. So they went out for the evening! We sat around like muppets "Maybe they've just gone to get food/drinks and they're coming back for the game?". They didn't. I left my pals place after the game, went to fill up my car and Nico pulled up at the pump next to mine and both he and his gf went out of their way to avoid eye contact with me.

A bit rude, really. But hey, I get it. No skin off my balls, mate.

[SophieB]

A mate of mine used to live underneath Nico Hulkenberg.
It was during a World Cup or Euro champs, we were chatting to his girlfriend in the car park and she suggested we come over to watch the match that evening. "Great! Get to watch footy with The Hulk" (I hadn't really met him, just the odd passing 'Hi').
Anyway, he came home later that afternoon and obviously wasn't keen on his girlfriend's suggestion. So they went out for the evening! We sat around like muppets "Maybe they've just gone to get food/drinks and they're coming back for the game?". They didn't. I left my pals place after the game, went to fill up my car and Nico pulled up at the pump next to mine and both he and his gf went out of their way to avoid eye contact with me.
A bit rude, really. But hey, I get it. No skin off my balls, mate.

I can't quite parse this. Hulk and his gf just up and left their own home leaving guests sitting there awkwardly until you got the hint and left?

[Peat]

Not quite. It was a big house split into 4 apartments. My friend's one was directly below Nico & GF, they left about 45mins before the game started before we had gone up. We saw them leave from the window.

[mangeliiito]

Well he doesn't seem to like the fame bit about F1. Attention, yes, when he can have some distance like on social media. But the whole meeting fans/people thing seems like he could do without.
And maybe he was planning a diffrent evening than the game ;)

[Marklar]

Well he doesn't seem to like the fame bit about F1. 

Based on my impression (I could be wrong though!) Hulkenberg is by a margin the F1 driver with the 2nd most public appearances outside of F1 and this despite his relative lack of success, So, ehm, no. But this doesnt matter anyway.

 

But the whole meeting fans/people thing seems like he could do without.

I can confirm that he indeed doesnt seem to like that bit much.

Edited by Marklar, 19 May 2017 - 20:04.

[Peat]

Yeah, i mean i don't hold anything against him. It was more poor form of the gf not to say "Sorry, change of plan".

Thinking back to that time, the friend in question did have people over rather alot. He was probably a horrible neighbor to live next too! I know i kept my interactions with my loathsome neighbors to an absolute minimum when i lived in a flat.

Nevermind. Go Hulk!

[mangeliiito]

Based on my impression (I could be wrong though!) Hulkenberg is by a margin the F1 driver with the 2nd most public appearances outside of F1 and this despite his relative lack of success, So, ehm, no. But this doesnt matter anyway.

Like a said, in my deteriorating english, he likes the attention. But not the part of the fame that keeps people staring at him and asking him the same questions over and over again. Clearer now?

My self included about the staring bit actually, I usually don't get starstrucked but when he suddenly came out of the paddock when I didn't expected it. First thing I did after was calling a friend and saying "He really exists, like for real!!" Like if all this, F1, autosport forum etc, was happening in my head

[pitlanepalpatine]

Never ran across a driver but got interested in F1 when I met Eddie Jordan bringing a car to ireland in 93 or so.

[SR388]

I've met:

Dale Earnhardt Jr., back in 2000, super nice guy.

Kurt Busch, nice guy

Takuma Sato, very nice man.

Boris Said, not sure if I caught him at a bad time, but he was not very friendly.

Bobby labonte is TREMENDOUSLY nice.

[Frood]

Through my dad's work when I was a kid I met Emmo, Little Al and Paul Tracy. I wasn't really into motorsports then so I don't really remember (plus I was only 4 or 5!)

I bumped into Emmo again at Brands Hatch a few years ago and he stopped to have a quick chat - thoroughly nice guy.

F1 wise I've only met two people - Heikki Kovalainen very briefly at a demo run at Brooklands in 2009 (I shook his hand and wished him luck for the season, he said thanks - it didn't help). Met Nelsinho Piquet; when I say met, we were introduced to him by a tour guide at the Renault factory... and he completely blanked us. Thanks Nelsinho! Can't say I was particularly unhappy when they fired him later in the season...

[SKL]

Best one was back in '73-  walking up behind the small Porsche dealer in Cedar Rapids, IA to go in and get a part for my car and chat with a good friend who was a mechanic there.  Mark Donohue  (my all time hero) is standing there by himself.  I do a double take and can't believe it!  He's there to do legal work for VW of America/ Porsche and waiting for the lawyers etc.  We chat for nearly half an hour-  I'm in seventh heaven and to this day kick myself for not finding a magic marker and have him sign the inside of the hood of my 914  (which I STILL have BTW).    I met him several other times at various Porsche club events, and he was always the class act.

 

The other class act has been Rick Mears, anytime I ran into him either at a track or at the hotel during the race weekends.   He has always been very polite, especially to my two sons, who both have gotten several things autographed by him.  He always signs it "Thanks,  Rick Mears".     Penske knows how to do it...

 

My son chased AJ down in the Road America paddock once in his rental car to sign a AJ autobiography book.   Not exactly friendly, but he did sign it!

 

I once took a leak next to PLN, but was smart enough NOT to acknowledge him...

[danmills]

Vettel - Silverstone 2007
Amazingly social guy. Signed everyone's autographs, stopped for photos, walked a full line of people and had to be dragged away.

Massa - Silverstone 2007
As with Vettel, probably my favourite in terms of likeability and humbleness.

Davidson - Silverstone 2007
Friendly, a little corporate and automated.

Sato - Silverstone 2007
Same mould as Vettel and Massa, seemed to love the attention and hung around to greet everyone.

R. Schumacher - Silverstone 2007
He was wandering the campsite on his own next to the hotel and nobody batted an eyelid!

Alonso - Silverstone 2007
Flew in by helicopter. Walked passed the fans, into a side door.

Button - Silverstone 2007
Signed a few bits, took some photos but rushed. Came back out the hotel onto a moped and didn't bother a second round.

Mario Thiessen - Silverstone 2007
Greeted and did selfies with all that knew who he was!

Kubica - Silverstone 2007
Very patient and humble. Walked the line of photo fans and made the effort to greet everyone.