14 replies to this topic

[F1Johnny]

Just curious about how much contact you guys have had with F1 drivers.

I have chatted with Rubens Barichello in Miami airport 2000 and 2001. Saw GF, JPM, RS, Berger in Montreal. Also sat beside Bernie and Flavio having dinner.

[grmpreefan]

A friend and I met Mika Hakkinen on the thursday evening of the AGP of 92. He had just come out of the track and we had been driving around trying to see if we could in fact see anyone important and he gives us a wave and so we drive over to him and the engineer that was with him and he asks us to drive him to his hotel if we could.
So we drive across the city to South Park motor inn where the team was staying very very slowly and have a good conversation with him. It was funny he though the vacuum gauge on the dashboard was the tacho and he couldnt figure out why it was moving up and down so quickly!!!
Anyway he posed for some photos with us, signed autographs and asked for our addresses. We thought we wouldnt hear more of it but then about a month later we each recieved a press pack from Lotus with photos and information on Lotus, drivers and suppliers.
Top bloke that Mika.

[aportinga]

I once had a two hour conversation with a golden retriever that looked like James Hunt.

[Suzy]

Living only 30 minutes from Silverstone and working opposite an airport all the drivers and team managers use, I think it's fair to say that I've had contact with most of the grid at some point over the last 7 years.

Also, by being in the right place at the right time and writing about motor racing (not just F1), obtaining paddock passes, and following junior motor racing, I've been able to watch some of the younger drivers work their way up through the ranks until they reach F1. Many of them don't make it sadly but I do feel proud when those of them that do line up on the grid for their first F1 race.

It sounds really arrogant, but yes I've met and photographed so many drivers - my favourite meetings though from the last few years have been (in no particular order) - Mika:love:, Olivier Panis:love:, Jenson Button, Pedro Diniz, Rubens Barrichello and Enrique Bernoldi. I've always rated Mika and Panis very highly and they've been superb over the years.

[Birdie Mk II]

my brother was at a urinal next to DC once

and I fell over JVe in a bar doorway once (he stopped dead when I was behind him)

[tifoso]

Jackie Stewart
Gerhard Berger
Eddie Jordan
Heinz-Harald Frentzen
Mika Salo
Johnny Herbert
Rubens Barrichello

Herbert had the best sense of humor by far; Jordan was second. At the time I met Mika (1996) he just wanted to go fast. He's become a lot more interesting (quote-wise) since.

[StickShift]

Well I saw Villeneuve a couple times. Three times waiting to get an autograph. Talked to Juan Montoya (well, if you consider saying "Good luck Juan!" and getting a nod back). both JV and JPM were in there Cart times. JV at Vancouver and JPM at Portland. I have McNish's autograph from the Portland American Le Mans race, as well another "Good luck".

I've got quite a few CART autographs from last season as well (atleast the ones that I remember from vancouver and Portland):

Tracy
Carpentier
Tagliani
Vasser
Gidley
Papis
Fernandez
Andretti
Jourdain
Brack
Moreno


Also I have 4 signatures of the Late Greg Moore. One on his 1:18th diecast, one on a Canadian flag, one on a Players T-shirt, and another on one of those cheap autograph cards.

[KinetiK]

Talked with DC at Fontana in 2000, a very pleasant guy with a rather firm handshake. Talked briefly with Montoya at the same venue (he was still in CART at the time). Paul Newman bumped into me with his little scooter at moderate speed, didn't apologise for it either (I like to say he ran me over but I stopped him and his scooter in its tracks).

[metz]

If you are interested in this sort of contact, the best place to be is in Monaco.
Every year we sit in the section at the entrance to the pits.
Due to a lack of space for the teams, the paddocks and pit lane garages are somewhat appart and our section is between. Pit to team compound traffic is heavy. Everyone (drivers, team owners, dignitaries, etc) walks in front of you and most will sign anything they have time for, or when it rains, they will walk under the stands where you almost trip over them. Bumped into "Fergie" several time. Weak blader I guess.
When they get tired of their own food, they eat at the "Stars 'n Bars". Just go there (public access).
Jackie Stewart had to sit at our table for breakfast couse there was no other seat.
Like shooting fish in a barrel.

[AlesiUK]

i have met,had discussions with and raced against jenson button.We did karting for a few years together along with the BAR test driver Anthony Davidson,who is still a friend of mine.

i was also lucky enough to meat my idol Alesi several times during the 89 f3000 season,my dad was a mechanic so i was at most races that season,also met the likes of van de pole,donnelly,katayama and others.i also remember watching the gp at phoenix in 1990 in the company of eddie irvine and garry anderson.

Being a scot i have also met coulthard and mcnish,neither of whom i like.

[Ricardo F1]

I've met DC on a few occasions, the last time after the opening night of Cirque Du Soleil in Tokyo. He's an extremely nice guy and was happy to talk about life, the universe and everything for a couple of hours. MH I've also met, far less chatty. Schumacher and Irvine came in an did a Q&A session when I was a guest of Ferrari ( ) at Silverstone - both seemed pretty laidback but then again this was kind of a 'forced' session and right before the bloody GP!!

[berge]

caught Barrichello in a hotel variety store in Montreal, 95. seems like a very polite and courteous person.

He is, however, definitely a bit of a whiner. A simple 15 second transaction turned into a 2 minute 'no, sorry, I wanted this one, oh, sorry, can I get quarters instead, blah, blah.' exercise in patience.

[RiverRunner]

Hard for me to remember all of them,at I one time I was into the autograph thing but not anymore.
Conversations I remember being cool were with Emerson Fittipaldi,Nelson Piquet,Mario Andretti,Patric Carpentier and my all time fave but sadly long dead,Swede Savage.
Also had the pleasure of sitting with George Harrison and Tom Petty at the LBGP one year.
George was a complete nut for racing,but Petty just sat there looking bored.
Partied with Tracy and Robby Gordon at the River on a number of occasions when they both had houses there,man,was Tracy a pussy hound though,I think the guy has a permanent woody,he was hitting on anything with tits 24/7.

[Garagiste]

Bumped into Schu Snr and Willie Webber on Park Lane before the F1 Ball 2000. Totally star struck and only managed to sqeak "Good Luck" rather than hassle him for being such an unethical cheat...
Said the same to Mika Salo at the same time.
Saw Herbert, Villeneuve and Button in the Paddock at Silverstone 2000, (which made me feel tall).
Oh, and got a nice photo of JPM getting out of his car at Rockingham last year.

[Triton]

The closest I've been to any F1 personality was at Sepang where I saw Jos and Jenson Button after qualifying session.