F1 diary GP Spain 2018

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05.12.2018

N after the four overseas races at the start of the season, the Formula 1 circus for the fifth stop finally in Europe. The Spanish GP is usually one of the more pleasant weekends on our calendar. There are cheap direct wings from Stuttgart to Barcelona. The drive from the hotel to the race track only takes a few minutes. And the Spanish food is known to be worth the trip on its own.

Only the paid internet along the route spoils the mood a bit. The organizers charge 15 euros per day for the shaky line. In the past, charges for connecting to the World Wide Web were more the rule than the exception. But that has now changed. With the exception of poor Brazil and Spain, all routes offer free internet access in the press room.

anter visit to the police container at the racetrack.

Fortunately, from bad experience, we had no valuables in the vehicle. One of our photographers had all of his equipment stolen during the winter tests. The damage amounted to more than 20,000 euros. Although we got off lightly, we had to report the break-in in a specially set up police container on the route. We would have liked to save ourselves the lengthy process on a stressful race weekend.

In addition, our rental car company Herz did not want to take over the damage due to a lack of fully comprehensive insurance. We put the police report on the driver's seat when the car was dropped off at the airport (early in the morning before the heart office opened), but the payment for the broken side window was refused. The organizers have announced that they will improve the security measures for the coming year. But to be honest, our trust in the Spanish security services is limited.

In the gallery we have put together some pictures of what is going on behind the scenes at the Spanish GP.