VIAGP’s New Business Development manager Adrian Taylor shares his typical Formula 1 race Sunday with the Paddock magazine.
A Formula 1 Grand Prix for us is quite a relaxing day. The main business meetings arranged for the weekend take place from Thursday to Saturday, so race day is therefore much calmer. However, there are always things to do, and Abu Dhabi 2017 would be a great example to share.
We arrive at the racetrack around midday. This would usually be 9 am at European races, but Abu Dhabi is an evening race, so everything starts a few hours later than usual to suit the European TV audience. A cappuccino at the Red Bull Energy Station is always a great way to start the day in the paddock, followed by a quick walk about networking with other Formula 1 colleagues – journalists, photographers, agents, etc.
The main business meetings arranged for the weekend take place from Thursday to Saturday, so race day is therefore much calmer.
Today we have some of our most important clients to look after – Champagne Carbon – the official champagne podium partner to Formula 1. The owners and investors of the company are present this weekend, so we make sure we have their respective passes in place, great them at the paddock entrance and head up to the Paddock Club for a fantastic three-course meal. After this, we head of to the Paddock Club pit lane walk, allowing our guests to see the cars up close, take some photos and start absorbing the exciting atmosphere in the grandstands opposite the pits.
After the walk about, we have approximately one hour to go before the Grand Prix starts; we re-group upstairs in the Paddock Club, enjoy a coffee and ice cream, and start to feel excited. This time we have a fantastic gift from Formula 1 – grid passes for all of our guests, something they were not expecting, so we manage to spend the final 20 minutes before the start walking on the grid, getting as close to the action as possible, watching drivers and mechanics alike make their final race preparations.
After the grid is cleared, we make our way back upstairs to the Paddock Club to watch the start and enjoy every second of the Grand Prix. Once the chequered race is waved, we again make our way back to the pit lane so we can stand under the podium and see our client’s product being sprayed by the top three podium finishers.