Event date: 30 March - 2 April 2023
Between the 30 March and 2 April I walked 41km and lost over a kilo. I’d not started a new exercise program but was a volunteer at the Australian Grand Prix. Along with 950 other volunteers I was at Albert Park before dawn and didn’t leave until after dusk to help deliver an unforgettable experience for over 440,000 fans (and millions around the world).
The Australian Grand Prix weekend Began under gloomy skies with highly prepared cars, a credit to their owners driving to Albert Park in the rain to bump in at the appointed time. The display area was part of the Albert Park Golf course and as we mustered inside the gate in preparation to moving to the allocated area. A number of other cars had already bumped in so it quickly became apparent that some cars may spin their wheels as there was minimal traction. Some of the other groups that bumped in later had a lot of mud over them and under the wheel arches. The cars were arranged and backed into place, then a quick clean up before heading off. I was fortunate to get a ride back with Shannon straight away so headed back.
I worked Thursday & Friday so missed the initial days of practice and setting up around the circuit before Saturday.
Being my first attendance at the AGP I thought that I would get there early and have a look around before heading to our allocated site. It was interesting seeing how it was all set up at the entrance and where the drivers and crew walked through and also the Shannon’s display of a wide range of vehicles was a highlight.
Moving off I came to the merchandising area and the wide range available but more so the price. It was evident that the crowd was supporting their local driver with a significant queue at the McLaren area with the Oscar Piastri merchandise. If you are wondering the price, a cap any driver $90 and t shirts in the region of $220.
The racing had started and you could either watch on the screens or gather along the fence and watch the cars pass. The sound was outstanding with the v8 supercars as they ran. Then there was FP3 which gave me the first look at the F1 cars live and after the porches and V8 Supercars the level of sound was underwhelming as I perched near the Lauda stand peering through the marshals area it became apparent that it is a lot better and a lot easier to identify cars travelling towards you rather than away from you particularly in DRS areas where the flap was open.
After a while I started to move around the circuit and passed several gates. These gates tended to be congregation areas with food, toilets, merchandise and first aid. I took seat on the concrete block outside gate 10 to watch the F2 race hoping that Jack Doohan would put on a good showing but unfortunately is race was a short one and there were no point for Jack out of that race.
Speaking to the staff at the Customer Service centre they suggested that our car display was just around the corner so I stopped for highway robbery otherwise known as lunch. A very basic Schnitzel burger was $20 and a 600ml drink $6 but it was cold and damp so had lunch before moving on.
There was the Mercedes area and then started getting in the MGs and Porsches but it was apparent that there was still a long way to go. Moving past the Golf rooms I arrived at the display area in time for qualifying and see a Red Bull in the kitty litter early on which would lead to a shake-up in starting places the following day. Oscar did not fare a lot better and did not get out of Q3.
Lawrence was greeting passers-by and the isetta was the star attraction drawing a lot of people to at least take a picture if not to talk. The display area had no amenities which seemed unusual considering the number of spectators on the bank at the top of the straight area as well as the number of people taking their time to view the cars. It was starting to get really cold and as racing finished, we headed off through gate 5 and into the evening.
After an early start I tried a different approach on Sunday getting the train to Flinders St and heading to gate 8 to reduce the distance to our display area. The day started off reasonably warm and under clear skies I arrived in time to see the Porsches run looking forward to a good day.
As different events came and went our crew either moved to the track or viewed the events on the big screen. It was quieter than on Saturday.
Jack did better in his F2 race and we were treated to spitfire display initially and then the roulettes put on a lengthy show of precision flying. I thought that the display on Sunday was tighter than the day before.
The Grand Prix got underway under ideal conditions at 3.00 and it was not long before we had a red flag after Alex Albon landscaped the corner with stones out of the kitty litter.
Some cars had pitted under safety car before the red flag was shown and this had a significant impact on Russell who was leading and some of the mid field teams.
The race recommenced with Perez working his way towards the front but with 3 laps to go there was another red flag due to a wheel shattering putting carbon fibre on the track which needed to be cleared.
At this point Sainz was 3rd and Piastri was in 11th so out of the points.
This quickly changed in the first couple of corners on restart.
I would like to thank everyone that participated in the event as an official or participant in our club display as the display was a credit to the club knowing that the club has many more quality that weren’t shown.
Adrian White | Member #606
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne
