As you may know, some weeks ago there was the German Formula 1 Grand Prix and if you followed my stories on Instagram recently (@dieser_niko) you may also know, that I have been there. I hadn’t had the time yet to write about it, but at the moment I’m in France on vacation and now I have enough time to spare!
My first time at a Formula 1 race.
Some might say I’m kind of a Motorsport fan and that I do like Formula E more than Formula 1 because it’s electric. All we know is, this was the greatest weekend overall in a veeeery long time! And it also was the most exciting Formula 1 race in the last years!
But let’s start from the beginning.
Friday.
We arrived right after the first Formula 1 Free Practice at the Hockenheimring. Until the second free practice there was some time left in which we could watch some Hotlaps in pricey cars. As we had weekend-tickets we were allowed to access almost every stand, not only the Mercedes-Tribüne where we would sit the next days. It was crazy hot so everyone tried to find a place in the shadow.
A bit later the second free practice began which we could watch from the main stands at the Start/Finish line. It was an extraordinary experience, the cars sounded like something between a fighter jet and a very sporty bike… just much cooler than both of it! Later that day there were some other free practices and qualifyings as the Porsche Supercup, an incredibly loud cup with only Porsche 911s as race cars, the Renault Clio Cup, a very funny but still exciting series, and the ADAC Formula 4 took place at the same weekend.
When we finally decided we wanted to go to the Mercedes-Benz Area we had already molten and were so happy to find, that Mercedes had created a giant kind of pool under their viewing stands. It was also great to watch the Clio Cup from back there as it didn’t always have TV coverage, so we could listen to the part we couldn’t see and see the part where the moderators couldn’t see as they were too far away behind us!
Saturday.
On Saturday we arrived quite early in the morning at the race track. From this day on we weren’t allowed to access the main stands and so we went to our seats right from the start. We watched the Formula 4’s second qualifying and right after it, we went to the free electric Kart track while the qualifying for the Renault Clio Cup was on the big track. A bit later we ate lunch and it was already time for the third free practice of Formula 1 as well as the qualifying which went everything but lucky… later that afternoon there were the first race of Formula 4, which went quite good and was very exciting to watch, and the first Clio Cup race which was really funny to watch! This day ended with almost the same nice weather we had the day before.
That’s the end of that day.
Sunday. The big race day.
Finally Sunday had come. The big day. The track filled up with people and everyone was hyped. It was an incredible atmosphere. And it was rainy. The day began early with the second race of the Clio Cup, followed by the Formula 4’s second race, which went quite well. The track was slightly wet but still usable. That changed during the Porsche Supercup. It began to rain on one end and stayed dry on the other end. The Safety Car had to lead the race for round after round but it got worse and worse so 2 laps to go the race got red flagged and was ended early. After that we had some time to spare and to become wet so we ate lunch and waited for the Formula 1 Race to begin.
By the time when the race should start, the track was soaking wet and the first three laps were driven behind the safety car. The rain had mostly stopped but the track was still wet which isn’t the best condition for a race, but it’s perfect to see a absolutely exciting and strategically complicated race. When should you switch to dry/slick tyres? How many stops do you have to make? Is it safe enough to drive faster through corners without driving into the wall (which many drivers managed to do during the race)… The race took almost the full time it was allowed to take by the FIA rules and it was thrilling in every single minute. I just can’t explain how great it was (mostly, except when Leclerc landed in the wall 😟). The race ended with a still exciting result and we went home absolutely hyped and sad that the weekend was already over.
Would I go there again?
8000/10 would do! We’ll absolutely go there again if they decide to race again in Germany! As I said, it was the greatest Weekend in a long time and I would give much to have it again!
