Witnessing the heroic drivers up close, seeing the cars and getting to see the minor details of the livery and design, hearing the extremely loud engines rev, smelling the melting rubber from the tyres, and feeling the vibrations of the grand stand and the crowd in your heart is insane and something that can’t be put into words.
This is how Darayus Engineer, a Goan, described the grandstand as he witnessed the 20 drivers unleash their beasts on the tracks for the first race of the season at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
After Max Verstappen showcased his dominance in the opening race of the Formula One season, another Goan fan Roland Gomes, was proud that he could witness it all live, at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
It was a cool 19 degrees Celsius in Bahrain and the change in temperature from Goa’s 32 degrees Celsius, didn’t matter much for F1 fans like Roland who saw their dream come true after they witnessed the first race of the season. He had booked his flight ticket almost a year ago for the race.
When Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc came to meet fans people broke the barricade and surrounded him.Roland Gomes
“It has always been my dream to attend an F1 race, see the F1 cars, the pinnacle of motorsport up close. I felt the speed as they zoomed by at more than 300 kmph. Watching it on TV doesn't do justice to how fast these cars are travelling,” Roland said.
From witnessing cars, garages, teams and drivers up close, the thrill cannot be explained. “The fans go wild when they see a driver come out. When Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc came to meet fans people broke the barricade and surrounded him. I got to see the teams practicing their pit stop. All the tyres are charged within three seconds,” said the super excited Roland, who added that the weather is extremely cold and he had to wear over two jackets.
The venue also had experiences at the FanVillage, where there were race simulators, the pit stop challenge, live music, the Farris wheel with the view of the track and more for the F1 fans.
Among the group of fans were a couple from Goa, Surya Minelli and Darayus Engineer. “For an F1 fan, it is a dream come true, and all this is a true buildup for the race day! The crowd goes wild, specifically the Ferrari Tifosi! At the grandstand you see everything happening in the pit lane, the drivers’ parade starts right in front of you so you get a view of all the drivers right there. You get to see celebrities, the team principals, ex-drivers like Nico Rosberg, Alain Prost, David Coulthard and the likes. We met Charles Leclerc, Fernando Alonso, George Russell and got a glimpse of Carlos,” Surya said with excitement in her voice.
With all the fun comes the expenditure too, and Darayus said that booking in advance helps a lot. “The visa is free of cost for Formula 1 ticket holders and the tickets are not that expensive if booked well in advance when the Bahrain International Circuit offers up to 40% discount for early buyers. The most expensive part is buying official merchandise which requires some careful budgeting and that’s what the fans eventually spend the most on,” said Darayus, who is also a part of an Italian Pizzeria – Da Tita in Majorda and takes only one holiday a year.