F1 Experiences Review - Austin

That was pretty annoying. We were in the FCA lot E which is directly across from Turn 12, but we had to walk all the way back to the VIP entrance to get out. Last time we were there they opened the big gate and we were out in 2 seconds.

 

Thanks Rob for the insight.
I’ve always been curious about these packages so this was a valuable read.

Haven’t been since INDY and Michael days but considering taking the kids and thought an elevated experience might help enhance their limited enthusiasm.
Sounds like I’ll just go by myself high up in turn 12 and maybe drag along the wife
Cheers


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I dont have 5k sitting around but I do love the Paddock experience: At some places you can buy a Paddock pass just for Friday. It's still 1k but you get to see all the stuff up close as you described and that's worth one k to me.

 

Ha! I would have gladly bought that from you!

Well, maybe some other time.

I realize I'm different in this regard, but to me Friday is the best day for a GP: It has the least number of spectators and seat assignments don't really apply. So I can move around freely and take pictures from a variety of grandstands and angles. And the cars look pretty much the same on Friday as on Sunday.

 

Last time I went I flew into San Antonio and stayed quite cheaply in Seguin. I went to the track on TX-130, which has an 85 mph speed limit!

 

Great seats. We are in the to; row and can look all the way back to the start of the straight. Crazy stuff happens at that turn.

 

Y'all need to sign up for next year's Friday night FCA Hill Country Gala - as an FerrariChat group, and do it early. It was sold out as it is every year. Michael Schumacher's 2000 world championship car. Ford vs Ferrari rivals Ferrari LM250 and Ford Gt40, the Timossi-Ferrari Arno XI record holding hydroplane boat, Challenge cars, dinner, big band music...
Photos are in the Texas forum
https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/threads/events-at-usgp.646484/page-2

 

Yeah $5,000 is a ridiculous amount for Austin. My wife and I tried to get seats on corner 1 but, as sales are handled by Ticket Master, it was the usual horrible experience. Logged in immediately tickets went on sale and then sat online for an hour before being kicked out of the system and then being redirected to their secondary sales unit where the tickets were selling at multiples of face value.

 

I also enjoyed Turn 12 - should have posted in advance to try to get a little F-chat meetup. Weather was toasty, and exiting the parking lot on race day was horrific.

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All sounds and looks Epic! The Moto bike guys were having a hard time with the rough track. But a bumpy track in a car is a lot of fun. I saw a good race with no serious complaints from the drivers. It was good to see COTA making some money with a packed house also.

 

"the other hack from 12 is Lot F parking,"
****
It was great entry parking in Section 5 Lot F, post race exit, however, was three hour to COTA entrance.

 

The highlight was starting the LM and the boat. I was standing at the bar inside when the boat started and I jumped.

 

Or...... and hear me out.... become "famous" [Whatever it is now, Tik-Tok, internet, movies, a scandal] and go for free!!!

 

At least it didn't rain in Austin. I

I was a guest at Indy of a sponsor for Wlliams BMW, Nortel Networks, and we got the Paddock Club tickets from them. We got on a bus for a police escort to the track. There, we received a pit walkabout and got to go in the Williams garage. Unbelievable. At the Paddock Club we sat at a table with Scott Goodyear and the drivers both came in separately- Juan Pablo Montoya and later Ralf Schumacher. We were asked to stay seated during their talk and no autographs were permitted.The linens and tables were fabulous as was the food. There was anything you could think off to drink. the staff were Italian and didn't speak much English but that didn't matter. It was an incredible experience. There were definitely some corporate quests not too familiar with racing but it was a truly memorable experience. Of course, I didn't shell out $10k for the experience.

 

When I went, I parked at a high school some distance away and took a shuttle bus to the track. We seemed to get out of there a lot quicker than the people who had parked near the track. And it was a paved lot, a good thing on a soggy weekend.

 

Interesting. What year was that? Reason I'm asking is that I was there too for the same deal: Paddock club via Nortel Networks and guest of the Williams team. Except that when they announced that we can't have autographs, I left the tent and waited outside for Ralf and "ambushed" him. Got my signature.

Sounds like we were at the exact same event. Small world.

 

When you purchase Paddock Club passes, with out hospitality from a team, you are just put in the general pool. If you are a team gues, its a bit less packed. We go generally with Mercedes ( one of our suppliers is a sponsor ) or McLaren..... So my experience is a bit different. with Paddock club passes, its very nice, and usually the porch section of the paddock club is set up for drinks, simulators etc... when you are guest of a team, once you check in at Mercedes you are allowed to choose where you want to sit, there are some tables reserved for VIP's. last time 2019 i was there sat next to the CEO of IWC, so we had a great time talking racing and watches. by buddy ended up buying a Spitfire pilot ... the team will also take you down into the paddock, and pit garages, which is nice. its very tight security and for COVID they were not doing this to my knowledge. I was given a Saturday Pass for this year, but with flights and time i decided to pass.

Ferrar has a paddock experience i think its $8K per person? most of the teams use Do & Co,for Catering - Ferrari is one of the only ones who do their own, and its really good, but very Modenese - all pasta, etc... hope to see ya'll at Miami ...

 

This is a description of the other suites. We did Paddock Club and I thought it was great. Would do it again. I walked through the team suites and the differences were pretty limited. I guess you could drink Red Bull all day in that suite......

Red Bull Racing
3 day $7310
2 day $6610

Your experience will include the following:
*Exclusive fully hosted team suite above the F1 team garages and Pit Lane
*All day grazing menu and full bar serving fine wines, beer, soft drinks and Red Bull
*Access to rooftop viewing deck
*Live racing action on GPTV within the suite
*Red Bull Racing and AlphaTauri team appearances**
*Tour of Red Bull Racing garage and Live Pit Links to the Team garage**

McLaren Experience
3 day $9185
2 day $7985

Included in the price of a McLaren F1 Experience are:
Fully hosted team suite above the F1 team garages and Pit Lane*
Team driver appearances+, entertainment and an exclusive team gift bag
Full breakfast and freshly made pastries
Live broadcast from the McLaren garage to the suite
Giant TV screens showing track action and pit wall information
Pit Lane Walks+
Tour of the McLaren team garage+
Paddock club lounge access
Entertainment
Unlimited full day open bar including champagne
Lunch and all-day coffee, ice cream, deserts and patisseries
Suite hostesses


Ferrari F1 Club
3 day $9245
2 day $8515
The paddock club is situated in a indoor suite with views over the entire pit complex. The luxuriously appointed Ferrari F1 Club suite offers its guests a wide range of modern, sophisticated facilities.

The Ferrari F1 Club® experience includes the following:
*A prime view of the race
*Access to the Ferrari Formula 1® Club for the race weekend
*Morning refreshments upon arrival
*Gourmet dining and fine wines
*An open bar
*Exclusive Gift Bag
*Driver appearances**
*A private visit to the Ferrari pits**
*Pit Lane walkabout each day at a set time**
*Ferrari personnel will, of course, be on hand to fulfill guests' requests at any time.