2010 season review
Now, I'm not going to talk about the driving here. There's still another race to come, and anything could happen. No, this best and worst is about paddock experiences, life as an F1 journalist on the road.
This list should be qualified with me saying that I only attended ten races with a press pass this year, and one as a fan with a three-day ticket (Barcelona). Therefore, I can only pass comment on Bahrain, Montreal, Valencia, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Spa, Monza, Singapore, Suzuka, and Interlagos.
Best Media Centre Facilities
Singapore wins hands down on this one. The internet is both fast and free, which is a total bonus, as some circuits charge up to 120 euros – I'm looking at you, Monza – for four days' internet access. Compare that to your monthly home bill! But the Singapore Media Centre is about so much more than good web access. You can see some of the track through the window – a rarity at modern circuits – and there's an attached cafe with free coffee, microwave food, fruit, soft drinks, and ice-cream. Awesome.
Worst Media Centre Facilities
Anywhere that charges journalists for internet access gets negative points in my book, but that's a long list in Formula 1 – only half the circuits offer it for free, but the number is growing due to pressure from the press. But Hockenheim was pretty shoddy: not only were we charged for internet, but heavy rain meant that the power to our giant tent kept going out, taking the web access with it. Were we offered refunds? No, we were not. And the chairs were seriously uncomfortable – worst of the season, we decided in Interlagos.
Best Food
Nice as it was to have access to the Singapore cafe, in Bahrain we had the same food as the Paddock Club, which was awesome. It was quite a surprise when I arrived at my next race to discover that the endless sashimi and lemon tarts were a thing of the past. Only downside was that it was a bit of a hike from the press room, but totally worth it.
Worst Food
Silverstone should win this one, except they didn't really have any food. Just twin-packs of biscuits, which were nice but not very filling. Valencia had lots of crisps but not much else. That was the worst of it really – being somewhere without any real food on offer, and no time to leave the press room to acquire any until really late in the day.
Best Bathrooms
Quite a lot of circuits had awesome bathrooms. Montreal's were outside, but were very VIP outside loos, with Molton Brown toiletries, vases of flowers, and paintings on the wall. Once you closed the door it seemed as though you were in a poncey hotel. But the best had to be Japan's. Not only is Suzuka Circuit home to one of the most flattering mirrors I've ever laid eyes on, but it was full of the traditional Japanese magic loos, playing music, spraying water, and just generally being odd.
Worst Bathrooms
The worst bathrooms really got was average, although the 'please bin your toilet paper' signs in Brazil were a bit strange. The Interlagos bathroom seemed to flood a lot, too. Wonder if those two things are connected...
Best Paddock Atmosphere
Maybe it's because it's my home Grand Prix, or maybe it's because I missed Melbourne, another paddock favourite, but Silverstone had the best atmosphere. It was a gloriously sunny weekend, the paddock was constantly buzzing with people, and everyone seemed to be smiling. There were parties, good food, and long breakfasts in the hospitality suites.
Worst Paddock Atmosphere
The worst paddock atmosphere was more about days when it rained non-stop and people tended to stay where they were. One of the best bits is the endless buzzing of chatter and busy people running around the paddock, getting cars ready, doing interviews, and generally gossiping. But when it rains as much as Saturday in Suzuka, or most of Spa, people would stay in the team homes or press room, and you'd have far fewer chance encounters.
Best Party City
Montreal, no question about it. An already lively city celebrating the start of its summer gets really into the Formula 1 weekend, and it's like Freshers' Week all over again. Beer everywhere, people on club crawls, and more Ferraris than you can shake a stick at. Maybe that last one didn't apply to Freshers' Week, come to think about it. And unlike famed party city Monaco, in Montreal you can afford to buy a round without a second mortgage.
Worst Party City
Hockenheim and Spa are in a two-way tie for this one. Both races are seriously out in the sticks, so everyone stays miles apart, and because it usually rains there's not as much going on in the paddock.
Best Track
Another two-way tie, here, this time for Spa and Interlagos. Because the press rooms at both tracks are in tall buildings in hilly areas, you can see a decent proportion of the circuit. At Interlagos, standing on the press room balcony, you can see about eighty percent of the track, which is brilliant. Spa's trees get in the way a bit and you can't see as much, but it's awesome arriving at the the circuit and looking up to Eau Rouge for the first time. I got shivers.
Worst Track
All of the circuits where you can't see any of the track from the press room. That would be you, Bahrain, Hockenheim, and Montreal. I want to see some of the action with my eyes, not a TV, and I don't want to have to walk for miles to do it.
Best Travel Story
Valencia was one of the worst travel experiences of the season, and I get a lot of mileage out of the tale. I was still working full-time and took the coach from Barcelona to Valencia, arriving at 5am and getting to the circuit for 8am after an hour of sleep. Leaving, the traffic was so bad I missed the last train to Barcelona and had to spend 300 euros on a taxi after the driver took me on a thrill ride from hell, involving going the wrong way down the hard shoulder of the motorway.
Worst Travel Story
The boring bits. Waiting for an hour between trains on Sunday morning in Hockenheim, or missing the last bus back to Liege from Spa and having to beg around the press room for lifts. Waiting for buses in the rain, and trying to ask directions from locals who didn't know there was a circuit nearby. When Google Maps (beta!) gets the directions wrong.
Best Hotel
Kanko Nagoya, which I got for an awesome rate, and which was so posh I walked past it a few times on arrival. Loads of trick in-room facilities, including the mind-blowing heated pyjama drawer, and lots of gadgets.
Worst Hotel
The Albert, a very cheap place I one-nighted in before Spa. Bedroom the size of a single bed, and construction that didn't make me feel safe from faulty wiring and feet coming through the ceiling.
Best Local Food
Ah, Monza. Ah, Italy. Japanese might be my favourite, but I got back to Nagoya so late every night that I mostly ate bento in my room. In Italy, however, I was in Milan, and went out for pizza (my second favourite) every evening. It was bliss, just crispy dough, stringy hot mozzarella, and basil, washed down with Italian wine. Glorious. And the Italian Grand Prix's not half bad either – beautiful walk through a misty park to get to one of the best tracks on the calendar. Who could ask for more?
Worst Local Food
The air is now a second home to me, which I think makes it a country. So I nominate all of the ghastly airline food I suffered through over the course of the past eleven races. Especially on those stupid budget airlines that charge you through the nose for it. I am sick of eating shortbread and a KitKat because it's all I can afford.
Best Beer
Some might say Spa, but there's a special place in my heart for German beer, so this one has to go to Hockenheim. I think the local fans would agree, bearing in mind the steins they were clutching at 8am, when I got off the bus to the circuit and they circled me, shouting 'ein Fraulein! ein Fraulein!'.
Worst Beer
Bahrain, where you can drink, but it's not really the done thing if you're a woman travelling alone.
This list should be qualified with me saying that I only attended ten races with a press pass this year, and one as a fan with a three-day ticket (Barcelona). Therefore, I can only pass comment on Bahrain, Montreal, Valencia, Silverstone, Hockenheim, Spa, Monza, Singapore, Suzuka, and Interlagos.
Best Media Centre Facilities
Singapore wins hands down on this one. The internet is both fast and free, which is a total bonus, as some circuits charge up to 120 euros – I'm looking at you, Monza – for four days' internet access. Compare that to your monthly home bill! But the Singapore Media Centre is about so much more than good web access. You can see some of the track through the window – a rarity at modern circuits – and there's an attached cafe with free coffee, microwave food, fruit, soft drinks, and ice-cream. Awesome.
Worst Media Centre Facilities
Anywhere that charges journalists for internet access gets negative points in my book, but that's a long list in Formula 1 – only half the circuits offer it for free, but the number is growing due to pressure from the press. But Hockenheim was pretty shoddy: not only were we charged for internet, but heavy rain meant that the power to our giant tent kept going out, taking the web access with it. Were we offered refunds? No, we were not. And the chairs were seriously uncomfortable – worst of the season, we decided in Interlagos.
Best Food
Nice as it was to have access to the Singapore cafe, in Bahrain we had the same food as the Paddock Club, which was awesome. It was quite a surprise when I arrived at my next race to discover that the endless sashimi and lemon tarts were a thing of the past. Only downside was that it was a bit of a hike from the press room, but totally worth it.
Worst Food
Silverstone should win this one, except they didn't really have any food. Just twin-packs of biscuits, which were nice but not very filling. Valencia had lots of crisps but not much else. That was the worst of it really – being somewhere without any real food on offer, and no time to leave the press room to acquire any until really late in the day.
Best Bathrooms
Quite a lot of circuits had awesome bathrooms. Montreal's were outside, but were very VIP outside loos, with Molton Brown toiletries, vases of flowers, and paintings on the wall. Once you closed the door it seemed as though you were in a poncey hotel. But the best had to be Japan's. Not only is Suzuka Circuit home to one of the most flattering mirrors I've ever laid eyes on, but it was full of the traditional Japanese magic loos, playing music, spraying water, and just generally being odd.
Worst Bathrooms
The worst bathrooms really got was average, although the 'please bin your toilet paper' signs in Brazil were a bit strange. The Interlagos bathroom seemed to flood a lot, too. Wonder if those two things are connected...
Best Paddock Atmosphere
Maybe it's because it's my home Grand Prix, or maybe it's because I missed Melbourne, another paddock favourite, but Silverstone had the best atmosphere. It was a gloriously sunny weekend, the paddock was constantly buzzing with people, and everyone seemed to be smiling. There were parties, good food, and long breakfasts in the hospitality suites.
Worst Paddock Atmosphere
The worst paddock atmosphere was more about days when it rained non-stop and people tended to stay where they were. One of the best bits is the endless buzzing of chatter and busy people running around the paddock, getting cars ready, doing interviews, and generally gossiping. But when it rains as much as Saturday in Suzuka, or most of Spa, people would stay in the team homes or press room, and you'd have far fewer chance encounters.
Best Party City
Montreal, no question about it. An already lively city celebrating the start of its summer gets really into the Formula 1 weekend, and it's like Freshers' Week all over again. Beer everywhere, people on club crawls, and more Ferraris than you can shake a stick at. Maybe that last one didn't apply to Freshers' Week, come to think about it. And unlike famed party city Monaco, in Montreal you can afford to buy a round without a second mortgage.
Worst Party City
Hockenheim and Spa are in a two-way tie for this one. Both races are seriously out in the sticks, so everyone stays miles apart, and because it usually rains there's not as much going on in the paddock.
Best Track
Another two-way tie, here, this time for Spa and Interlagos. Because the press rooms at both tracks are in tall buildings in hilly areas, you can see a decent proportion of the circuit. At Interlagos, standing on the press room balcony, you can see about eighty percent of the track, which is brilliant. Spa's trees get in the way a bit and you can't see as much, but it's awesome arriving at the the circuit and looking up to Eau Rouge for the first time. I got shivers.
Worst Track
All of the circuits where you can't see any of the track from the press room. That would be you, Bahrain, Hockenheim, and Montreal. I want to see some of the action with my eyes, not a TV, and I don't want to have to walk for miles to do it.
Best Travel Story
Valencia was one of the worst travel experiences of the season, and I get a lot of mileage out of the tale. I was still working full-time and took the coach from Barcelona to Valencia, arriving at 5am and getting to the circuit for 8am after an hour of sleep. Leaving, the traffic was so bad I missed the last train to Barcelona and had to spend 300 euros on a taxi after the driver took me on a thrill ride from hell, involving going the wrong way down the hard shoulder of the motorway.
Worst Travel Story
The boring bits. Waiting for an hour between trains on Sunday morning in Hockenheim, or missing the last bus back to Liege from Spa and having to beg around the press room for lifts. Waiting for buses in the rain, and trying to ask directions from locals who didn't know there was a circuit nearby. When Google Maps (beta!) gets the directions wrong.
Best Hotel
Kanko Nagoya, which I got for an awesome rate, and which was so posh I walked past it a few times on arrival. Loads of trick in-room facilities, including the mind-blowing heated pyjama drawer, and lots of gadgets.
Worst Hotel
The Albert, a very cheap place I one-nighted in before Spa. Bedroom the size of a single bed, and construction that didn't make me feel safe from faulty wiring and feet coming through the ceiling.
Best Local Food
Ah, Monza. Ah, Italy. Japanese might be my favourite, but I got back to Nagoya so late every night that I mostly ate bento in my room. In Italy, however, I was in Milan, and went out for pizza (my second favourite) every evening. It was bliss, just crispy dough, stringy hot mozzarella, and basil, washed down with Italian wine. Glorious. And the Italian Grand Prix's not half bad either – beautiful walk through a misty park to get to one of the best tracks on the calendar. Who could ask for more?
Worst Local Food
The air is now a second home to me, which I think makes it a country. So I nominate all of the ghastly airline food I suffered through over the course of the past eleven races. Especially on those stupid budget airlines that charge you through the nose for it. I am sick of eating shortbread and a KitKat because it's all I can afford.
Best Beer
Some might say Spa, but there's a special place in my heart for German beer, so this one has to go to Hockenheim. I think the local fans would agree, bearing in mind the steins they were clutching at 8am, when I got off the bus to the circuit and they circled me, shouting 'ein Fraulein! ein Fraulein!'.
Worst Beer
Bahrain, where you can drink, but it's not really the done thing if you're a woman travelling alone.