GP2 Series / Formula 1

In case you were wondering, I didn't die of melamine (which is also in eggs now). Just felt a bit tired lately. So, after two weeks of not updating, I'm back with a recap of my visit to the Shanghai International Circuit. I'll be updating more regularly from this point forward.


My cousin and my uncle flew in from Hong Kong to attend the race weekend, which took place from Friday to Sunday. As my cousin is racing on a professional level in Germany right now, they viewed it as an important opportunity to develop his career, and also provided me with an inside glimpse into the world of racing.

10/17

On Friday evening, I met up with them at their hotel in Jiading, which is a city about 30 minutes away from Anting by taxi. My uncle treated us to a Japanese dinner at the hotel, which was my first such experience here. Unfortunately, it wasn't very good, but the company was great. I suspect the best Japanese restaurants are in the trendy areas downtown. Although, authentic Japanese food/people aren't generally very popular here, due to historical considerations (the other day a local coworker told me she hated Japan during a meeting). Afterward, my cousin and I walked around Jiading, which is much bigger than Anting. Our jaws dropped when we found a Dairy Queen there, and each of us ordered a vanilla milkshake (even though my cousin was on a diet). I agreed to meet him at his hotel the next day to attend the GP2 Series on Saturday.

10/18 - GP2 Series

On Saturday, we got to the Shanghai International Circuit at around 1030. My cousin's manager scored from crew passes for us due to some connections he had, and brought us to the prep area for the GP2 race.


GP2 is the feeder series for F1, so while the recognition is lacking, the stakes are serious. A relatively young series, GP2 has helped to formalize the process by which drivers enter F1 (although some talented drivers jump straight from F3 to F1). Basically, if you win GP2, you'll get to drive for a F1 team (and land multi-million dollar contracts in the process). Of course, racing just for the money is a losing proposition; it costs millions just to get started, and requires talent to keep going.

To quote Sun Tzu from the Art of War, "every battle is won before it is ever fought." That is especially true of racing. After gaining admission to the race prep area, I saw about twenty teams prepping the cars in their tents. Hearing all of them run drills, fire up engines, discuss strategies and move enormous amounts of equipment was an astounding sight. The logistics of getting the equipment there is a feat in itself, as most teams require two to three cargo containers to transport all their equipment.


The Porsche Carrera Cup races were also taking place during that time, so my cousin and I went to the Porsche lounge to watch it unfold. The Porsche Carrera Cup is organized by Porsche as a supporting race for the F1 series, where Porsche GT3's, all of the same make, compete for prize money. This series is new, as it is organized for "gentleman" racers, or basically rich guys who want to feel like professional racers. The race was unspectacular, but my cousin and I enjoyed the hospitality of the reception tent.


At around 1600, we left the race circuit and went downtown to have some dinner and meet up with my cousin's pals at Bar Rouge, which is a lounge on the top floor of a building on the Bund. There was an outdoor rooftop courtyard, which provided for spectacular views. However, we stood the whole time because some tables were reserved for people planning to spend 15000-20000 RMB for the night.

10/19 - Formula 1

On Sunday, around 1030 we met up and went to the race track again- this time for the main event. By the time we got there, the paddock was bustling with activity, and we saw many Team Ferrari fans. The atmosphere was electric.


Lots of Europeans turned out for the event. Perhaps all of the expats in Shanghai were there. My cousin and I were seated in the first row of section K. You'd think being in first row for the race would be awesome, but the barricade in front of us partially blocked our view. As well, all the other people in the first row decided to stand for some reason, so we ended up standing for most of the race as well. Finally, from our vantage point we could only see mainly one tight hairpin, so our exposure to the cars were limited. My cousin told me the best place to watch the race on this track was actually section A, 7th row and above, because you could almost see the entire track.


The race started and Hamilton took the lead, followed by Raikkonen and Massa. Alonso followed in 5th or 6th, which was pretty impressive considering his Renault car was no match for the McLarens and Ferraris which dominated the race. The order stayed pretty much the same for the rest of the 300 kilometre race.


It was pretty exciting, for the first 5 laps or so. But we were both tired from our night out before, and we both took turns napping to the awesome roar of the F1 engines.

Afterward, we found a taxi after some trouble. Some taxi drivers had the nerve to demand 800 RMB to drive us to the airport. We told them for that price, they could drive us to Beijing. Luckily, I have "a driver" now and called him up. He took us to Pudong International Airport for 260 RMB. While in the check-in line, we saw Flavio Briatore, the Benetton franchise magnate, Managing Director of Team Renault and owner of the Queens Park Rangers Football Club waiting for his first class flight to Hong Kong. What, no Gulfstream V?

My cousin and I grabbed dinner and then parted our own seperate ways. A truly memorable weekend.

Dialogue

- Emily/Terence, still no crazy baos yet. I'm actually having a hard time finding those in Shanghai.
- Nick, yeah... hostel was worse than "the tent" (come into our tent).
- Jess, I asked some of my friends about the fake market: there's another one at the Science & Technology Station on Line 2. They even have counterfeit books!