Today's post will be dedicated to the people who love cars, racing and world-wide sporting events. Last weekend, we again attended an annual Formula 1 US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. Formula 1 is a global racing series which holds races all over the world. Starting in 2012, Austin has been awarded a ten-year contract to host the race, so since then Texas becomes a global hub for F1 lovers from all over the world. I have been to the US Grand Prix last year and I loved the atmosphere so much that we decided to attend again this year. This year's Formula 1 racing weekend was headlined by Bruno Mars on Saturday and Britney Spears on Sunday. Some people would probably curse me out when I tell them that we were so tired on Saturday from being at the track all day, that we have traded in attending his concert for sleep and food... In our defense, we would have to wait an hour and a half and would have to fight traffic after the concert! So we skipped out on Bruno Mars and swore to ourselves that we will attend Britney's concert the next day. That did not happen either as the race was done around 4pm on a Sunday and the concert was not going to start until 6pm. Once again, we figured out that we would be better off beating the traffic and make our way back to Houston rather than staying till very late in Austin. I must have missed the point when I got so old that I chose not to attend free concerts by popular singers, but oh well, at least the racing part of the weekend was phenomenal! So let me tell you about that instead.

Day 1: Free Practices and Junior Series Qualifications

The Formula 1 weekend began on a Friday with two free practices scheduled for the day. For those of you who are not familiar with the concept of Formula 1, these practices are used by teams and their mechanics to figure out the car settings, tune the engines and other parts of the car, and get familiar with the track. Fridays are usually not attended by a lot of people due to work and the lack of spectacle on the race track. We, however, wanted to get the most out of the weekend and made our way to the Circuit of the Americas (the race track) around noon. Austin greeted us with heavy rain for which we were prepared but it was still not fun. We had purchased general admission passes that grant us access on the race track but we can't get in the stands. Security is typically more relaxed on a Friday since not a lot of people attend the free practices, so we were able to sneak into the stands. Granted, they were about only quarter filled, so there was no issue with that. Besides the free practices done by the Formula 1 drivers, junior series drivers also hold their practices and get ready for qualifications. These guys were the main attraction on Friday, since Formula 1 free practices are not generally all that exciting. We used Friday to walk around the track, get familiar with good spots for taking photos, and tracked boots with free booze. All in all, rain did not ruin our spirits as free Johnnie Walker cocktails helped us keep warm!

Day 2: Autograph Session and Qualifying Round

Autograph session was announced to be held on a Saturday at 11am. The organizers have changed the way the autograph session was to be held and scheduled almost all of the teams into a one hour time slot. We realized that if we wanted to get autographs from our favorite pilots then we have to be at the track really early. The gates were scheduled to be open at 9:30am so we figured getting to the track an hour before that would be sufficient enough. We were not the only people to think this way as there were already a lot of people at the gates one hour before they were supposed to open. We still managed to make it through pretty quickly once they were opened and claim a spot in the first row of the autograph session section. All what was left was to wait for an hour and a half until the pilots arrived. The wait, however, was worth it as we got to see and take pictures with all the big names of the sport. Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Kimi Raikkonen, and many others were right next to us and this was a really cool experience! After the autograph session, we stayed to watch the qualifying race and the junior series qualifiers and races. As I mentioned earlier, we were so beat from being at the track all day, that we decided not to stay for the Bruno Mars concert. Since we had to wake up early to claim our spots at the general area the next day, we figured we would rather have a good night sleep and come to the track prepared to watch the race!

Day 3: The Race

Obviously, the most important day of the Formula 1 weekend is Sunday when the actual race takes place. At this point, the starting grid is known and all the pilots are ready to prove their worth. We got to the track one hour before the gates opened once again just so that we could make sure we have good spots for the race. The race was supposed to start around 1pm and starting at 10am, there were different kind of entertainments happening on the track. There were two races of junior formulas, UT Marching Band performed in front of the Grand Stand, as well as Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders performance. Then during the national anthem, military helicopters flew over the track and three military officers jumped out with parachutes. Even though it was a rather windy day, they managed to all safely land on the track to many cheers from the crowd. And then, finally, the race itself! I enjoyed this year's actual race more than last year. I think there were many more exciting moments during the race and there was definitely a shocking winner! Coincidentally, the driver who won the race is my fiancee's favorite pilot so we were definitely happy with the outcome. He has not won a race since 2013 so it was definitely a memorable moment. As the race reached its conclusion, we made our way to the bottom of the hill where we were sitting so that we could come out on the track to watch the ceremony.

Closing Ceremony

One great thing I like about Formula 1 races is that they open up the track to the fans after the race. Everyone from the crowd can rush the track and get below the podium where the ceremony takes place. Of course you have to endure being in the crowd for quite some time, but it is not too bad. It gets a little rough at a point when the gates are opened and people are rushing the track, but once you are there, there is enough room for everyone. The racing weekend culminated with the top three pilots receiving their shares of applauses and prizes to the cheers from the crowd. After the ceremony was over, people still wandered around, taking pictures on the track to remember the moment. Even as we were leaving, people from other parts of the circuit were coming to the race track in order to experience what it's like. At this point, we were extremely tired but all this waiting and running around the track was worth it, as we got to experience something that a lot of people only see on TV!