Eight in a day: Sky F1's Ted Kravitz takes a campervan around UK Motorsport Valley!

Assigned a cameraman, a producer, a map and...erm...a 40-year-old campervan, Ted Kravitz was given the ambitious task of travelling to all eight of F1's UK-based teams in a single day to get the inside line on the upgrades that are being brought to this weekend's Spanish GP.

11:30am
It's only 27 miles from Williams in Grove to Caterham in Leafield but our modest top speed, especially uphill, means it's taking twice as long as we estimated to get anywhere. This is, of course, throwing Oli's well-planned, minute-by-minute schedule into complete disarray. He sits on the sofa glued to his phone desperately re-arranging interviews with Technical Directors while up front, Duncan and I take advantage of a brief break in the rain by winding down the windows and taking in the cool crisp Oxfordshire air. Caterham's Mark Smith grants us ten minutes of his time and as well as confirming that they've decided not to change the shape of their car's nose (a shame), gives a public debut to a very handsome new beard. I can't decide if it makes him look like John Malkovich or Michael Stipe. 1:15pm
To Lotus next and contrary to paddock rumour, it isn't surrounded by bailiffs nor does it have a stream of employees leaving the factory gates, off to other teams. Instead we find everyone working steadily yet determinedly on fixing the reliability problems that have crippled their season so far. Technical Director Nick Chester comes out in a box-fresh branded white shirt that someone has clearly just given him to wear, and talks about how the Spanish GP will be the first true measure of the E22 package, as long as Renault play their part. Having blocked in the Evora of team owner Gerard Lopez, we take our leave, concluding that Lotus' upgrade package has to be the most eagerly-anticipated on the grid. 2pm
We're lost in a trading estate north of Banbury. Marussia's head of communications is talking us in (right at Tesco's roundabout, then second left), but it's not the easiest place to find. Indeed, there's a car clinic and a tile warehouse that are more visible than the Marussia factory on this network of roundabouts, but once we're there, the welcome is probably the warmest we receive all day. Tracy and Pippa lead us to the gallery overlooking the race bays and with firm instructions given to Duncan and Oli duly noted (don't show any of the Ferrari bits), we film an interview with chief designer John McQuilliam and we're done. "That's the quickest we've ever had", says Tracy. She doesn't see us spending five minutes pushing development camper van out of the cul-de-sac because I can't find reverse. 2:30pm
Mercedes. "Surely you can save your money, you don't need to develop," I ask Paddy Lowe. Not a bit of it, he replies, seeing through my deliberately stupid question. "We're pushing flat-out to make this car faster. We're developing to defend from Red Bull and Ferrari." I guess lessons this factory learned when Brawn GP didn't have the money to develop their car are still fresh in the memory. By half season in 2009, Brawn's advantage was gone. Paddy asks me where we are on our tour. "Six of eight," I reply. "Do you want a Mercedes AMG CLS to drive to the last two?" he offers. I laugh and politely decline. He's joking, right? 3pm
It's actually later than this when we arrive at Force India as we stopped for lunch at a garage off the A43. I'm starting to flag and my left leg is beginning to seize up from having to stand on the brakes with increasing intensity. Spirits are lifted when I see the new 'Jordan Technology Park' on the road leading to the Force India factory. A new 85,000 sq ft technology park, or so the sign says, available at reasonable rates. Good old EJ. The Force India factory hasn't seen much development since those Jordan days, but it's got a homely, lived-in quality to it. Like a favourite pair of corduroy trousers. They don't specify what developments they're bringing to Barcelona so Pat Symonds is going to have to wait and spy them in Friday practice like the rest of us. 6pm
It's the end of the road. We've finished our last interview with Red Bull's chief designer Rob Marshall and I've really started to lose it. The concentration required to coax 40-year old development camper van round four counties has broken me. Sadly, as I'm the only one insured, I can't ask Oli to drive her home. So on the M1 back to London, I mull over a final thought. We've seen three distinct categories of F1 factory today. The biggest and best, McLaren, stands alone. The middle-grade facilities are led by Mercedes and Red Bull with Williams and Lotus close behind. Then the small-yet-functional: Force India, Caterham and Marussia. The wonder isn't so much that for the scale and sparkle of their factory, McLaren are under-performing, it's that the likes of Force India are punching well above their weight on-track. I then slip into a daydream about starting 'Ted's Tours', a mini-coach tour, guiding F1 fans round motorsport crescent for the day. Not a bad idea. Who's in? TK Don't miss 'Eight in a Day' during Sky Sports F1's live coverage of the 2014 Spanish GP. Race Day coverage begins at 11:30am on Sunday.