Sky Sports' Rachel Brookes on a very different Belgian GP, the perils of working in a forest, keeping track of Johnny Herbert, and a birthday treat...
Wednesday 9 September 2015 15:13, UK
The Belgian Grand Prix is a wonderful oxymoron.
The track itself is sensational, perhaps a little less so thanks to some recent changes, but essentially it is a fantastic place to drive. I was lucky enough to take a car round it a few years ago and it is definitely one of the highlights of my time covering Formula 1. To be able to experience that feeling of descending down from La Source and heading up towards Eau Rouge and the Kemmel straight towards Les Combes is amazing.
Away from the track it can be a very different story. For those of us who work in the sport our time away from the track also plays a big part in our weekend. I love being able to walk to the track from our hotel. In Australia we walk across the road and through Albert Park to work. In Singapore we head out of the hotel at lunchtime and walk a short distance before entering the circuit while on the way home we even walk part of the track the cars had been speeding round earlier. In Abu Dhabi we can see the track from our hotel rooms and it's a brief stroll to get to work each day. For me it means I can get there early if I want or stay late if there is someone I want to see or if I want to run the track. I don't have to worry about whether or not I can finish my run in time to catch the last bus back to the hotel.
At other venues, it is the location of our accommodation that makes a big difference. For example, in Canada we don't stay very close to the track but the hotel is in the city of Montreal and is walking distance to anywhere you would want to go. It means catching up with other people in the sport is simpler, meeting for dinner in the evening is easier, and there are always new places to experience.
Spa is very different. The first year I covered this race we stayed in a holiday camp and we shared little chalets with a kitchen and lounge area. There was one small pizza restaurant nearby and that was it. That place probably made more money in those four days than in the rest of the year combined. This year we were staying in a hotel but again in self-catering type rooms with a kitchen - although my kitchen had a double bed in it! The town of Spa is about an hour and a half from Brussels and only has a few hotels so you take any accommodation you can on race week. Just down the road from our hotel was a lovely expensive-looking hotel but the drivers snapped that one up pretty quickly!
Luckily the town of Spa is a five-minute cab ride or 15-minute walk away and there a few places to eat there so it's a big improvement on my first experience. We arrive around 10pm on Wednesday night and head out for some food straight away. We have just sat down in a restaurant when a couple of fans walk in and ask Johnny for his autograph. One of the guys has a huge selection of photos for Johnny to sign and they span his entire career. It's really lovely to see. We work with Johnny and as the nicest, most down to earth man you will ever meet in any genre of sport, let alone Formula One, it is easy to forget what he did and how many fans he has. He always has time for them and although we joke about it taking hours to get anywhere with him as he always stops to chat. He - and we - wouldn't have it any other way.
Thursday is media day and this weekend I am working on a few pieces so it's a busy day of filming and doing interviews and research. During the drivers' press conference, Max Verstappen is asked if he would like to make any changes to the track and he replies "there are quite a lot of wasps". He is not wrong. Normally when we get to Spa we are wearing jackets and coats, winter shoes and carrying umbrellas. This year is very different. The sun is shining and it is really warm. We all assume it will change very quickly and become the Spa we all remember with rain threatening and grey skies above. But it doesn't. We are bothered by wasps all weekend as one of the Belgian journalists tells me "it's the forest - when it rains the wasps hide but when it's sunny they all come out". I never thought I would be wishing for rain! Even my big manly cameraman is getting fed up with them although his squeals when one lands on his arm are hilarious.
On Thursday evening there is the annual commentators' dinner which is expanded to include other television journalists too and we spend a lovely evening at the Eau Rouge hotel as guests of Shell. The food was fantastic and you can't beat looking out of the window at Eau Rouge as the sun sets on the Ardennes Forest. After dinner they put on some entertainment for us and as a competitive person my favourite bit was the Batak. Batak is the game where there are 12 lights attached to a metal structure in front of you and you have to hit them as they light up. You get 30 seconds to hit as many as possible and having seen someone else hit 59 I was determined to beat them before we left. There were also simulators set up to drive Spa on the F1 2015 game and I can admit I was terrible during the one go I had. It appears not every corner can be taken flat out - who knew?!
On Friday it was my birthday and during our morning production meeting our producer mentioned an interview with Patrick Dempsey - Dr Shepherd (McDreamy) from Grey's Anatomy who was the VIP racer in the Porsche Supercup that weekend. If you follow me on twitter you will know I was a late convert to the series thanks to Crofty and got completely hooked. Johnny had been due to interview Patrick but as a birthday treat I was allowed to go and do the interview - happy birthday me!
Friday night's F1 Show was great fun with Simon, Anthony and Johnny and an appearance from Ted and Crofty. I was due to interview Eric Boullier and just beforehand Crofty revealed Jenson Button has started following the World Rally Championship on twitter. It may not mean anything but drivers have been known to follow new team-mates before it has officially been announced before so why not motorsport series'? I asked Eric if Jenson could move into another area of motorsport next year and in typically diplomatic fashion he suggested I should ask Jenson. He did say that there is a contract in place so I asked him "a contract to drive in F1 with you?" and Eric replied "yes". There are many, though, who believe it is looking more and more likely that Jenson will go on to drive in something else in the near future.
Saturday in Europe sometimes means an earlier finish than at other tracks so with a few hours of light left Simon, Damon, Crofty and Johnny headed off to play a few holes of golf. Ant and I finished work later so headed down to the golf course to meet them for dinner afterwards. As we waited at the 18th hole we heard a crack of branches as someone's wayward shot found the trees and we knew they were on their way. The fabulous weather had stayed with us and we enjoyed a barbeque outside at the end of another glorious day. It really does make Spa a very different place when the sun shines.
On Thursday we had heard about problems for the Lotus team and bailiffs turning up at the circuit. I managed to speak to their Deputy Team Principal Federico Gastaldi just before the race on Sunday who said the situation was being resolved and they expected their cars and trucks to be able to leave the circuit despite rumours to the contrary. At the time of writing the trucks have left the circuit and the team have said they will be in Monza as planned. All of their problems make Romain Grosjean's podium in the race even more special.
When I arrived to work in F1 I went to the Brazilian Grand Prix in 2011 to do a recce for the forthcoming year. I had never been in the paddock before and it can be an intimidating place for newcomers. The first person I met was Geoff Simmonds - the Lotus team coordinator who is now in his 17th season in F1. If you ever need to know anything in the paddock, ask Geoff. He was incredibly welcoming and I will never forget how much he helped me not only on that scary weekend in Brazil but at every race since. Even in Spa last weekend he came to my rescue! That is why it is so hard to hear about the team's troubles. While it makes headlines and causes debate, there are some fantastic people at the heart of this story. People you see day in and day out in the paddock who suddenly find cameras pointing their way and rumours about their very livelihoods swirling around their heads. So when Romain climbed out of his car and hugged his team we all understood the emotion. Some have said it felt like a win and you can see why.
It is always an enjoyable interview with a driver in these situations. Romain was so happy for his team it made the three questions I got to ask very easy. There was genuine delight from my side too for one of the nicest guys in the paddock who always says hello and acknowledges you. Other interviews are not so easy. Jenson had another tough weekend and I asked him if he was still enjoying F1 - he said "not today". We all wanted him to stay in the sport last season when rumours about his future began to circulate but if this were to be his last year we would at least want him to enjoy it and be fighting for decent points.
After the race on Sunday my week ended as it had begun. We had finished filming in the pitlane and the boys were heading to the paddock for a final link and then a mad dash to the airport. "Where's Johnny?" I heard someone shout. I'll give you one guess.... he was chatting to the fans and signing autographs.
Oh and I did hit 60 on the Batak....
RB
