F1 Experiences include visits from an eleventh team and Minardi tours

The new initiatives within the framework of F1 Experiences aimed at engaging fans during the Grand Prix started being implemented from the Spanish Grand Prix. This primarily involves allowing media, celebrities, or winners of competitions organized on-site to take a ride in a two-seater Minardi, which was purchased by Paul Stoddart when the Italian team was sold to Red Bull in 2005.

According to the Australian, the goal is to allow fans to feel closer to F1: « It’s about personalizing Formula 1 a bit more. Let them see it, feel it, smell it. And for the luckiest ones, take a ride in it. »

The other idea planned for later in the season is to recreate the facilities of a real Formula 1 team using the old equipment from the former Manor team and to conduct pit stop simulations.

Paul Stoddart explains how such a project is possible: « It’s Manor’s equipment from last year, so it belongs to this paddock. The pitstop pole is still operational today. It’s not from last year or 10 years ago. Everything in this garage is ready, capable of being used. »

The former Minardi director received the assent of Manor’s auctioneer to buy the team’s equipment in mid-April. It was then necessary to gather all of it to prepare the whole. If everything goes as planned, everything should be ready for the United States Grand Prix.

Liberty Media’s objective was to implement these new experiences starting next October, but the schedule was accelerated when the cars couldn’t hit the track during the Free Practice sessions in China. The lack of on-track action and criticism prompted the new owners of the discipline to reconsider, leading them to introduce new activities for spectators starting from the Spanish Grand Prix.

« It’s one of those moments when you say yes to something, then you think wow: can we really do this? » Paul Stoddart laconically summed up.