Random F1 spottings

dr-baker · Post by **dr-baker** » 26 Oct 2009, 18:27

A friend told me this morning that they spotted Ross Brawn at a Tom Jones concert at Wembley on Saturday (that would be the weekend immediately after he became a championship-winning team boss and the weekend before the season fianle). I don't think the concert was a tribute to a reject F1 driver... Anybody else have any random sighting of F1 folk?

WeirdKerr · Post by **WeirdKerr** » 26 Oct 2009, 18:58

ok.... im not sure if it was him but i was sitting eating a pizza in the outside seats of a cafe in Brussles in 1995 on the saturday evening of the belgium gp (i was going to the race the next day) and Micheal Schumacher walked past......

Bleu · Post by **Bleu** » 26 Oct 2009, 19:11

I was at the Hungarian Grand Prix 1996. At the city of Budapest, I was with by father searching some hotel, where there should have been old McLaren car in the lobby. Didn't find that but saw Ken Tyrrell there. Few moments later Gerhard Berger visited there.

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 26 Oct 2009, 19:29

Here in Cologne, there is a public park which has got a fairly historical building with a restaurant and a huge patio in its middle. A few years ago, I was for a walk there on the afternoon of qualifying for the Nürburgring GP. I intended to get some ice cream at the restaurant, but couldn't since it had been booked for the whole rest of the day by Panasonic Team Toyota, the local F1 squad. But there wasn't even a single person seated at the tables on the patio even though it was an afternoon just perfect for that. So I was a bit annoyed by that.

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 26 Oct 2009, 19:54

I have no idea why he was there, but I spotted Takuma Sato entering a hotel in Edinburgh.

Jordan · Post by **Jordan** » 26 Oct 2009, 20:23

I remember a while back, when my Aunt was a car saleswoman for Acura, we went to visit her when they had Jacques Villeneuve's BAR Honda car at the showroom.

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 26 Oct 2009, 20:34

I mentioned it in a different thread, but I was nearly run over by Gerhard Berger once; and my wife was in front of Robert Doornbos in a queue in a hotel in Milton Keynes.

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 26 Oct 2009, 22:34

I'm sure I saw Jenson Button in Woking today...

shinji · Post by **shinji** » 26 Oct 2009, 22:42

noisebox wrote:I'm sure I saw Jenson Button in Woking today...

Well, no one has seen Lewis in Croydon

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=105105&hl

watka · Post by **watka** » 26 Oct 2009, 23:00

I saw at the very least a dead ringer for Nick Fry struggling with some bags at Surbiton station. I assume it wasn't him because a) I don't think he'd travel by train, and b) it was a Thursday afternoon before the Valencia GP so I assume he was probably there.

And that's about it.

noisebox · Post by **noisebox** » 27 Oct 2009, 00:06

Unlike my previous rather flippant post, I really did see Gordon Murray in WH Smiths in Woking a while back reading an arcticle in Autocar about his city car project.

dragonsteincole · Post by **dragonsteincole** » 27 Oct 2009, 00:14

noisebox wrote:Unlike my previous rather flippant post, I really did see Gordon Murray in WH Smiths in Woking a while back reading an arcticle in Autocar about his city car project.

Typical. It's a store, not a library. you should have made him buy it if he wanted to read it.

As for mine, I guess the Reagent's Street demo a few years ago is my closest brush with F1

Collieafc · Post by **Collieafc** » 27 Oct 2009, 02:08

Jackie Stewart once came to my university, to do a speech on dyslexia.

Jordan · Post by **Jordan** » 27 Oct 2009, 02:27

Collieafc wrote:Jackie Stewart once came to my university, to do a speech on dyslexia.

That would actually be interesting...maybe

Collieafc · Post by **Collieafc** » 27 Oct 2009, 03:02

Jordan wrote:
Collieafc wrote:Jackie Stewart once came to my university, to do a speech on dyslexia.

That would actually be interesting...maybe

I dont know, I wasnt at the speech. I only seen it in the student paper that day, but got a sight (and autograph!) of him afterwards

hootie · Post by **hootie** » 27 Oct 2009, 06:00

i'll put one in

i was going home around
midnight on the way to the train station
when i saw
nico rosberg and his trainer
jogging around the mall
past me

this was 2 nights before friday free practice
in this years Singapore GP

so them drivers do keep
their bodies to the European time zone
when they come here to race at night
hootie

Barbazza · Post by **Barbazza** » 27 Oct 2009, 20:25

Not particularly exciting but in Stratford we were coming out of Waterstones just as David Richards was walking in.

TeamTipper · Post by **TeamTipper** » 22 Jan 2010, 04:18

My Dad was a marshall at Brands hatch and he met Perry McCarthy Martin Donelly!!! Also when we went to the Goodwood I met Jean Alesi when I was 10. I was so happy :lol:

Also my dad almost got a job at Williams F1 in 200. Had he got it I wouldnt be in New Zealand

razta · Post by **razta** » 22 Jan 2010, 07:54

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=623

:-)

Gilles27 · Post by **Gilles27** » 22 Jan 2010, 09:40

I once worked on a stall at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Dave Richards bought a picture from me. It was about £500 I seem to remember. Seemed a very happy bloke. I didn't get an autograph, but I do know the PIN number for his Mastercard!

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 22 Jan 2010, 10:33

Gilles27 wrote:I once worked on a stall at the Goodwood Festival of Speed and Dave Richards bought a picture from me. It was about £500 I seem to remember. Seemed a very happy bloke. I didn't get an autograph, but I do know the PIN number for his Mastercard!

Which works just as well as his autograph if you want to buy yourself something...

frongor · Post by **frongor** » 22 Jan 2010, 12:59

Yuji Ide sometimes works as a guest commentator at the F1 restuarant "Pit stop cafe" in central Tokyo. During last year I won the "bet the podium"-quiz twice and had a small talk with him. He is quite good as a commentator , but seems to be embarrased when he is asked about his own F1-experience. :roll:

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 22 Jan 2010, 13:15

TeamTipper wrote:My Dad was a marshall at Brands hatch and he met Perry McCarthy Martin Donelly!!! Also when we went to the Goodwood I met Jean Alesi when I was 10. I was so happy Also my dad almost got a job at Williams F1 in 200. Had he got it I wouldnt be in New Zealand

Wow, I knew Williams were old, but I didn't know they have been around THAT long... :lol:

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 22 Jan 2010, 14:17

Waris wrote:
TeamTipper wrote:My Dad was a marshall at Brands hatch and he met Perry McCarthy Martin Donelly!!! Also when we went to the Goodwood I met Jean Alesi when I was 10. I was so happy Also my dad almost got a job at Williams F1 in 200. Had he got it I wouldnt be in New Zealand

Wow, I knew Williams were old, but I didn't know they have been around THAT long...

He's obviously referring to 200 after Christ, Waris.

Popi_Larrauri · Post by **Popi_Larrauri** » 22 Jan 2010, 14:33

Late days of 1998. Season alrady over. Minardi M198 - Cosworth V10 under exhibition at the hall entrance of Telecom building in Buenos Aires. And I actuaclly touched it (Iwas working as a consultant there by those days).

SDHammer · Post by **SDHammer** » 22 Jan 2010, 17:02

When I was a kid I went to the Donnington museum and I just so happen to go on the day they where unvailing a statue of Fangio and Senna.

They had some McLarens a Lotus, a Fangio Merc and Maserati on display .

Who should I stand next to during one of the speeches but none other than Sir Stirling Moss. Wicked.

Insteresting aside after the presentation when I was looking in the cockpit of the 1991 McLaren. The journalist next to me (who clearly wasn't a motor racing journo probably just from the local rag) commented "what's that drink button do"

Quick as a flash I responded with "When the driver needs a drink he presses the button and a cocktail waiter on jet powered rollerskates comes alongside his car and offers him a glass of champagne." (I was a cheeky little git when i was a kid) The journalist opposite (who was a motor racing journo i think) almost wet himself he was laughing so hard.

bduddy · Post by **bduddy** » 22 Jan 2010, 18:40

I went to the NASCAR race at Sears Point, and there was a Toyota F1 car there... pretty random, if you ask me >_> Of course I've never gotten any closer to anything F1-related than that...

Post by **DemocalypseNow** » 22 Jan 2010, 20:12

I think I mentioned this before...but beat Jos Verstappen at an F1 simulator run before (while sat in a Stewart SF02) :mrgreen:

Also sat in a Renault R25 minus engine before...but that's about it.

Phoenix · Post by **Phoenix** » 22 Jan 2010, 21:04

Nothing, sadly :cry:

I didn't have many opportunities.

baddriving50 · Post by **baddriving50** » 22 Jan 2010, 23:11

Not quite random enough, but I saw Mark Blundell win his first career CART race at Portland back in 1997.

TimmyB · Post by **TimmyB** » 23 Jan 2010, 01:49

Riding in an elevator in a hotel in Perth, Australia, 2007.

I ask the guy standing next to me: "Has anyone ever told you that you look like Mark Webber?"

He smirks and responds: "I am mate."

Best. elevator. ride. ever.

thehemogoblin · Post by **thehemogoblin** » 23 Jan 2010, 04:43

baddriving50 wrote:Not quite random enough, but I saw Mark Blundell win his first career CART race at Portland back in 1997.

I watched that one on TV.

Alianora La Canta · Post by **Alianora La Canta** » 23 Jan 2010, 17:08

My one true "random" F1 spotting was at Silverstone in 2002. Dad and I parked at a petrol station near the track and spotted a car with a rather loud yellow-and-black livery. We joined the queue for the toilet and had a short chat with the bloke in front of us, who turned out to be a member of the Jordan race team called Phil. The trouble was that I was a bit star-struck and, with Jordan having just qualified in disappointing positions after a problem-filled session, the day's performance was unlikely to be a good conversation topic.

I've also got a few autographs from people at Autosport shows, but I wouldn't class queuing in line for 5-10 minutes in an organised autograph session a random F1 spotting.

FullMetalJack · Post by **FullMetalJack** » 23 Jan 2010, 21:45

It's not a real F1 spotting but I've seen quite a few totaled cars, it could have been De Cesaris

fjackdaw · Post by **fjackdaw** » 23 Jan 2010, 23:57

SDHammer wrote:When I was a kid I went to the Donnington museum and I just so happen to go on the day they where unvailing a statue of Fangio and Senna.

They had some McLarens a Lotus, a Fangio Merc and Maserati on display .

Who should I stand next to during one of the speeches but none other than Sir Stirling Moss. Wicked.

Insteresting aside after the presentation when I was looking in the cockpit of the 1991 McLaren. The journalist next to me (who clearly wasn't a motor racing journo probably just from the local rag) commented "what's that drink button do"

Quick as a flash I responded with "When the driver needs a drink he presses the button and a cocktail waiter on jet powered rollerskates comes alongside his car and offers him a glass of champagne." (I was a cheeky little git when i was a kid) The journalist opposite (who was a motor racing journo i think) almost wet himself he was laughing so hard.

Off-topic, but I once convinced my mum that a "splash and dash" is when the driver has to stop because he needs the toilet.

RejectSteve · Post by **RejectSteve** » 24 Jan 2010, 06:13

fjackdaw wrote:Off-topic, but I once convinced my mum that a "splash and dash" is when the driver has to stop because he needs the toilet.

I believe that would be a "dash to splash" :roll:

BigG80 · Post by **BigG80** » 25 Jan 2010, 14:29

Back in the '90s a Ford dearlership near Camberley in Surrey were having a big promotional event with rally driving games and best of all a Benetton F1 car which all the kids (including me) were allowed to jump in and out of and play with. This was when they had the proper United States of Benetton livery. I remember sitting in the cockpit and trying to turn the wheel (no power steering so very heavy!) and playing with the gearstick which was mounted along the right hand edge of the cockpit. It had a polished wooden knob as I recall. I don't think any drivers were there though sadly.

Slightly more weirdly I remember going to see my Dad compete in an indoor kart event and before the race we were wandering around the track which was in an old bus station. There was a small entrance to an adjoining empty warehouse type place and parked on the other side of it was a crashed yellow single seater. I'm not sure if it was an F1 car or F3 or what though sadly.

I was also at the Regents Street F1 parade which was amazing. Saw Martin Brundle do an enormous burnout start right in front of me.

The one I'm most annoyed about though is when my mother and her husband were invited to the Goodwood Festival of Speed as guests of Cartier. Their webpage has pictures of him with Stirling Moss and my mother with Jeremy Clarkson. Plus from their dining table, you can see David Coulthard at the next table. I only live down the road and didn't get an invite! Grrrr!

Yannick · Post by **Yannick** » 01 Mar 2010, 12:01

About half an hour ago when I was walking down the street, I saw an old, grey haired man coming out of a house, dressed in slippers, sagging joggers and - lo and behold - a brightly turquoise Leyton House Racing Team jacket (!)

When I realized what I was seeing, I immediately had to smile.
I guess I got fond memories of Capelli VS Prost ...

Waris · Post by **Waris** » 04 Mar 2010, 01:28

Yannick wrote:About half an hour ago when I was walking down the street, I saw an old, grey haired man coming out of a house, dressed in slippers, sagging joggers and - lo and behold - a brightly turquoise Leyton House Racing Team jacket (!)

When I realized what I was seeing, I immediately had to smile.
I guess I got fond memories of Capelli VS Prost ...

Why didn't you walk up to him and talk to him! Why!?!?!

Cynon · Post by **Cynon** » 04 Mar 2010, 01:37

I saw Robert Doornbos epic suck in the IRL race at the Chicago round of the IRL last year... >_>