Hello, my dearest friends!

I had a very pleasant journey from Monaco over to Istanbul – obviously using the comfortable environment of Racing Engineering’s truck. Ok, ok, a ferry is not a cruise ship, but I had enough time to relax after the emotional ups and downs of Monaco and to get some sun and fresh air. Arriving in Istanbul, the metropolis on the Bosphorus, I had some time to wander around until the rest of the team arrived. YES! They also had some time off going back to their homes in Spain. Although some opted for a little holiday on the beach or visiting their families back home in France or the UK.

As I was strolling though the streets – heavily busy streets – of Istanbul, I was wondering how amazing it is to watch the huge freight ships go through the strait, how close they are to the houses on either side. It is really an amazing scenery! And I found someone to tell me a bit about the origin of the Bosporus. The name comes from the Greek and is a combination of the two words “ox” and “means of passing a river/ford/ferry”, thus meaning “ox passage”. The Greeks analysed it as “ox-ford”, therefore, our chief engineer Andrew should feel very much home in Turkey… For some reason, however, I think he doesn’t and is pretty happy when he can get back onto a plane home to the “real” Oxford. Oh, well. Nevertheless, do the big bridges connecting the two parts of Istanbul still have oxen passing? Almost… Yeah! Driving in and around Istanbul and the race track, Istanbul Park that is, has something extremely challenging about it for non-locals. Get ready for all sorts of animals crossing the roads. And that is in the best of cases. In the worse, they are just standing there, blocking the roads. The Racing Engineering boys have gotten proficient at herding sheep off the road…And, please, don’t be too surprised if someone drives the opposite way on the highway…all this is Turkey! And I love it! I mean, hey…at least you know you are still alive, if your pulse races! And if you drive with Alfonso, then he makes you feel as if Turkey is everywhere But in his defense, I have to say that Thomas and Christian, as well as some others who will stay unnamed here, were pushing their rental cars to their limits as well…

Wednesday and Thursday were really calm days at the track and with little action in the paddock. Although Dani arrived with a bag full of watches for all the team members! I wasn’t able to have a close look to see if he bought them at Istanbul’s Grand Bazar, or brought them over from Spain. However, all the boys were running around with red or yellow watches, perfectly suiting the cars’ livery. In the evening Thomas took all the boys to a restaurant declared as “safe”. Not only did the Racing Engineering crew avoid any stomach problems during the weekend, but also enjoyed some extremely nice service by the restaurant owners. As the engineers and mechanics thought they were in warm Istanbul, they all just went wearing t-shirts. When it got chilly…no, I won’t call them girlies… they all got a pashmina to wrap themselves up in. Oh! They looked so nice and funny. Denis showed an extreme resemblance to a man born some 2000 years ago in Nazareth, while others covered his head in a more feminine way…But the boys looked a bit tired. I was wondering if they went partying the previous night and didn’t tell me about it! But … oh, oh… apparently the air-con wasn’t functional in all the rooms, so some were brave enough to sleep with their windows open and I realised they were not yet used to being woken up at sunrise by the call to prayer of the muezzin! Well, I am sure by Sunday they will…

And talking about their hotel - yes, this time I went with them as I definitely wanted to be part of their adventurous drives on the country roads – it is always good for a story. This year the elevator door on one of the floors was missing, so you could see all the wires moving inside the elevator shaft. Well, one becomes a bit more relaxed about such little disfigurements when having a race in Turkey I guess. But someone was quite scared about it. So I had to whisper into his ear that it’s not the hole jumping onto him, but him having to jump into the hole for something bad to happen. I hope it relaxed him a bit…

Friday the action started and I was quite excited when the engines were turned on in the pit lane for free practice. Chris didn’t know the track yet, so he had to handle some additional pressure, but I couldn’t say it was a handicap. He made his laps as if he already finished several races at the track before. Dani lost some time due to a technical issue, but when he joined the session, he immediately was there and set great lap times. I saw that everyone was optimistic for qualifying and – so was I. But then it happened! Christian complained about a loss of power shortly after the session started. While he was still in a top position at the beginning, being let down by his engine, meant that he dropped back to 11th position. A real shame for the German! I felt so, so sorry for him! I mean, in case you can’t remember, just have a quick glance at what happened in Monaco and you will know what I mean! But Chris is always very pragmatic and positive in his thoughts, so he was sure that it could have been much better with a properly working engine. But 11th was OK under these circumstances. Dani was sharing the top spots with Chris at the beginning of qualifying, but dropped back on his second set of tyres, when he either encountered other cars slowing him down, or yellow flags while trying to set a faster time. So in the end he finished the session in 7th, which was less that everyone hoped for, but not bad either. Well the Racing Engineering boys had a longer night still as the cars needed to be revised and the engine on Chris’ car was to be changed after the problems encountered.

Race day! Dani, starting from 7th was pushing hard to improve his position in the race. I got all nervous, knowing that this track was so hard on tyres! I was wondering at some moments if he was not stressing the rubber too much so early in the race, but relaxed thinking that I am not a driver, but just a little fly… He was holding on to 7th position, which was – just like in qualifying – a bit less than expected, but not really bad either. But…hey! What is happening? Dani dropped back and was also overtaken by Christian, who spent most of the race in 9th position (if you ask me, the worst place to finish a feature race in). So, Dani was actually 9th just after the race and Chris 8th – the German set to start from pole on Sunday! And then…the waiting started…the cars weren’t released from parc fermé for such a long time!!! Hmmm, this normally means that something is not OK in the eyes of the FIA. Quite late parc fermé was opened up and…OH! WOW! … with Perez being disqualified… Sunday’s race saw an all-Racing Engineering front row with Dani as pole sitter and Chris in second. Oh, my goodness! Wasn’t that cool?!? Even Hrsto Stoichkov, the well known ex-FC Barcelona player, whose daughter happens to be Dani’s beloved one, was all excited and…I wonder, if he wouldn’t want to become a race driver instead of a football player, if he had the chance to start all over again…However, he was all excited and happy for Dani & Chris…but who wasn’t?

I see the Racing Engineering crew work very hard all the time, they always give their best, check here and there. But with their drivers on the front row, I have to say that I think I saw even a tiny bit of extra dedication and effort – although I could be wrong, as this is not possible. But I knew they would do what they could to put two highly competitive Dallara GP2 cars on the track for Sunday’s sprint race – and they definitely did! I was sooooo nervous before the start. I was thinking of joining the boys on the starting grid, wishing Dani and Chris good luck, but I couldn’t! I just stayed in the pit-lane and started some serious meditation to calm down. I closed my eyes…formation lap… lights went on…engines hauling…lights went off…race start…Dani had a clean getaway from pole and kept the lead, while Chris defended P2 so well. And they were both fast and got away from the rest. I flew over to the pit wall, to listen a bit to what the engineers and drivers had to say. So far all fine. Cars feeling good and stable, distances increasing, sector times being bettered, etc. yes, this is what I wanted to see. BUT! What was that? Chris mentioned a loss of power from his engine. No! That can’t be! Not again! However, he held on to it, tried his best. He was not as fast as Dani anymore, but still going at the speed of the ones behind him. But this changed in lap 10 and by lap 11 Racing Engineering’s car number 8 was parked next to the track due to an engine failure. I was about to cry! Really! I mean, how much bad luck can Chris and his crew have? This is not normal anymore. Again, just look at what happened in Monaco and how the weekend started in Istanbul…He was devastated after the race and it is understandable. He is there! He has the speed! He deserves it sooooo, sooooo much! And then …something like this. And it would have been so incredibly cool – a one-two finish for my Racing Engineering team!

But the race was not yet over! Not at all! Dani was still running in first position and dominated the field behind him. He increased the gap lap by lap and celebrated his first ever GP2 victory with a comfortable 8.8 seconds gap. And, oh, boy, was he happy! Let me just quickly remind you: 6 races so far, Dani scored in 5 of them and has one win and two podiums so far. It’s clear that such a performance puts him second in the championship at the moment. Once again, keep pushing And Alfonso was quick at having his cigar in place once the race was over. I have to say I only like this habit until he lights them up, but I guess it’s his way to get rid of the pressure. Anyway, this time the cigar was … really big. I wonder if he was able to finish it the same day. And now listen to this, isn’t that nice??? He handed over a cigar to each team member to celebrate the win the “Alfonso way”. I only found out later by the way. I was terrified, thinking we were threatened by the ash-cloud again… But luckily it was not the volcano this time…

I had to get back into the truck the same night, so my partying was limited after Dani’s win. I wasn’t going to Reina’s Sunday night, like most of the F1 and GP2 drivers and other people from the paddock, having heard some of the stories, it’s a pity I wasn’t there…

But I had a private little party in the truck, thinking about the nice smiles Dani puts on when he is on the podium, the breathtaking moment when he crossed the line for his first victory and his happiness. But I also had a sentimental moment when I thought about how much Chris deserved to be on the podium as well, but wasn’t…

Oh well, next race in Valencia. Another race, another chance. And this time with Fortuna on the side of both Racing Engineering boys, I hope.

Nos vemos en Valencia! Hasta pronto!

Fly on the Wall

Salut mes amis!

Oh…I could get used to it, to this savoir vivre on the Côte d’Azur. Living it up at the pinnacle, this is what Monaco stands for if you ask me. The chic yachts, the numerous parties, the ostentation of wealth can impress a little fly like me. But then again, I have to admit, I got used to it quickly. While normally I am happy to grab a bit of food here and there, I have to tell you, I quickly became familiar with the caviar, lobster and champagne I found in Monaco. But I will tell you more about a little fly trying to get a glimpse of the rich and famous later.

Before that, I need to also confess that Monaco and me, well it’s a bit of love and hate relationship. It’s the crazy form of ambivalence. I love the shiny little microcosm on the Côte d’Azur. But I somehow hate the fact that I need to watch my friends race big and powerful cars there. To be honest, this place is NOT made for car racing. Have you ever watched the on-board camera images properly? With barriers so close, practically no escape areas and corner after corner, a little fly heart suffers!!! It just makes me way too nervous. Therefore I always need to prepare my relaxation program for the days around Monte Carlo thoroughly and make sure enough parties and chill out sessions are accommodated.

But let’s start at the beginning. Everyone arrived quite early in Monaco – some because they planned it like this (like my Racing Engineering boys), and some because they took the first possible drive from Barcelona to Monaco as their flights were cancelled because of our friendly volcano up in Iceland. And for GP2, everything begins a day earlier here. Free practice and qualifying are on Thursday. Feature race on Friday and sprint race on Saturday. I don’t mind this timetable. Leaves more time for – right! – partying!

Tuesday was an easy day. Christian, who already arrived Sunday night, also continued his relaxation program (of course I had to join in to support him!) and Dani arrived from Barcelona, just in time to celebrate JB’s birthday with some cakes. I made my tour through the GP2 paddock and realised that some –mainly British - teams had not planned to already be around. I heard conversations about where to get their team gear washed, rearrangements of hotel bookings, etc. But apart from that, it was reeeeeally calm, just like Wednesday. I thought about going to the casino to try my luck on some Poker, Black Jack or Roulette, but …guess what! … the croupiers were on strike! Monaco GP week and the casino is not functional – too bad. So I had to search for some alternative night program and have to say that following Alfonso, Ines and Christian was not a bad idea at all. I joined them for a fun dinner with … wooohooo…Giorgio Pantano and the legendary Severino… at “La Salière”. They definitely had fun and, oh boy, was the food nice. I just couldn’t help trying a bit here and there…and the tables around (most of them filled with race drivers of all kinds of categories racing this week in Monaco). However, they were all off to bed soon with the action starting early the following day! So I also went back to my little hideaway in the truck, knowing that the weekend will still bring many surprises.

Thursday’s free practice went really well for my two friends at Racing Engineering. Chris, who never raced in Monaco before, finished in 3rd, Dani in 4th position. Not bad, not bad at all. I was really excited about qualifying, but got more and more anxious as dark clouds gathered over the Principality. With only a few minutes to go… it started to rain! Oh, no! If Monaco is special, as it always is, it definitely is special when it rains. My heart rate was close to …ever heard “The Legend of Max”? Apparently, the most bpms in a song ever… well, so my heart rate was close to 600 beats per minute…! With the session starting, Dani immediately took a top spot and fought a tough battle for pole with Perez and Maldonado throughout the 30 minutes. Maldonado crashed in St. Devote just after setting the fastest time, and Dani, having crossed the finish line just seconds later, was able to set an even faster time and snatched pole! Yahoooooo! Dani’s first pole position in GP2 (hey, he already qualified second in Portimão last year and 4th in Barcelona this year, so don’t tell me that you didn’t see it coming!) and now in Monaco, pole! This was just fantastic!

Pole = partying Fly on the Wall! I needed to celebrate. I followed Alfonso, Christian and Ines onto the yacht of the Renault F1 team. It was nice and relaxed, which I guess they needed after a long day. But I was out for action and found my destination just next door, or better to say gangplank. Kingfisher party, here I come. I spent some time with Tonio Liuzzi, some with the Force India boys, chatted with Karun’s dad, but more than anything I twirled round the dance floor (partially because it was quite a chilly night so I needed to keep moving, but mainly because of the amazing girls I saw there).

Race 1 on a Friday was a bit odd, but I was very alert with Dani starting from pole and Chris only a few rows behind him. I am sure you saw the race and know that Dani had too much wheel spin because of his starting position in the shade still being a bit damp, but – hey!!! – the boy made a podium! His second podium, scoring in three out of three races so far. Really coooool! Keep pushing, Dani But what happened to Christian??? No one knew and when I finally heard it, I couldn’t HONESTLY believe it. Christian was already unlucky in Barcelona, but keep on reading! The Racing Engineering crew could not start up his engine on the grid (you need to know these cars cannot be started directly, but need an external starter engine) and as pushing the car on the starting grid is highly forbidden, they bump started his car in the pit lane and poor Christian had to start from the pits. But why??? But what happened when the starter engine could not engage with its counterpart? Well, once the car was back with the boys, they opened the gearbox, where the starter engine connects. To their surprise they found, in this little hole, a piece of tyre rubber Christian must have picked up on one of his formation laps. But the rubber alone might not have caused this problem. Stuck to the rubber, there was a piece of metal, a washer! So this combination hindered the starter engine from snapping into place and ruined Christian’s entire Monaco weekend. But what an accumulation of bad luck! The hole for the starter engine is really small. The probability that a piece of rubber from track ending up there is practically impossible. But what makes the likeliness tend towards zero is the fact that additionally there was a piece of metal on this rubber bit. I am still sitting here with my calculator trying to quantify this (im)probability.

Friday night I was with a laughing and a crying eye. But the laws of probability also say that there cannot be bad luck all the time, so I decided that Christian’s season will start from Istanbul on – and he will score, and score, and score. So, off I was again, wearing my party wings and wondering where to find the coolest spot in town (or do you say, within the nation, when it comes to Monaco?). Some partying on the yacht of TW Steel, a bit of champagne at Sass’ Café, then dancing at Jimmy’z – oh, the life of a fly can be really exhausting… Lunch at yet another boat the next day and then race 2. My timetable was full in Monaco. For my friends at Racing Engineering, the sprint race was quite short and their hard work was unrewarded. Christian had his last encounter with bad luck this season (yes, yes, I am trying self-fulfilling prophecies now!) when a sensor in his engine failed (not all parts on the car are prepared by my Racing Engineering friends) and his engine shut itself off completely. Dani, on the other hand, crashed hard against the barriers approaching the casino corner, leaving the Racing Engineering crew with some extra work before the equipment gets shipped to Turkey.
In the end, Monaco brought ambivalent results for my friends at Racing Engineering, reflecting my feelings for this small country. But a podium is a podium. And Dani is leaving Monaco second in the championship. And I am sure Christian will catch up quickly.

Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you: naturally, the Eyjafjallajökull volcano caused some cancelled flights on Sunday night again and Monday morning and I slowly started to think that there is a weird connection between Eyjafjallajökull’s ash emission, wind patterns and GP2/Formula 1 weekends.

Well, I am off to the truck now to get prepared for my boat trip to Istanbul.

Au revoir!

Your Fly