Dreams come true as Yas Marina Circuit opens pit lane for F1 fans ahead of grand prix

Thousands of ticket holders enjoy rare chance to see F1 teams carrying out final checks on cars before tomorrow’s practice sessions

Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, November 20, 2014: Motorsport fans got the chance to walk in the footsteps of their heroes today (Thursday) as Yas Marina Circuit opened its pit lane to the public ahead of this weekend’s FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX.

The public pit lane walk provided a rare chance for F1 fans from all corners of the globe to go behind the scenes and see the teams preparing their cars for tomorrow’s practice sessions.

Many of the three-day ticket holders enjoying the pit lane walk had never been so close to the finely-tuned racing machines before.

“To actually see the Formula One cars close up like this, and see the engineers making final adjustments is amazing!” said 15-year-old Saleh Al Mazrouei, an Emirati F1 fan, attending the event with his father.

“I want to be an F1 driver when I grow up, so for me this is a dream come true.” Standing outside the Mercedes pit garage was Eddie Travers, aged 24, who has
travelled to Abu Dhabi from Canada for the Grand Prix. He said: “It’s really a treat to be able to stand in the pit lane like this and see the racing cars first-hand. I’ve been to F1 races before in different parts of the world, but I’ve never until now managed to get so close to the cars and see the mechanics at work.”

Fans attending today’s pit lane walk were not only limited to male super fans. Wearing her patriotic Union Jack trousers especially for the occasion, 35-year old Pip Gibson from the UK was at the pit lane with her husband. She revealed they had travelled especially to Abu Dhabi for the race as part of their honeymoon.

A huge Lewis Hamilton fan, Gibson said: “I just think he’s the best, and I am not just saying that because he’s British! Hamilton goes out of his way to meet his fans. I don’t think it’s fair that Lewis has had a few DNF’s this season and I hope he wins on Sunday.”