We arrived in Doha, Qatar on Thursday November 21 after a direct 11-hour flight from Perth. The weather was fine and sunny when we landed with a max temperature of 26°C.
There are lots of things to do in this country of just over 3 million people, and we wanted to try as many things as possible. Visiting wonderful shopping malls, that provide a safe and entertaining environment for individuals and entire family groups, was an eye-opener, as was the cleanliness of the malls and open-air markets and the friendliness of everyone we met. Like other places in the Middle East such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Bahrain, we always felt safe walking the streets – day and night.
After our sightseeing days ended, we prepared for our first day at the track. I had chosen the PODIUM package with accommodation for this event. The accommodation packages booked through F1 Experiences include transportation to and from the track and this became an obvious and necessary inclusion once the event started. The Podium package seemed good value and provided experiences that were suspended for the past few years due to COVID and safety concerns.
Our experiences on the Friday night included a late-night walk in Pit Lane and the Grid, and a visit to the garage of either Haas or Sauber, where an F1 expert informed us of the Pit procedure.
We were then invited up to the driver’s cool-down room where the top three drivers go after the race. A gift of a Pirelli 1st Place Cap was a pleasant surprise as we took to the Podium for our very special Podium Photo accompanied by an announcer introducing us to the top step!
We then got to meet and chat with Bernd Maylander, the Safety Car driver, in Pit Lane along with his safety car. Always entertaining and informative with F1 fans, Bernd even allowed us to look inside the Safety Car and explained many of the technical aspects of the car.
A walk through the hallowed ‘Paddock’ was a highlight, and the Qatar Paddock is certainly one of the best on the Calendar. Spacious, with all the best tech, it was beautifully lit and provided numerous photo opportunities, albeit being very quiet this late at night!
As with all my visits to the various Grands Prix around the world, I always get to look at other fan locations, including hospitality package locations that I can provide to my clients. I always like to investigate the Champions Club locations (one of my favourite hospitality packages), and I was kindly invited to the Club in Qatar to experience the inclusions of this now, well-known and well patronised offering at all the circuits.
I was very impressed by the location, right on Turn 1 opposite the Royal Box building, offering terrific views of all the cars right on the braking point to Turn 1.
The catering was all first-class with some of the best prepared food, presented in a spectacular spacious and beautifully decorated environment.
The ‘special guest’ appearance was Jenson Button who regaled the audience with tales of his experiences in F1 and as a World Champion.
A cheaper hospitality option in Qatar is the ‘Hill’, which is a very relaxed private open space, offering burgers, pizza’s and other fast foods as well as unlimited beer, wine, soft drinks and coffee. I was shown all the different parts of the Hill, with its variety of seating options and views straight down the main straight, and was impressed by the service and cleanliness of this unique location.
Qatar proved to be a fantastic experience and for people in Australian capital cities (Yes, including Perth), the direct flight is certainly enticing. I am hoping that the Qatar – Abu Dhabi double header stays on the Calendar for many years (it’s only a 1 hour flight from Qatar to Abu Dhabi) because F1 fans can get a double helping of this magnificent sport over two consecutive weekends!
We are off to Abu Dhabi now so stay tuned for my report on the Abu Dhabi race next week. Oh, if you are a music fan – this is the entertainment line-up for the Abu Dhabi race……..
