Formula 1 Honda Japanese Grand Prix 2022
A Formula 1 Grand Prix in Suzuka was about to be held after two years of cancellation due to COVID. To purchase a decent ticket, you had to sign up for a premium membership and even if you were lucky enough to purchase the ticket, you still had to make a reservation for the hotel. This was harder than expected… Booking.com, Hotels.com, and Rakuten… wherever you look, all the hotels around Suzuka was booked. I knew that there would be a long queue for the bus, so staying at a hotel far away from Suzuka was going to be a nightmare. I would check the websites every now and then just to check if there was any available hotels but no luck… Just as I was about to give up and book a hotel in Nagoya, there was a hotel with a double bed for 2 available in Yotsukaichi (Mie prefecture). I was going to take my sister with me so it was going to be quite tight but I had no choice.
We checked in at the hotel and just as expected, the room was tiny/old & kind of dirty. As we headed out to the city to eat dinner, we noticed a bunch of men dressed in F1 uniforms checking in at our hotel (not the teams but like the one with red logo of F1). Just seeing these people checking in and seeing them walk around the city made me hyped up for the race. It made me realize that the race was actually happening; people working for F1 was here and even staying at the same hotel!
Friday, we went to the circuit as early as possible and when I saw the actual F1 cars with my eyes, I was struck in awe. The drivers and people that I only saw on Netflix, F1TV and YouTube was actually here! Max, Checo, Danny, Norris, Lewis, Charles…. everyone!!! I was so content and so happy, despite being wet and tired from all the rain and waiting. That day, I went back to the hotel and told my sister, “there’s no way that this day can be topped!” Boy was I wrong…
The next morning, we headed to the hotel lobby to eat breakfast along with some people dressed in F1 uniforms. As we were eating breakfast, a man dressed in F1 approached a father & son eating right next to us. They were both dressed in a complete set of Red Bull merch, the boy about 6 years old. The man from F1 was trying to communicate with them but they didn’t seem to understand English. Seeing them struggle, my sister stepped in and translated for them. Apparently, the man wanted to invite the father and son to the paddock. My sister helped them exchange contact information and once everything was settled, the man said, “Maybe you guys can come too.” I could not believe it but it happened… I and my sister was invited to the paddock!!!
So we hurriedly headed to the circuit and awaited for the man to contact us. The message was brief. “Come to the paddock entrance in 5 minutes.” We rushed to the entrance. He handed us a VIP card and I walked into the exclusive world of F1. Below is a video of showing what I’ve experienced in the 3 magical days at Suzuka.