A real mind-boggler of a day

SILVERSTONE OR BUST

Dateline: Saturday

SILVERSTONE 2010...and Virgin Racing were proudly flying the Union Flag as the only all-British team in the paddock at Silverstone.

We were given an exclusive look behind the scenes at the Virgin garage at the Northamptonshire circuit with Team Principal John Booth taking time out from free practice to show us around. It was a tour most F1 fans never see and it certainly was an eye-opener – from Timo Glock being shoe-horned into his cockpit to the vast telemetry systems, to the bank of tyres ready for track action. It’s a mind-boggling array of computer consoles firing the latest stats from the cars, with the 45-man Virgin team working their socks off behind the scenes.

And it’s not just about the front end of the garage, where the cars enter pit lane. What the public rarely – if ever – see are the guys at the back who operate the cooler systems, the tyre bank and even the carbon fibre re-fit department where running repairs are made in the event of any damage.

Outside and the atmosphere becomes more relaxed, especially as you head to the hospitality areas.

It’s clear to see that the Grand Prix pecking order certainly escalates as you leave the Virgin garage and walk along the garage lane. Virgin have an impressive hospitality centre, capable of hosting their 100-or-so sponsors – and us – but then you get to the bigger and bigger and BIGGER ones, with the Ferrari, McLaren and Red Bull centres dwarfing the others. Some would be at home in Manhattan. They’re a testimony to how much money is floating around F1 and it’s money that certainly decides who wins what...and now we know exactly why Red Bull charge so much for their cans!

Pit lane is also one of THE best places for people watching. Silverstone may not have the glamour and glitz of Bahrain or Monaco but there’s still plenty to see. The TV crews going about their business, Eddie Jordan in his bad-taste trousers, Fernando Alonso walking past – and it’s only then that you realise how short he is – and of course the ever-amenable Virgin boys Timo Glock and Lucas Di Grassi.

On the track, Glock overcame the problems in Friday practice –after a fuel leak problem caused by a crushed O rung – to run a challenging 1.34.775 in qualifying. Neither car could get past the first qualifying hurdle, but there were plenty of positives for John Booth’s team, with Di Grassi timing 135.212. They will start 19th and 22nd respectively on the grid.

Booth was happy afterwards, saying: “We didn’t have any major worries and we’re looking ahead to the race.”

We’ll have more here tomorrow...as the countdown to the big race continues.