Austrian Grand Prix 2018 Tour Report

As the midpoint of the season approaches we headed to Vienna and Spielberg for the Austrian Grand Prix, which was also the second race of the new crucial mid-season triple header, the French GP the week before saw a return to form for Mercedes and the team had high hopes heading into the Austrian weekend.

Our tour options included flights from Manchester or London Heathrow and a choice of either a new 3* Ibis hotel or the 4* Imperial Riding School hotel (formerly Europe’s largest cinema!). Our group was supplemented by clients who decided to go for the hotel & ticket packages that allowed them to make their own flight arrangements and stay on for a few days to enjoy the beautiful city of Vienna.

Upon arrival, we held our welcome drinks at the Imperial Riding School to get that all-important last- minute information on not just the weekends racing but also the sights of Vienna. After a few drinks it was clear that a large number of our group were Hamilton and Mercedes fans, with a few vocal Ferrari supporters adding to the fun rivalry that continued throughout the weekend (both in the grandstands and on the track!). After the welcome event, the beers continued to flow at a local micro-brewery that served authentic Austrian food and was the perfect way to get excited for the weekend that lay ahead.

Saturday morning came around quickly and we made our way through the mountains to the Red Bull Ring while having a reminder of the action from last year through the 2017 season review playing on the coach. As well as the F1 action we were also treated to a couple of fantastic races in the GP3 & F2 series both. Having dominated the practice sessions, Mercedes completed a lock-out on the front row with Bottas piping Hamilton with a superb flying lap at the end of Q3. Behind were the Ferraris again showing good form but much to the disappointment of the hoards of Dutch Max Verstappen fans Red Bull were struggling for pace at their home race. The fantastic views of the undulating circuit are always a treat especially when bathed in the Austrian sunshine! On the way home, the excitement was high, and our well-stocked coach had refreshments for the party to continue as we made our way back to Vienna.

Sunday started fairly early in order to get to the track in decent time and we managed to avoid the traffic and get into the circuit just before the start of the last GP3 race - again another cracker to get the day started. As it turned out, Mercedes would have preferred the weekend to finish with Qualifying as a mixture of poor race strategy and ultimately mechanical failure led to both Mercedes failing to finish (the first time for both Mercedes drivers not to finish since 1955 due to mechanical reasons!). The disappointment for Mercedes meant the opposite for both Red Bull and Ferrari with Max Verstappen taking the lead and brilliantly managing his tyres home but even more importantly with Raikonnen (ignoring the rumours about his contract) taking second place and Vettel fighting through from 6th (after a three-place grid penalty) to third. This meant that Vettel goes into the British GP with a one-point lead in the drivers’ championship and Ferrari are at the top of the pile for the first time in a long time in the constructers championship.

After the race and watching the many Dutch fans enjoy the podium, we quickly made our way out of the track and back towards Vienna. Getting back slightly earlier than on Saturday meant enough time for the Gullivers team to head into Vienna and visit a staff favourite of Ribs of Vienna (and just one or two Austrian beers)! Fed and watered, we made our way home for a well-earned sleep!

With the sun shining all weekend and again on Monday we transferred our clients with Manchester flights to the airport, before our early afternoon transfers for the remaining clients on the London flight we had one final chance to have a look around Vienna and really appreciate what a fantastic city it is to use as a base for the Austrian GP.

After a smooth flight home our thoughts swiftly turn to the British GP and with a disgruntled Hamilton normally on fine form at his home track the excitement continues to grow in what is turning out to be one of the most exciting season in recent history - long may it continue!!!

- Ali H and Sarah B