The season opener …

Glamour, money, watches, expensive cars, beautiful women…. this is the image Formula One sells to the outside world and they sell it very well. Up to a certain point it is true, but don't forget that the major part of the paddock is a hard working class of mechanics, catering staff, technicians and media people without who the broadcast wouldn't get transferred, the food couldn't be served (or cooked), the wheel gun couldn't be fired off, tires wouldn't be heated and pictures wouldn't have been taken and sent out to the outside world.

 

All these people work hard to keep the Formula One business running and up on the top of sport businesses worldwide and they do a great job.

 

I have to smile, when other non-F1 snappers say to me, oh so you are off for holiday in Australia and Malaysia next right? Well yeah, it might be a holiday destination for others, but not for us F1 photographers. 

 

To get to Australia means for me to pack up to 20kg's of personal belongings and other 25-30Kg's of equipment, to take three different flights and after about 25hrs of traveling to reach the final destination called Australia. Your biological clock is set about 12hrs behind the local time and first you think about is a shower, bed and two days off to recover… Forget it.

Australia is a beautiful country and a wonderful start into the season, you meet all the people you work with throughout the year in a close bar just around the corner or in a restaurant opposite your hotel. It is an ideal place to catch-up, have a chat about how you've spent the winter, exchange some news and to kick-off another season. Usually you meet these people at 4 in the morning jogging along the beach and at 6 having a breakfast in a cafe on the Fitzroy Street as most of them are still jetlagged by this time. 

 

We all like coming to Australia, but there is one thing for us European, we don't really get, that is this Health and Safety craziness in this country. 

 

I always wonder why’s that, where is all the common sense gone, why people here just follow blindly rules with no sense at all. I remember last year me and my other colleague received three fines from a local police during the first day of our stay in Melbourne. Back home I haven't been fined for about 1year now. This year started a little bit better, no fines, just a barman who asked me to take my just payed sandwich and come to the other side of the same bar to get the just payed beer.

When I asked him why that is, he replied that this side of his bar isn't licensed for alcohol distribution. Obviously it was licensed for alcohol payment thought. First I thought he was joking, quickly I understood he wasn't. Anyway, it is still a beautiful country, but unfortunately I only "like" it.

 

Coming to the sporting side of the race weekend in Melbourne, I think that was just the best start we could have had. Two of the 2013 favorites standing on the podium just a bit lower to this Finish guy, who just few considered of being able of winning the first race. When I first saw Kimi on Thursday in the paddock, I thought he must have put on at least 5Kg's over the winter. Standing and posing for the official pre-season photo with his belly slightly visible even underneath the overall, I thought well, that is funny. Now that was a surprise and a great entertainment for the spectators and fans all around the World. 

 

We all knew he is a great driver, but to be honest most of us were in doubts when he returned to F1 last year, but silently and regularly he kept getting points in almost every race, his consistency is amazing and it already awarded him with one World Champion title in a race other three drivers where expected to win the Championship, but at the end it was him… 

 

Now at the end we return to the beginning. Kimi is one of the driver's who seems to be not interested in all this F1 glamour, public relations and marketing strategies, which Formula One lives out of. With other words he doesn't give a s…t. All he likes is racing and having a good time with friends. 

 

That is probably what makes him without his own intention, one of the most interesting drivers on the grid. All F1 fans have a great 2013 season.