Kimi Raikkonen's Scuderia Ferrari SF71H
A very long description post; but I do hope you take the time to read it! These series of shots of both the Scuderia Ferrari SF71H cars that close was such an emotional time for me.
A bit of context, I've been a Formula 1 fan since 1996, and the first team I became a fan of was Scuderia Ferrari since then, and the first driver I became a fan of was, of course, Michael Schumacher.
It has always been my dream to attend a F1 race weekend, and one of those race weekends I so want to attend happens to be the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in the legendary Suzuka Circuit.
Even just watching the cars, especially the Ferrari pair, from my seat as they go around the track was a dream come true enough for me when I attended my very first F1 weekend in Singapore last year.
Visiting the country of Japan, a country I have always been fascinated with for as long as I can remember, ever since I started watching Anime and reading Manga, and getting into anything weird; Finally visiting the Suzuka Circuit, my favorite race track, for my favorite sport of all time, Formula 1. This was already bound to be a perfect trip all around!
Then when I had the opportunity to have a pitlane and track walk, I took it without even worrying about how to get back to my hotel in Nagoya on time. I just had to walk through the pitlane and a bit of the track of Suzuka Circuit... I just had to.
Usually pitlane and track walks are done on Thursdays, where most of the cars or still being assembled in the garage, but having the walk right after the Qualifying Session, we were treated to seeing the cars close up in their garages or in the FIA garage while being scrutineered.
Having thanked God and how lucky and blessed I was to see the Ferrari cars waiting to be scrutineered, I continued on my pitlane walk, eventually heading towards the Scuderia Ferrari garage, knowing it would be empty.
Looking at the garage with eager eyes, taking a few photos here and there, then suddenly... I hear some people speaking in Italian and English, saying "excuse us", I turned around, and the Ferrari SF71H of Sebastan Vettel, and shortly after, Kimi Raikkonen, were being hauled back from FIA garage into their respective garages, where I was!
Both cars were just arms length away from me! I swear, that Vettel's rear right tyre grazed my knees; If I tripped while taking panic photos of the cars (I was panicking cos I was just overwhelmed!) I would have probably damaged either car and be sent to jail or something (it would be worth it, I guess).
If this were on a Thursday walk, I won't have the chance to bump into these cars this close since they will be in their own garage the entire time. How lucky was I!?
I may not have touched either Ferrari, or have a selfie with either Ferrari, but being this close! So close that if I just reached out, I would have been slapped by officials.
IT WAS ALREADY MORE THAN A DREAM COME TRUE FOR A FERRARI AND FORMULA 1 FAN SINCE 1996. IT WAS ALREADY MORE THAN A DREAM COME TRUE VISITING JAPAN AND SUZUKA CIRCUIT. IT WAS A PERFECT TRIP.
I am beyond blessed!
Shooting Information:
Nikon D7200 with MB-D15 Battery Grip
Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM
Aperture Priority
1/2000th @ 50mm zoom, f/2.8
ISO 1600
On Shoe Nikon SB-600 Flash Fired
Post Processing Information:
Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 7.1
Not Cropped
Kimi Raikkonen's Scuderia Ferrari SF71H
A very long description post; but I do hope you take the time to read it! These series of shots of both the Scuderia Ferrari SF71H cars that close was such an emotional time for me.
A bit of context, I've been a Formula 1 fan since 1996, and the first team I became a fan of was Scuderia Ferrari since then, and the first driver I became a fan of was, of course, Michael Schumacher.
It has always been my dream to attend a F1 race weekend, and one of those race weekends I so want to attend happens to be the Japanese Grand Prix weekend in the legendary Suzuka Circuit.
Even just watching the cars, especially the Ferrari pair, from my seat as they go around the track was a dream come true enough for me when I attended my very first F1 weekend in Singapore last year.
Visiting the country of Japan, a country I have always been fascinated with for as long as I can remember, ever since I started watching Anime and reading Manga, and getting into anything weird; Finally visiting the Suzuka Circuit, my favorite race track, for my favorite sport of all time, Formula 1. This was already bound to be a perfect trip all around!
Then when I had the opportunity to have a pitlane and track walk, I took it without even worrying about how to get back to my hotel in Nagoya on time. I just had to walk through the pitlane and a bit of the track of Suzuka Circuit... I just had to.
Usually pitlane and track walks are done on Thursdays, where most of the cars or still being assembled in the garage, but having the walk right after the Qualifying Session, we were treated to seeing the cars close up in their garages or in the FIA garage while being scrutineered.
Having thanked God and how lucky and blessed I was to see the Ferrari cars waiting to be scrutineered, I continued on my pitlane walk, eventually heading towards the Scuderia Ferrari garage, knowing it would be empty.
Looking at the garage with eager eyes, taking a few photos here and there, then suddenly... I hear some people speaking in Italian and English, saying "excuse us", I turned around, and the Ferrari SF71H of Sebastan Vettel, and shortly after, Kimi Raikkonen, were being hauled back from FIA garage into their respective garages, where I was!
Both cars were just arms length away from me! I swear, that Vettel's rear right tyre grazed my knees; If I tripped while taking panic photos of the cars (I was panicking cos I was just overwhelmed!) I would have probably damaged either car and be sent to jail or something (it would be worth it, I guess).
If this were on a Thursday walk, I won't have the chance to bump into these cars this close since they will be in their own garage the entire time. How lucky was I!?
I may not have touched either Ferrari, or have a selfie with either Ferrari, but being this close! So close that if I just reached out, I would have been slapped by officials.
IT WAS ALREADY MORE THAN A DREAM COME TRUE FOR A FERRARI AND FORMULA 1 FAN SINCE 1996. IT WAS ALREADY MORE THAN A DREAM COME TRUE VISITING JAPAN AND SUZUKA CIRCUIT. IT WAS A PERFECT TRIP.
I am beyond blessed!
Shooting Information:
Nikon D7200 with MB-D15 Battery Grip
Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8 EX DC OS HSM
Aperture Priority
1/2000th @ 50mm zoom, f/2.8
ISO 1600
On Shoe Nikon SB-600 Flash Fired
Post Processing Information:
Adobe Lightroom Classic CC 7.1
Not Cropped