Perfect racing conditions in Abu Dhabi

Spending time at the track in style.

Can you put a price on the Formula One experience of a lifetime? According to research, when it comes to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, it starts at about $5000. For that money you can expect entrance into the fabled Paddock Club. There, hosted by corporate hospitality, you get to be fed and watered all day while overlooking the track's start line out of the front windows and the busy paddock lane out back, which provides access to all the racing teams' garages. Along said lane you'll get to see celebrities such as Prince Harry, who popped into Infiniti Red Bull's construction area last year, the drivers themselves or even team principals including Christian Horner who married former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell this year.
For a group of Dubai residents on Friday, however, this experience came as part of a loyalty scheme, which meant they got to live the highlife for a day completely on the house.
An AW Rostamani Arabian Automobiles initiative, all seven lucky participants had recently bought an Infiniti Q50, which entered them into the draw for this incredible prize.
The day began early as the winners were whisked from the AW Rostamani complex on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai, straight to Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. Once there, they were ushered into Infiniti Red Bull Racing's lounge for a bite to eat just as the first practice laps were being run.
Perhaps the greatest aspect of these lounges is the feeling of being right in the thick of the action. Groups of people in branded racing shirts walking about, the noise from the track merely a few feet below filling the room, and being surrounded by five-star elegance hits home how glamorous and exciting this sport has traditionally been.
Infiniti Red Bull's Christian Horner summed it up well during a question and answer session with guests when he said in response to which other role in the team he would like if he had the choice: "I'd like your job," he said pointing to the interviewer. "You get to meet all these lovely people in here, eat some good food and have a good time. It doesn't seem too bad to me."
Each of the winners also got a tour of the Infiniti garage where engineers were hard at work putting the finishing touches on the cars ready for today's final race.
david@khaleejtimes.com