Sunday 29th March -Pit Straight walk, F1 race!

Woke up early, showered, had breakfast and was taken to the station by Euan.
Got the train to Southern Cross Station, and then got the packed tram to Gate1.
When we got to the circuit at 9:30am, the bloke on the loud speaker was directing people with GP advantage tickets to go to the left hand side and snake round, under the bridge, other non GP advantage members go right...
of course lots of people were trying to jump the queue, but only to be told off and join the back of the line like everyone else!, the gates opened for us at 10am (30 mins earlier than everyone else!) we had our bags searched as usual, and followed the LONG queue past the Fangio stand, like on Wednesday, and then we were allowed to walk down the pit straight.. well more like marched down the pit straight...dad throught it was brilliant.. I didn't, you couldn't stop to take a photo, you were ordered to keep moving! It was just manic, I sooo didn't enjoy it at all, I prefered the Wednesday behind the scenes tour..
I guess it was because the pit straight had a shedule to run with!
Anyway dad took a photo of me standing on Pole position... where Jenson Button would start the race from later on, before we headed of the track to the right behind the pitlane to where the paddock entrance is and the autograph stand was where I was on Thursday... it was filled with lots of fans waiting for an autograph..
we popped to the loos just nearby, before heading over the bridge, and to our seats in the Fangio stand, where enrounte I spot a couple a few paces in front of me with a St. Georges flag flag with Jenson Buttons name written across it.. hang on dad gotta get a snap... first Jenson flag I've seen... so I run up to the couple..strike up a convo, and ask if I can take a photo of them holding the flag, (which I did), they even told me they had it signed by Jenson last year in Barcelona... I go closer to the flag -oh yeah!... would be great if he won today.. if he does we'll probs see you down hear later celebrating...
We said goodbye to them and headed to our seats.. the grandstand was filling up more so than the previous two days, but we'd already missed the Historic and Exotic Marques Parade, but got to photograph the Formula 500 Tasman cup rivival, (race 2) of 8 laps and the winners on the podium..., up next was the Cleanevent Australian Formula Ford Championship (race 2) of 8 laps and the podium winners.. a tiger styled helecopter flying over the circuit, We cheered when GPTV was down live in front of Parc Ferme, when the doors opened and the F1 teams could go and collect there cars ready for the race, The mini challange (race 3) of 8 laps and the winners on the podium.

The last BMW ultimate speed comparison... with the Sprintgas V8 driven by Murphy just piping Paul Govner to the finish line, and DEAD last was Christen Klien in the F1 BMW car... :'-(
Then up next was the Aussie Racing cars (race 3 of 8 laps), whilst in was on I managed to nip to the loo's grab a hogdog and get back to my seat, ready to photograph the podium! -they were given some lovely tropheys too :), And then dad went off to grab some lunch!
then they had the Australian GT championship (Race 3) of 8 laps.. I photographed the podium winners too!

Then the track to the left of me filled up with a scrum of photographers a some FIA people put out benches and seats... YAY the F1 drivers class of 2009 photograph.. damn they have it way to far to the left of me.. but other people in the row were saying -go to the next few blocks along.. so thats what I did! -walked right along the next 2 rows of seats..and saw the drivers come out onto the track, Lewis Hamilton waving to the crowd.. the Toyota drivers were the first to the seats (and I was wondering how they knew where to sit.. but on inspecton of my photos they had stickers on the seats with names on :P ) Screwed up on getting the photo of Jenson walking to his seat chatting to Lewis Hamilton!.. and the last driver to his seat was Fernando Alonso! :P As the photos were happening some trucks appeared a fair distance behind them... it didn't click to me what they were.. as the photoshoot finished, Lewis took photos on his phone of the crowd, then headed to the first truck and shook the hands of the guys in it, and jumped onto the middle section of it. The trucks were actually Fire engines, all the fire engines on this grid and the guys inside them ALL helped fight the Australian bushfires that killed many lives and devistated homes, trees and wildlife... I quickly get back to my seat.. everyone is appaulding the the fire engines/firefighters, it was really emotional and even typing this, it's sending goosepimples all over me. I managed to snap some ok shots of the drivers, and Mark Webber being the only Australian driver, threw his drinks bottle into the crowd.. got some great shots of that!..
Once the drivers went round, they got off the trucks and headed to their garages.. before the 2-seater Minardi went round the track with a compertiton winner... and then the grid girls came out with Jenson's "Button 22" board leading the grid...

One-by-one each driver leaves the pitlane, doing a mock up pit stop start...
the machanics are wheeling Jensons tyres out on a trolley in front of me.. the cars are being pushed slowly onto the grid, I can see Rubens.. but now Jenson's is coming.. the machanic are setting up bits rallying round his car as he gets out and takes off his helmet.. Jenson stands with his back to the fence.. thanks Jenson.. but then he turns round and waves in my direction.. I snapped a shot of it too :D
He does some Interviews for verious tv camera's including taking to BBC's Martin Brundle on his gridwalk... as well as running through last minute data with his race engeneer Andrew Shovelin.. the Australian National Anthen is sung,the grid starts to clear, the drivers are back in their cars... and a Quanta plane does a low overhead flypast..
The drivers are ready in the zone, awaiting the for formation lap to begin.. from where I'm sitting I can see the lights.. the one formation lap is go, to hear all 20 cars go past is loud... as the cars goes round the track they are weaving across the track to keep tyre temperatures up.. I'm watching on the TV screen to the right of me.. eventually Jenson weaves the cars to the grid.. AGGHHH..
1-2-3-4-5 come up red-to green and its GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Jenson... he's gets a good start off the line, but Rubens doesn't.. as the cars steam past me, time to watch on the big screen
There was a bit of mayhem at the first corner, and Rubens has somehow gone down to 7th place. Nick heidfeld has had to come into the pits with a puncture, and Heikki kovanlien. Looking on the screen Rubens created the problems by going into the side of Mark Webber... sadly Mark Webber also came into the pit lane for a new nose cone.
The first retirement is Heikki Kovalen with front suspention, The other Brit Lewis Hamilton is climbing up the field and overtaking lots of cars...
It's so nice to hear the REAL sound of F1 cars.. and currently just watching them on the screen until they get along the pit straight and watch them go past.. Jenson is still leading from Pole... and the Ferrari's arn't looking very fast.. Nakajimi runs into the wall at turn 3, and debris all over the track.. and Rubens and Jenson comes in for their first pit stop... just after Jenson comes out the pits the safety car is deployed, and on the screen it shows a reply of Giancarlo Fisichella overshooting his pitstop of and so the machanics dive out the way, and he's wheeled backwards and drives forward to kind of line up in his box.. As Jenson picks up behind the safety car, for a few laps he follows the safety car, before its pulled in, and Jenson gets a good clean away from the restart..

On the restart Piquet for Renualt loses it on the first corner and goes off in the gravel trap.. 3rd retirment of the day...
a bit later on watching the screen Kimi drops it under breaking and ends up in the wall.. but continues on... but now down into about 16th place.. and Massa's car is slowing down on the track.. oh dear I'm surrounded by ferrari fans, and we watch Massa come into the pits, the machinics have cleared a space in the garage (there garage is in front of us) as Massa comes in and parks his car, and Jenson comes into the pits too... a change of tyres and more fuel, he's back out of the pits, just ahead of Sabastian Vettel who's in 2nd place, and Rubens Barrichello in 3rd, until he comes in for his final pit stop and comes out 5th....

With just 6 laps to go Rubens overtakes Nico Rosberg for 4th place... and Lewis is now up to 7th place too.. Rosbergs tyres are fading and lots of cars are overtaking him... and then with 4 laps to go, Sebastian Vettel and Robert Kubica goes make contact, and Vettel goes into the wall, and Kubica a second later just loses in big time, and ends up in the wall lots of debris across the track, Safety car deployed, Vettel is trying to get back to the pits on 3 wheels.. which is against the rules.. That means Ruben's now up into 2nd place... Jenson eventually picks up the safety car... and follows it, to the end of the lap, and then he just has to cross the line to take the chequared flag...
WOOHOOOO, Oh My Goodnessss, Jensons WONNNNNNN... and Rubens is 2nd -it's a BrawnGP 1-2.. with Trulli 3rd..
All the Ferrari fans in our row and hugging me or high-fiving me, they all knew how much this would mean.. This HAS just TOPPED off my holiday...
The track infront of me is full of fans now.. I ask to two kids in front of me if they can give me a tiny gap for me to get photos of Jenson/BrawnGP on the podium... which they were happy enough to do... I can even see through the glass of the lads in in room next to the podium.. Jenson comes out onto the podium and the crowd goes wild.... the 3 guys get up on their steps and the British Anthem is played ... and the Jenson get his trophey.. woohoo he looks REALLY happy, and Ross Brawn is given the Winning constructor trophy.. Rubens is given his trophy, and Trulli his 3rd place trophey..
and out comes the champaign.. and Ross uses his trophey to cover his face from the champaign spraying.. I'm just snapping away.. some group shot and they head off the podium...
OH MY GOODNESS, I still can't believe it.. JENSON WONNNNNN...
dad takes some photos of me, looking rather happy, and then on the TV screen they go live to the Drivers Press confrence...
Jenson is just beaming from ear-to-ear... and he didn't care he finished the race behind a safety car, he was just happy to win, Rubens was happy he fininshed the race as he hit cars, or got hit, and thought his race was over, but his car was strong.. and Trulli was glad to win as he started from the pit lane, after the FIA yesterday ruelled they were running flexable rear wings, and made them start from the pit lane...
Once the Press confrence was over, myself and dad headed to the loo's and then we headed to the concert area for the exclusive "THE WHO" Concert... the crowd was really deep, and of course I couldn't see.. so we're heading deeper and deeper into the crowd.. which dad really isn't liking.. it also smells like someones smoking 'weed' near us... and after just 45-mins or so dad wants to go.. but I want to stay... Alas dad gets his way, as I'm trying to find a way out of this HUGE crowd, and dad trying to keep up.. we get to the tram station.. and head back to Southen Cross, where I phone David whilst waiting for the train back to Barbara's... I'm estatic.. Davids sleepy!
I had to ask David about how come Lewis was 3rd, but then Trulli was third.
But what emerged over the next few days ment that Lewis in the end got disqualified, for lying over something, as did the McLaren team for lying to the FIA too... Eventually we get back to the Barbara's house, where eveyone is pleased for me.. the girls are like "you boy won the Grand Prix".. I'm hoping this is the first of many wins for Jenson this season.. (and to date of this page being written, he's won 5 so far this season..)

I stayed out in Australia until Friday, spending lots of time with my relatives, before jetting back to England.. As soon as I got home I went straight to the DVD player to watch the recording of the Malaysian Qualifying..

Here's the results from the race:

[Australia Wednesday] [Australia Thursday] [Australia Friday] [Australia Saturday] [Australia Sunday]