Hi everyone, I’m Richard and I’m a McLaren superfan! I started watching Formula 1 in the early 90s and hearing the noise of the cars on TV is what really attracted me to this amazing sport.

Keep on reading to hear all about my experience at week one of the 2020 pre-season test in Barcelona.

Day 1

After a short walk to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from my hotel, I arrived early to collect a pass which gave me access to the roof and VIP grandstand. The on-track action started at 9am and wow, what a great sound hearing the cars hit the track for the first time! They sound louder this year, and there are some cool liveries as well. For me though, the MCL35 is the best and when the sun hits the papaya the colour really pops.

In the afternoon I had a wander up onto the roof, which sits above the garages in the pit-lane, as it’s a great vantage point. I took some nice pictures and videos there, and then went over into the VIP Grandstand to watch the cars.

@Jacqui_and_West and I then did the pit-walk, and we were lucky enough to get a photo with last year’s MCL34 and also Tom Briggs (Garage Support Team Leader). It was great, and we had the fantastic surprise of being invited by the team to go into the garage. I loved seeing the team at work - all the men and women at McLaren do an amazing job.

This was the highlight of my day, and to top it off, the on-track action was entertaining and there were no red flags. Always a plus for the fans!

Day 2

On the second day at the track, I was lucky enough to spend it in the paddock. Having a paddock pass is super cool - you can wander around as much as you like and maybe see a few famous faces. I walked over to McLaren and had the opportunity to chat with some personnel. It was cold start in Barcelona and the team kindly offered me a coffee.

After that I went for a walk around and got some great selfies with the McLaren team, met up with Jacqui for another pit-walk, and took some photos with my MCL35 flag & of West (the teddy).

Finally, I made my way back to the roof to watch the cars flying down the main straight for the post-lunch session. While there I met plenty other McLaren fans, which is always a pleasure.

Day 3

On my last day at the circuit, I went into the main grandstand and put up my flag to show support for the team.

This is where I met up with more McLaren fans. We then went for a walk to the inside of the circuit to see how the cars looked in the corners. The atmosphere was fantastic and so many awesome fans were shouting and clapping as their drivers flew past. The smell from the cars was just something else!

Final thoughts

It was such a buzz seeing the MCL35 take to the track in all its glory. The car looks great, and from what I can see it looks like a step forward from last year’s MCL34. There’s a definite attention to detail in this fine-looking car.

I enjoyed meeting a lot of new people during testing and there was a great atmosphere surrounding the three days. The team was a lot more relaxed compared to a full-on race weekend, and because of that there’s more time to interact with fans.

I loved my time at the pre-season test, it’s such an amazing experience and I would recommend it to any F1 fans.

Hope you enjoyed this blog!

Richard (@Richard_D80)

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