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This year on the 29th of February, I had a fantastic opportunity to visit the F1 exhibition in the beautiful capital city of Austria, Vienna. Despite the lack of crowds during my visit, which I attribute to the timing—midweek and midday—the experience was memorable. As a long-time Formula 1 enthusiast, I found the exhibition to be satisfying, and also an enjoyable introduction for my companion, who had recently begun following the sport. I spent around 2 hours and 30 minutes around the world of F1 (and in my opinion I could spent more). However, I have to admit that the absence of interactive elements, such as pit stop challenges or reaction tests, was a big disappointment, those elements could have enhanced the overall engagement.

The collection at the exhibition was indeed impressive. Among exhibits were numerous F1 drivers’ helmets, race-worn suits, and iconic cars. Notably, one of the F1 cars on display was borrowed from current Alpine driver Pierre Gasly (his winning AlphaTauri AT01from 2020 Italian Grand Prix)

The great number of exhibits offered visitors a glimpse into the rich history of Formula 1 and evolution of the sport, from ’50s to the modern era.Another fascinating element of the exhibition was the section dedicated to the evolution of F1 drivers’ positions in the racing cars throughout the decades. From the very beginning of the championship to the present day, visitors could spotted the shifts in positions, reflecting the dynamic technical changes in Formula 1 world.

One of the highlights of the exhibition was the algorithm that determined the favorite GOAT driver based on visitors’ opinions. This interactive feature not only added a layer of personalization but also sparked intriguing conversations among my company, as each person’s choice reflected their unique perspective on F1 and drivers’ strengths.

The section dedicated to the anatomy of an F1 car and its components was enlightening. Contrasting old engines to their modern counterparts deeply illustrated the technological progress made in the sport over the years. From aerodynamics to engine performance, visitors gained insight into the engineering innovations that propel F1 cars since decades. A big treasure trove for motorsport fans who love technological solutions.

What truly left a lasting impression of the exhibition was Romain Grosjean’s car, the one of his terrifying crash during the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2021. Witnessing the mangled wreckage reminders the inherent risks involved in this sport, as well as the incredible resilience and safety measures that enable drivers to walk away from such harrowing incidents or even (especially according to that crash) avoid death.

The exhibition provided a comprehensive overview of F1’s history and iconic moments. However, I have to admit that the absence of interactive elements, such as pit stop challenges or reaction tests, was lacking. Those elements could have increase the overall engagement. Also that kind of addition to the exhibition would have further enriched the experience, particularly for visitors seeking hands-on engagement with the sport, including younger fans who eager to experience the adrenaline-fueled atmosphere of an F1 race.​In conclusion, my trip to Vienna to see and experience the F1 exhibition was a fascinating journey through the decades of Formula 1 history. While the absence of interactive elements, the extensive collection of exhibits and displays offered a comprehensive overview of F1’s evolution and enduring legacy. With a few enhancements, the exhibition could engage visitors even more actively. I truly recommend visiting Vienna and seeing the F1 exhibition.

Max Verstappen was no match for anyone else on the grid on a challenging night in Jeddah as he stormed towards a ninth consecutive grandprix win, equalling his own record from the past. His teammate Perez was the closest to him and finished 7 seconds behind him, which in itself was a commendable effort given how dominant Verstappen has been in the recent times. Yet another Redbull 1-2 in Saudi Arabia means that the tone for the season has been set in stone and is unlikely to change unless something drastic happens.

Ferrari secured a consecutive podium spot with Charles Leclerc doing the best he could but the story of the night was neither Leclerc, nor Verstappen or Perez, it was the 18 year old rookie, Oliver Bearmann who was supposed to be heading to the Formula 2 paddock come Saturday but found himself driving a Ferrari in Formula 1. It was a dream scenario and the young British driver took everyone by surprise after a fantastic drive to finish 7th. After a few initial overtakes on Tsunoda and Hulkenberg, Bearmann was on it from start to finish and finally held his nerve to finish ahead of Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton.

Oscar Piastri finished a strong 4th in his McLaren after a decent drive. McLaren was pacy in sector 1 in the fast curves but lacked straight line speed which made them vulnerable at times. Mercedes fell short yet again at this race as the best they could do was George Russell finishing 6th and Hamilton finishing 9th. Hamilton was vocal on the radio about Mercedes lacking with respect to McLaren and so was Fernando Alonso in the Aston Martin after he termed McLaren as being in a different league compared to them.

At the beginning of the race, Alpine’s struggles this season continued as Gasly was forced to retire on lap 1. It did not get any better for the French team as the other driver Esteban Ocon could only finish as high as 13th, well outside the points. A mixed race entailed for Aston Martin as Alonso finished 5th, scoring good points but Lance Stroll crashed into the barriers after grazing the wall on lap 7.

A splendid team game was played by Haas for the final points position as Hulkenberg scored the precious point but all the work was done by Kevin Magnussen, defending by the skin of his teeth against Tsunoda and Albon, just so that his teammate could have an enough amount of gap to pit in and emerge ahead of the points chasing pack. He had quite an eventful race on his own as he was hit with a 10-second time penalty twice, once due to his collision with Albon and once due to leaving the track and gaining an advantage.

Yuki Tsunoda was fiery throughout the race and drove as if he had a point to prove but fell short at the end as he could only finish 14th and it looked like race of many distractions for Daniel Ricciardo as he could only finish 16th in a underwhelming show, including a spin towards the ending stages. Alexander Albon finished 11th in his Williams just outside the points after a good drive that included some brave overtaking but his teammate Sargeant could only finish 15th, with Williams not taking any points. It was a worse outing for Sauber as they were the last two of the finishing cars with Bottas in 17th and Zhou in 18th.

With a Redbull 1-2 in both the races so far in the season, it would be vastly surprising if anything changes come the Australian grandprix in 2 weeks time. Verstappen will have his eyes set on the 10th straight win and Perez will try to get closer to his teammate than he did today. Ferrari will hope for a change in their fortunes in their bid to catch Redbull but it seems like a step that will not be climbed for this season.