Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
Away from the shiny machinery on track, the glitz and the glamour of the celebrity world descended on the Bahrain International Circuit across the Formula One weekend … especially in the paddock.
His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander and Chairman of the Economic Development Board, toured with grace and dignity before headline celebrity guest, football superstar David Beckham, bounded on to the scene.
He was also granted the honour of waving the chequered flag at the end of the race.
After taking a tour of the pit lane and the McLaren garage, he stepped out into the back of the facility and was surrounded by a scrum of eager fans and the media mass.
Last year, I went selfie-crazy and snapped myself with almost every driver imaginable. I even had an image used on the official F1 website of me taking a photograph with Lewis Hamilton … photo-ception!
I promised myself this year that I wouldn’t spent most of my weekend sitting outside garages, stalking hospitality centres and generally acting like a kid in a sweet shop rather than a professional journalist.
So I didn’t rush to get photos with drivers I’d already snapped, and was generally pretty calm … until Becks ruined it all!
As a Manchester United fan, he was one of my childhood heroes. In fact, I loved Beckham before almost everyone else did, owning one of his jerseys with the number 10 on the back before his breakthrough season where he adopted the famous seven.
I had to get a picture … so I missed a huge chunk of the start of the race hanging around outside the McLaren garage for him to come out, and I was eventually rewarded … as was Editor Stan who claims he knew the man who confiscated Beckham’s balls for constantly smashing his greenhouse windows whilst trying to perfect his free-kick technique!
While his security told us to ‘keep on walking’ and it was a challenge to get in amongst the flailing arms, I did manage to get a picture … even if it was slightly blurry.
If my friends already hated me after last year, they certainly do now!
Whilst Becks understandably did not have the time to stop and chat to all and sundry, snooker legend Jimmy White did. With a very friendly tone and warm voice, he stopped to greet everyone individually and take photographs. No wonder he was always a crowd favourite, although it would have been funny to see him wheeled around the paddock inside a giant cake like he was on UK game show Big Break!
Frankie Dettori, a Champion Jockey on three occasions and the winner of more than 500 races, was similarly affable, wearing a permanent smile.
Cool Carol Vorderman, the former host of popular quiz show Countdown, was a special guest of Mercedes and strolled around the paddock in a variety of impressive fashion statements, while Hollywood actress Catherine Zeta Jones and her children joined the frenzy on race day.
Film director Guy Ritchie was also in attendance with chef and TV presenter James Martin as personalities from all across the celebrity spectrum touched down in the kingdom to enjoy one of the best races in recent memory.
