iWitness in Spain: Friday

Posted on Friday 08 May 2009 and tagged with iwitness, spain, barcelona.

Patrick Head no longer comes to every race, but when he does, he’s cheap to run. He won’t be found in any of Barcelona’s swish hotels this weekend because he’s sleeping on his yacht, Fica Fria, which is moored in Barcelona Harbour. What does ‘Fica’ mean, Patrick? Formula 1 Constructors Association?

Patrick was busy with media activities today. As well as the FIA press conference, he had to do a number of other interviews and, in one, he was asked about driver superstitions. “I remember that Nigel [Mansell] used to have a pair of lucky red underpants,” he said. “I think he washed them a few times, but they were looking pretty lousy by the end of his career, I must say!”

Fernando Alonso has a clear dislike of the media. When his autograph session was disrupted by intrusive photographers this afternoon, he returned to the Renault motorhome – much to the dismay of his Spanish fans. He then returned to the autograph stand once the snappers had left and enjoyed an intimate session with his people.

Fuji TV are suffering a staff shortage this weekend after the Japanese TV broadcaster decreed that none of their Tokyo-based staff should travel to the Spanish Grand Prix due to the risk of contracting Swine Flu. They have only one cameraman and one pitlane interviewer at the Circuit de Catalunya, both of them Europe-based.