Tag: Cars

Formula 1 British Grand Prix 2019

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This weekend I got to fulfil a lifelong dream and attend a Formula 1 Grand Prix. Silverstone was the venue, and after a long journey out to Northamptonshire and a night in a hotel, I was straight on the bus to a racing circuit on which I’ve watched numerous races and driven countless laps in various video games since the 1990s.

A Silverstone Formula 1 ticket grants you roaming access on Friday and Saturday and a reserved seat on Sunday, so during the practice sessions I was able to watch from some of my favourite parts of the track, including Maggotts, Becketts, and the new start-finish straight, where I snapped my favourite photo of the weekend as the legend that is Kimi Raikonnen sped past in his Alfa Romeo towards turn one in Free Practice 2.

The Iceman speeds past his fans to begin a new lap

The crowd’s excitement increased noticeably before qualifying, which was a tight affair, with Valtteri Bottas just edging out home boy Lewis Hamilton. The atmosphere for the race itself was amazing – next level – and the two Mercedes drivers rose to the occasion as I witnessed a spectacular battle for the lead around Luffield on the opening laps.

In the end it was the timing of a safety car that handed Hamilton the victory, but while it was a shame not to see the fight for first play out, the British crowd were more than happy with the result. The cheers and waving Union Jacks only added to the occasion. I had a great time at my first ever Formula 1 Grand Prix and I can’t wait for the next!

Drive

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I’ve really been getting into the retrowave style over the last year or so, but one place I wasn’t expecting to find it was in the 2011 film Drive, starring Ryan Gosling as a movie stuntman turned getaway driver who gets into trouble with some local gangsters.

The intro scene was a particular highlight. Gosling visits Bryan Cranston, who gives him the keys to a 2006 Chevrolet Impala – “the most popular car in the state of California”. What follows is a clever and tense car chase scene, set at night and illuminated only by headlights and the neon colours of the dashboard. The whole thing is almost silent, with only engine noises and synthwave music providing the soundtrack.

Ryan Gosling as the nameless lead character in Drive (2011)

As the film goes the storyline turns to some typical gang stuff, which is less engaging, but the mood is sustained throughout. An interesting detail is that Gosling’s lead character is never named – referred to only as “driver” in the credits – and he has very little dialogue over the course of the movie, with other characters often making assumptions about his reactions and breaking the silence to keep conversations going.

Drive’s plot is by no means perfect, and if this was another film done differently then it would have lost my interest somewhere in the middle. But for anyone else into synthwave or retrowave, or who just likes movies with unique styles, I’d recommend jumping into the waiting open door and letting Ryan Gosling take you for a ride.