We were lucky enough to have Mercedes-Benz World and its cinema to ourselves on Sunday morning. Surprisingly enough there weren't many others around... But how better to watch the first F1 race of a new season than with like-minded enthusiasts, in a comfy seat and on a six-metre screen?
We were joined by 70 PHers when it was still very dark on Sunday morning. Fortunately the early start was eased slightly by a complimentary bacon roll and tea or coffee. All in attendance were much more talkative after their breakfast...
We also had a very knowledgable host (Danny Hornigold of Verbal F1) giving us an insight into strategy decisions and the real meaning of the teams' cryptic radio messages. His was a very welcome expert opinion so a big thanks to Danny.
The race itself certainly wasn't the most enthralling, with Mercedes taking a lights-to-flag one-two and only 11 finishers. But there were certainly a few discussion points. Can Sauber maintain that sort of form all season? Will Ferrari v. Williams be the battle for second place or can Red Bull up its game? And what can McLaren-Honda realistically achieve? There's much to look forward to despite a slightly lacklustre start to 2015.
The freebies weren't limited to the refreshments either as we were also able to give away to either a copy of Autosport or F1 Racing, a hardback copy of the official Formula 1 season review of 2014, a subscription offer for Autosport and F1 Racing plus a PH smiley. Not only that but the nice chaps at
Bounce
gave us some of their tasty energy balls which went down really well. Our friends at
Pact
were also good enough to send samples of their gorgeous coffee to help keep us awake for the rest of the day. They have also given us some PH exclusive offers:
Try Pact for £1:
Use the code 'piston1' to get a bag of fresh roasted coffee for £1. Of course they hope you buy their fresh coffee for ever more, but there is absolutely no obligation to do so.
Get a free Hario V60 worth £15:
Use the code 'pistonv60' to get a free Hario drip filter with your first bag of Pact coffee. It's by far the simplest way to make excellent coffee at home. Again, no obligation or trickery!
You'll have no excuse for being tired ever again thanks to Pact and Bounce. Hopefully. As and when there are future similar events, we'll be sure to keep you informed. Until then, we'll see you all at Silverstone on Sunday!