Pitlane to paddock: Going trackside at the Australian Grand Prix with I / AM

For most fans at a Grand Prix, the experience is measured in grandstand views and fleeting glimpses of their driving heroes. But, for I / AM members Lilli and Mia at the Australian Grand Prix, their race weekend unfolded behind the scenes as they went trackside with our team in Melbourne.

Joining us on Friday of race week, the pair enjoyed an access-all-areas day inside the F1 paddock.

Part workplace, part real-life film set, and entirely off-limits to most, the paddock is F1's inner sanctum, and Lilli and Mia found themselves in the middle of the thrum: drivers and engineers, the faces they'd seen so often on TV, hurried past, moving between media duties, briefings, and from team hospitality units to the buzzing pitlane.

Immediately immersed, we invited them to see more.

Unparalleled access

Weaving through stacks of Pirelli tyres, they entered our garage, a place where every decision matters and every movement has intent. Around them, mechanics exchanging notes and engineers studying data.

Then, a tap on the shoulder. It's Team Representative Pedro de la Rosa, ready to impart his wealth of knowledge in a fascinating guide to what they're seeing.

He passes a steering wheel, revealing the function of each button and cog in intricate detail, before working through the different areas of the garage and what lies ahead with the 2026 regulations.

A sea of information washes over them. Ears and eyes wide open, the science of the sport turns from the distant into the tangible. It's all right in front of them. Inches away.

Then, another familiar face appears. They watch on as Team Ambassador Jenson Button films content with the team – one of those unscripted, blink-and-you-miss-it moments that remind you how embedded F1's personalities are in the day-to-day life of a race weekend.

Ultimate luxury

Time for lunch, but no need to have brought their own. Lilli and Mia sink into the plush surroundings of our trackside hospitality and sip on something chilled, before tasting the finest local ingredients curated by our world-class chefs.

It offers a chance for them to pause and take it all in. It's the contrast that defines F1: high stakes on the track, high-end experience off it.

As the afternoon rolls on, the doors open to Champions Club, providing incredible views of the track action as Free Practice Two unfolds and more sumptuous hospitality.

Unforgettable experience

Ask Lilli and Mia what they'll remember most, and the answer comes quickly: the access, the openness, and the detail.

By the time the circuit fell silent on Friday evening, they had experienced F1 from angles most fans never see – from the intensity of the garage to the exclusivity of the paddock, and everything in between.

I / AM