From viral to VIP: The TikTok that took a father and daughter into the F1 paddock

When Sadhbh O'Kelly shared her dad's Aston Martin Aramco fandom on TikTok, she didn't expect the internet – and the team – to respond. Here's how one TikTok turned into a once-in-a-lifetime race weekend in Budapest.

"I thought nothing ventured, nothing gained; that's when I hit upload."

When Sadhbh took to TikTok to share her idea of getting her father, Kevin, a huge Aston Martin Aramco fan, into the Hungarian Grand Prix paddock with the team, even she admits to having slim hopes of the idea becoming a reality.

But we see you, our fans, and all the incredible ways you support our team, so it was our pleasure to welcome both Sadhbh and Kevin into the paddock for a VIP behind-the-scenes experience at the Hungaroring on Friday of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Kevin, an avid supporter of 'Team Silverstone' since the days of fellow Irishman Eddie Jordan forming the outfit, had only watched Formula One on TV until recently. That all changed a few years ago when he and Sadhbh made a pact to travel to Grands Prix regularly, after she had visited the Hungaroring herself and regaled him with how brilliant it is to see the sport live.

Sharing in their love of Formula One and engineering, their first race together was the Spanish Grand Prix and they've attended several more since, including the Belgian Grand Prix which saw a late ticket become available for Kevin to fly from Dublin to Belgium the night before the race weekend began.

He describes their trips as 'very special,' and, naturally, the next step was to experience the Formula One paddock. Already heading to this year's race in Hungary to fulfil their annual race quota, this is the story of how a hopeful TikTok and our team got them behind the velvet curtain.

Each time I got a notification from the team, it was like having a heart attack – but it was great.

The TikTok

"We always had a long-term dream of getting into the Formula One paddock one day," explained Sadhbh in The House, our trackside home at Grands Prix.

"I really wanted to treat Dad to it, so my initial plan was to work for years and buy paddock passes, but I had seen previous instances of fans getting into the paddock with teams after sharing their personal stories and, with the attitude of 'you miss all the shots you don't take,' I shared one about my dad's love for Aston Martin Aramco and crossed my fingers.

"My thinking was I would post it, keep it secret, and if it was successful I would do a big reveal to surprise him – but I'm rubbish at keeping secrets so I ended up updating him regularly on how the TikTok was gaining traction."

"The first I heard about the video was when Sadhbh asked permission to post my pictures online," revealed Kevin.

"Because of my background in engineering I was probably more concerned with how it looked rather than any GDPR matters!

"After Sadhbh had shared it, it went out of my mind because I'm not on social media, but she kept me updated about how the video was doing in terms of interaction, and I remember the day she said Aston Martin Aramco had started following her."

"The team liked the video at first," said Sadhbh. "And then they followed a little while after that, and then they sent a message. Each time I got a notification from the team, it was like having a heart attack – but it was great."

Stepping into the garage

Once in the paddock, the pair were treated to our hospitality and toured our garage during Free Practice Two, going behind the scenes during a live Formula One session, as Lance and Fernando dialled in ahead of Qualifying and the Grand Prix.

Father and daughter have engineering in their blood. Kevin is a professor of engineering, his brother is an engineer and so was his father, and Sadhbh has followed in their footsteps, having recently graduated in engineering herself and taken part in the Formula Student programme. Unsurprisingly, being immersed in a Formula One garage environment was a standout moment for them both.

I knew it was going to be loud but not to the point where they fire up the engine and you feel it vibrate through your shoes.

"Being in the garage was fantastic. The level of perfection in every piece of equipment, every movement by the mechanics and engineers is something you just don't see when you're watching on TV," explained Kevin.

"In such a highly pressurised environment everything is just so slick and sharp operationally. Everyone seems to be very comfortable with what they're doing, working with millimetric precision. And then on a more visceral note, the noise when they fired the cars up was phenomenal. I took my ear plugs out just to hear the roar."

"I just have no words," Sadhbh added.

"It was crazy. You think you know what to expect but the reality is 10 times that. I knew it was going to be pristine and organised, but not that much. I knew it was going to be loud but not to the point where they fire up the engine and you feel it vibrate through your shoes."

And, as someone just at the start of her engineering career, perhaps this isn't the last time we see Sadhbh in the Formula One paddock...

"It's a career ambition but I know how tough an industry it is to get into. But who knows, it's something to aspire to!"

I / AM