I happened to be one of the luckiest persons in Monaco during the Formula One weekend (other than Nico Rosberg) by getting invited to the Amber Lounge fashion show. Here’s the rest.


As I mentioned, the core purpose of my visit to Monaco revolved around the Friday Amber Lounge 2015 fashion show and auction. Before the show, I was allowed to go into backstage where the models and F1 drivers were prepped for their big moment down at the beach.


[Prince Leopold of Bavaria - former touring car and endurance racer - being interviewed by Sky Sports]


[Sauber F1 driver Esteban Gutiérrez is attacked with a knife disguised as a microphone]


[Former F1 driver Pedro de la Rosa chilling with the Ferrari dudes]


[Manor F1’s Will Stevens’ height compensated by hairdo]


[”...I mean I dress the girls, not the other way around...”]


[”Who’s doing the selfie, again?”]


[Kvyat being mistaken for Putin’s spokesperson]


[I trashed at least two of the three Red Bull cans in the dustbin on the left]


[The podium... of happenings]


[John Newman]


[We’ve got a Hülk...]


[...and the rest]


[Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jenson Button.]


[Let’s play a game of “Where’s Niki Lauda?”]


[”One day, son, this will be all yours.” “What? The trees?”]


[I cannot think of any captions for this one]


[Yes, I was in front row by this time]






[Mrs. Button again]


[Vitaly Petrov was a fan favourite with the Russians]


[the track is on fire]


[back at the hotel, the party is tough]






[about to get evicted]


[Tobacco advertisement is - relatively - still strong in Monaco, not seen by the cameras. After all, the Monaco Grand Prix was thought up by a tobacco-magnate. Even the official program contained three full pages of Marlboro advertisement.]


[My spectating point for the weekend, just outside Sainte Dévote, the first corner. You can see the road up to the casino, the huge screen on the right, and not visible, but the whole road section reflected in the windowshop on the left. Also, it is right next to the exit of the train station, so toilet was in almost immediate reach. Sight of many a-crashes. The corner, not the toilet.]


[Bike taken away, fitted with bollard.]


[survivor of nasty Formula Renault 3.5 crash taken to hospital]


[Was slow to react, but the gentleman in the middle, facing the other way is none other than Ari Vatanen]


[GP2 car airborne]


[People were frequently walking in and out through that door, sometimes they left it open, so you could see the cars taking the corner]


[Monaco police acting tough]


[seaside at Monaco]


[...and finally, view of the sea at the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, where the very first Formula 1 race was held in 1946]