Spanish Grand Prix

For Ed’s birthday I have organised a weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix. The circuit is only about an hour from Empuria so we set off early in the Corvette. The roof is off and we drive along the Mediterranean coast playing Down the Road Apiece by the Stones and Willie Nelson’s On The Road Again – such great travelling songs.

• 

The Friday of the Grand Prix weekend is usually a quieter day and when we arrive the parking is relatively easy. We check over the huge team lorries. These lorries contain all the cars and equipment needed for the Grand Prix races and we’ve often seen them driving up and down the motorways of Europe.

• 

• 

• 

• 

We have a tour of the pits and see Lewis Hamilton, Vettel and Rosberg. We walk along some of the track and check out our seats up on the stand, near the starting line. We stop for something to eat and drink in the vast food village that offers every kind of meal. Spanish, French, Mexican, English, Chinese and American to name a few. After a long hot day, we drive back to Empuria for a quiet evening.

On Saturday we drive back and watch the qualifying rounds. Trackside is the noisiest place on earth and we need earplugs to drown out the roar. We sit up in the stands with a great view, watching as Hamilton and Vettel vie for pole position. Another fascinating day for us petrol heads.

Sunday we leave Empuria early and arrive in time to get a good parking space. We’ve brought a picnic today as the food stalls will be extremely busy. We watch as the paparazzi surround the drivers. Then the celebrities arrive in their private helicopters and are shown to their hospitality suites above the pits. We spot David Coulthard and a few other ex drivers, who are commentating on the race.

We wait for the lights to go green and suddenly the cars are off with an unbelievable roar. Hamilton and Rosberg are neck and neck as they round the third bend of the first lap, they suddenly smack into each other and take each other’s cars out. We can’t believe that they’re out on the first lap. The cars have to be lifted from the track so the safety car comes out and slows all the drivers down. We stare in disbelief as Hamilton and Rosberg do the walk of shame and head back to the pits. Eventually the track is cleared and the race continues. The Dutch driver Max Verstappen wins the race – the first Grand Prix win of this young man’s career (he’s 18).

We watch the presentations and then the ubiquitous champagne shower over the spectators. We race back to the car to get away on the road to Empuria before the whole area becomes gridlocked. A fabulous weekend and one we won’t forget.

We’re too tired to eat out tonight, so pick up a rotisserie chicken from the supermercado and sit out on the balcony, watching the boats sail past on their way in and out of the port.

• 

• 

On Tuesday, we drive up the coast to Santa Margarita and have lunch in a seafront restaurant. I choose a seafood pizza with salad (see recipe)

• 

SEAFOOD PIZZA RECIPE

2 tortilla wraps (tortilla in Spanish means small cake)

Olive oil

Selection of cooked seafood – prawns, scallops and smoked salmon (I cook the prawns and scallops in garlic butter and add the smoked salmon for a few minutes before serving)

Artichoke hearts cut in half

Pesto sauce

Brush the tortillas with oil and put in a hot oven (200ºC) for 5 to 10 minutes until they are crisp

Remove from the oven and spread the pesto sauce over the base. Add the seafood and artichoke hearts. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with parsley

Serve with salad

Buen apetito