Paddock poker gives F1 a human touch

By Stephen on Monday, August 4, 2008 Filed Under: F1 News The image of Formula One’s elite squatting outside a motorhome, whiling away the last hours of daylight over a deck of cards seems almost out of sorts with the glitzy celebrity-driven milieu of the paddock. Yet stroll down to the Force India motorhome on the eve of a grand prix and that is exactly what you will see as the likes of Fernando Alonso, Robert Kubica, and veterans Rubens Barrichello and Giancarlo Fisichella exchange pleasantries over a game of poker before doing battle the next day. It’s a humbling sight, or perhaps thought, and evokes emphatic parallels with carnival sprit (a long time metaphor of the Formula One circus) as the performers, bound by their sacrifice to the travelling entourage, share tales, reflect on life and prepare for the following show.... [read full story]