#hope this was any help at all aaaaaa ive just been babbling but

[httpiastri]

hi! umm so i need kinda of an advice if you don’t mind of course. so i’m soon going to a gp soon…any advice on how i can approach the drivers? i just feel very awkward and never seem to have the courage to do so.. yeah…if you’ll answer, thanks in advance ❤️!

hi love !! of course i dont mind <33

(gonna assume you mean f2/3 drivers bcs i have nooo idea about f1 aaaaa !!!) honestly i think im probably one of the worst people to ask because i genuinely have no idea how to do it best 😭 i "only" managed to talk to two drivers all weekend in spa despite being in the paddock because i was so so nervous and anxious.... butttt i think my main advice would be like... just be respectful and happy because they are going to be really happy too !! idk who your faves are but all drivers i saw interact with fans were really sweet, and i mean they aren't f1 drivers yet so they are happy every time someone recognizes them. and kinda on that note, i think a good conversation starter is maybe having a little gift for them (like a bracelet, some candy, a note, etc.) to show that you actually care about them as an individual and not just "ah this is some random driver, let's take a pic in case you become a superstar one day". (that really helped me with pepe !!!)

and i mean i was sooo nervous that i knew i was just going to black out in the moment if i hadn't prepared properly, so i even had like conversation starters planned out with the different drivers in case i were to find a situation to talk to them? with paul i wanted to ask a certain thing, i wanted to talk to luke about screaming meals, ask gabriel about clem's portugese, and so on... i was rehearsing my script for my chat with pepe like 100 times in my head the entire weekend 😭 idk that helped me a lot and i would definitely recommend it if you want to make the situation a bit more comfortable in some way? and it doesn't have to be big, it can be just a simple question about their pet or if they enjoyed their summer break or like "i really liked your race in xxx!" :)

what i did for pepe was just honestly wait a really long time (from afar) and just took the chance when i got it... and it was totally worth it because he made me feel so happy about the whole experience, he was a true sweetheart and gentleman, and i think most drivers would be like that !!!!

(oh and if possible, try to catch them before quali because after that and after the races, they can be upset about results... in the beginning of the weekend, everyone's just excited and optimistic so i think they'll be more open then!)