Going Undercover – Toto sent me!

Whilst in England we visited the campus of Mercedes and Red Bull. We were also privileged to be invited to the official opening of the Aston Martin campus whilst on our visit to the Silverstone Grand Prix.

First Mercedes. I was decked out in my full Mercedes gear in readiness for this one! We got as far as the security gate! However, the security guard did hand out some signed cards of Hamilton and Russell, so that was good. But no insight into the inner workings of Mercedes!

Next came Red Bull. Thanks to Simon, my cousin, who convinced the Red Bull receptionist to let us into the Red Bull campus uninvited, we went undercover for Toto and got a glimpse of the inner workings of Red Bull! Actually we got as far as the reception room ( filled with trophies – lots of trophies), but a kind engineer who was sitting having a coffee allowed us to view their show car and have a look at some of their memorabilia. It was a very cool place! Lots of interesting things to look at and we could help ourselves to Red Bull drinks!!

Then came the event of a life-time. Well ours anyway. Aston Martin invited Michelle (I was the appendage) to the opening of their brand new, month old technology campus at Silverstone. We were one of the first hundred people to get the tour. Again, I was undercover and subtly wearing my Mercedes shirt. However, AM had other ideas and gave me a shirt of theirs to wear! Needs must! Michelle met up with the camera man, Dan and Lewis the photo guy. They gave us a semi-private tour where they filmed us receiving a free bespoke Aston Martin cap printed with our initials on, and our adventures within the technology campus. The campus was very impressive with lots of very modern lathes and drills so that any parts that are required during a race can be manufactured to exacting specifications and sent out to the team at the racetrack, wherever in the world they may be. It was a very high tech and very indicative of the of the investment that Aston Martin are putting into F1. Photographs were limited to the foyer – so we could not photograph the inner sanctum! We were treated like royalty, got to play in the simulator, do a pit stop tyre change, see the “mission control” room! We were wined and dined and even supplied with Scotch eggs which I love and have not eaten for years. What a fantastic day! We felt so grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity.

Please enjoy the photos of the Red Bull and Aston Martin campus. We were really privileged to be able see these campuses in person.

Aston Martin Campus, Silverstone