In just a few weeks, something incredible is happening — I'm finally going to attend a real, live F1 race.
Not a watch party. Not the Sunday morning ritual with coffee and commentary. A real, full-volume, tire-screeching, adrenaline-pumping Formula 1 race. In another country. With my high school buddy. This is bucket-list level stuff — and the countdown is officially on.
To say I’m excited would be like saying the Monaco Grand Prix has a couple turns. Massive understatement.
This trip has been years in the making. Between work, family, adulting, and just trying to keep up with life, it’s been hard to pin down time for something like this. But finally, the stars (and PTO) aligned. My high school friend — the same guy I used to race bikes down the road with with and argue over which Fast & Furious movie was best (it’s The Fast and the Furious , don’t @ me) — and I are packing our bags, heading to another country, and hitting the circuit like a couple of kids on Christmas morning.
We’re going not just for the race, but for the break. The reset. Life's been heavy — work stress, family responsibilities, being everything to everyone all the time. This trip is about breathing again. About sitting in the stands, hearing the engines roar, and feeling like nothing else in the world matters for those few hours except speed, strategy, and the occasional awkwardly timed pit stop.
And funny enough, this trip couldn’t be more perfectly timed — because my love for LEGO F1 cars and the newly launched sets have me dreaming of F1. It started as a way to unwind in the evenings, but turned into something way more satisfying. There’s something about piecing together a miniature Ferrari or McLaren that makes the stress melt away. Plus, let’s be honest — they look pretty great on a shelf even if my wife says it doesn't match the aesthetic of our home.
A few weeks ago, I watched the Miami Gran Prix with the F1 drivers racing life-size LEGO cars — and yes, it was every bit as amazing and ridiculous as it sounds. I laughed way too hard, it was amazing.
So yeah — this is more than a trip. It’s a celebration. Of friendship that’s lasted through awkward teenage years, college years, and full-blown adulting. Of rediscovering joy through things that used to seem silly. Of finally letting myself just enjoy something, without needing a blueprint or a reason.
We’re going for the race, but we’re really going for the recharge. The reminder that there’s still room for fun, for loud engines and late-night laughs, for feeling like a kid again even in a grown-up world.
Catch me in the stands, probably screaming like a maniac.
Life moves fast — but sometimes, it brings you right where you’re supposed to be.
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