Watching F1 at Mercado Del Rio

One of my guilty pleasures is Formula One. I’ve been a fan since the first time I saw Michael Schumnacher in his first year with Ferrari. I got to see one of his Ferrari F1 cars at the San Francisco Auto Show in 2008, and it all came full circle. I took a break after BMW’s exit in 2005, but in the pandemic, I got back into it and I came in at what seems to be the golden age of F1.

The two main rivals now couldn’t be much different, in personality, but share an intensity there hasn’t been in decades and I’m here for it. Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are both incredible competitors that are treating us all to a great 5 seasons.

This set the scene for this last Sunday’s Sāo Paulo GP, at Autodromo Interlagos in neighboring Brasil. Down Force F1 store posted an advertisement that they were organizing a showing of the race on the big screen at Mercado del Rio in Medellin. I was excited to watch the race and expected it to be a small turnout, especially with the race time being pushed up an hour.

When I walked in, I pleased to see that the big screen had the race on and the commentary was loud enough to be heard, but not overwhelming. I saw the entire bar was full of passionate fans, but nobody was on the first floor. When I went up the stairs, I was pleased to see the entire second floor was filled to capacity with people watching the race. It was difficult to find people on thier phones, and not watching the race.

As I talked to people watching the race, I quickly found out that the passion they feel for the sport is from the legacy of Juan Pablo Montoya who was the most famous Colombian F1 driver, and has been widely considered to be the father of Colombian racing.

All in all, the event went well, and the race was an incredible one, with Max Versatppen winning the race despite starting in 17th place and racing in the rain on a dangerous track. I am a Lewis Hamilton fan (Source: Last Name), but Max’s clapback after the race to the British press not being present after the race was hilarious - “I have a quick question. I mean, I appreciate all of you being here, but I don’t see any British press. Do they have to run to the airport, or they don’t know where the press conference is?”

Love him or hate him, you have to give him his flowers. He’s an incredible driver, and drove aggressively, but that’s why he is standing on the podium once again. What was the best part for me was finding a new community of passionate F1 fans, and based on the success of this event, I have a feeling we will have more of these on the big screen at Mercado del Rio. Stay tuned here and I will let everyone know in advance of when the next F1 events happen in Medellin. Also, if you know of any F1 events/gatherings in Medellin, please send me an email at medellinunfiltered@gmail.com and I’ll publicize it.