Round 2. Jeddah. 39°C in the shade and barely a cloud in sight.
This time the Parc Fermé crew touched down in Saudi Arabia for another high-octane, hummus-fuelled weekend with F1 Academy. Our travelling circus consisted of seasoned pros Lydia, Ollie and Jazz, plus Alice - our occasional wildcard.
Day One: A roadside Baguette and Sebastian Vettel
Wednesday began with a picnic that could only be described as unhinged. Roadside. No napkins. One large baguette to please the Frenchman (Jazz). A dangerously warm pot of hummus, eaten under a sun that was aggressively present. We call these moments a “hummus situation.” They are spiritual. They are messy. They are deeply Parc Fermé.
Fuelled by chickpeas and group delusion, we kicked off our first shoot of the week - filming with AMEX and their F1 Academy driver Nicole at a local furniture shop. Why furniture? We’re still not entirely sure. But it worked.
Then, onto our second shoot: a women’s karting event organised by none other than Sebastian Vettel himself. Yes, that Vettel. The highlight? Watching Alice - confused but composed—get personally thanked by Seb for attending. A handshake happened. Nobody knows why. We’re still processing it.
Thursday: Media Day & Chicken Shop
Track time. Media day. We rolled in early, cameras in hand, SPF generously slathered, Parc Fermé caps firmly on - because heatstroke is not on brand, but we are. Multiple interviews, some great paddock chats, and a sweltering track walk later, we ended the day the only way we know how - with fried chicken. Or, as Jazz insists (to teach the crew incorrect French), “Magazin du Poulet.”
The Weekend: Long Days, Big Laughs, Proper Gratitude
Friday through Sunday blurred into one long, hot, adrenaline-soaked montage of filming, editing, shooting and trying to remember what day it was. The kind of race weekend that reminds us just how lucky we are to do what we do - and to do it with people we genuinely love working with.
Lydia stayed behind to shoot F1 while the rest of us packed up. Ollie returned home. Jazz fell asleep mid-sentence. Alice somehow re-routed via North Macedonia (don’t ask - we didn’t). And just like that, Jeddah was a wrap.
Next stop: Miami. See you on the grid. Bring SPF and extra hummus
