Formula 1 · Red Bull Ring 2024

A few weeks have passed since I had the privilege of photographing at the Formula 1 race at the Red Bull Ring. For me, this summer brought a lifelong dream to life.

For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by Formula 1. I remember Sebastian Vettel at his peak in the early 2010s, dominating everything and everyone. After every win he would do donuts on the start–finish straight, and he had a different helmet design for every race. So many small details that burned themselves into my memory that I associate with this sport. I'd get up early in the morning just to watch the races in Asia. In 2014 I stood outside the Geox shop in Vienna for an entire day waiting to receive an autograph card from Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo. And I actually got them, to this day, the cards still hang framed on my desk.

The sport was always an escape from reality for me. These moments shaped me.

I'm not a fan of superlatives. I think it wouldn't be right to claim to be the biggest Formula 1 fan, because there are so many others who feel just as much passion for this sport. But I have to be honest: I love cars, I love technology, I love motorsport. This sport unites all of that for me. That is why all of this has been so special.

Anyone who knows me even a little bit knows I have always dreamed of photographing at Formula 1, even just once, at a single race. I tried again and again over the past years, but it never worked out. Still, I never gave up. I think I just walked my path, did my work, and pestered the right people long enough. I have always tried to deliver better work, to be more creative, to grow professionally. I learned an incredible amount during my assignments at the WEC. The experiences in Qatar, Imola, Spa or Le Mans, those were unbelievable to me, things I never thought I would ever live through. In every kind of weather, day and night, challenges I had not known in such extreme forms before.

The Formula 1 race at the Red Bull Ring was still the absolute icing on the cake.

By far the most beautiful track in the world, set in the most beautiful nature. But not just that, it was everything around it that made the experience perfect for me. Through various roles as a photographer, but also as a marshal, I have got to know all the service providers along and beside the track since 2019. I have been there regularly ever since, walked the circuit on foot hundreds of times, and I would say I know almost every gradient, every post, every shortcut and every service road inside out.

I am immensely grateful for experiences like this and for the people who simply let me get on with it and supported me because they saw my potential. Looking back, I am grateful for every single experience I have been allowed to have. It now feels to me like one big puzzle put together piece by piece.

I am very humble. I don't want to sound arrogant, but photographically I think I have achieved everything I ever wanted to achieve. For me, this was the zenith. If I were never allowed to take another photo, I would be completely at peace with that, because I have reached every goal I had in this regard.

I feel my way through the world with my eyes, and I notice more and more how important my eyesight is to me. My eyes are everything to me. Sometimes I have the feeling I see things others don't. I know that sounds strange, even a little spooky, but there's something to it.

I just want to say thank you. Thank you to everyone who let me do my thing. None of this is a given, and I am more than aware of that.

Thank you for everything.