Atlas F1 is proud to welcome new columnist Ann Bradshaw, a journalist and press officer with three decades of experience in motor racing, and one of the most respected workers in the F1 paddock. Bradshaw, who worked with the likes of Williams, Senna, Hill and others, will follow the 2002 season in her post-race column, offering F1 fans an insight into the life of those who spend the GP weekend inside the paddock

The start of any F1 season is like a new year at school, and I am sure those team personnel who were in Australia felt just like that. There are new pupils starting with their unscuffed shoes and uncreased school uniform. Then there are those pupils who have just gone up a year and may feel a little more grown up, as over the holidays they have replaced their satchel with a much more grown up brief case or the biro for a fountain pen, and all their friends are enviously looking at the new acquisition.

The new pupils this year were Takuma Sato, Felipe Massa, Allan McNish and Mark Webber. None have disgraced themselves over the first three races and so came to the first European race in Imola with notes in their report books ranging from 'could be the next Ayrton Senna' to 'is making steady progress and finds no problem applying himself to the job in hand'.

Because the first three races were a long way away from the European bases there was not much point in the 'old' boys taking their new toys. Ferrari went to the first race with two old cars and it was only the Head Boy, Michael Schumacher, who was allowed to show his class mates for 2002 his new toy in Brazil before they arrived in Europe for the San Marino Grand Prix. This caused much consternation in Brazil among the other boys who eyed it enviously, although no doubt no one eyed it quite as enviously as his 'house-mate', Rubens Barrichello, who had to wait for the equivalent of half term to have his new one.

Although there was a lot of fuss made over this new car, in a way it palled into insignificance last weekend in Imola when someone, who I suppose can be more likened to a form teacher, produced his new acquisition which for most of the weekend was the focal point of most paddock conversations.

The person in question was Ron Dennis and the object of such fuss was his new motor home, despite the fact that calling it a motor home is like calling a marquee a tent.

While most other teams' motor home staff were still heading towards Imola on the Autostrada, six trucks had arrived at the Imola paddock with the necessary materials to produce a structure that most of us would happily live in for 12 months a year, not just eat in for four days over the 17 Grand Prix weekends.

For me this was my first Grand Prix of the year, and as soon as my many mates had finished greeting me with remarks about being a part timer - I have done all but a handful of races since 1985 so they could not understand why I was happy to stand back a little from the day to day turmoil of the Grand Prix world and work as a PR Consultant for WilliamsF1's principal sponsor, Compaq - the next breath was "have you seen what Ron has got?"

It is not my place to say whether I liked or disliked or approved or disapproved of this, but I have to say I have never seen anything like this in my 30 years of motor sport. We did have the travelling Benetton cafe a few years ago. This was a cafe on stilts that used to be constructed in the paddock and had the definite feel of a Starbucks before the company was even started. However, that was nothing like the gray structure that was located next to our own Compaq motor home at the 'posh' end of the paddock.

The first thing that hit me was the lights. They reminded me of those that the likes of Joan Collins must have around her dressing room make-up mirrors. Bright, shiny, and made to show up any imperfections that needed to be covered up by some thick pan stick.

Then there was the stairs up to the entrance where a receptionist stood welcoming you like a coat check girl would do at any Mayfair night club. Once she had seen if she could help you in any way you were ushered into the depth of something that needed to be seen to be believed.

I did not go up into its interior until late on Sunday afternoon, and the place was still immaculate. This was despite a weekend when I am sure every nosy parker with sticky fingers had fingered the polished tables and the immaculate sliding doors that only allowed access to the privileged few who were allowed beyond the main atrium. It was 6.30pm and the Absolute Taste girls working for Lyndy Redding were still flat out feeding the team and the press, and serving rubber neckers such as myself with delicious glasses of perfectly chilled white wine, and yet there was an air of calm all around.

Nothing had been forgotten in this home away from home for Ron Dennis and his West McLaren Mercedes team. If you wanted to sit at a work station and work, then you were spoilt for choice as to which one to use. If you wanted an intimate chat with a sponsor then there was a room to suite all tastes.

If you were David Coulthard or Kimi Raikkonen then you just had to swipe your card, go through the private door and disappear into your own room to watch TV, listen to the radio, have a massage, have a cat nap or do anything else you didn't want the rest of the world to know about. Of course if the call of nature came for you then it was not a trip down the paddock to the less than fragrant portaloos sandwiched between the Bridgestone and Michelin trucks, but just a matter of going into the Wet Room.

Anything new like this needs a proper christening and this was certainly given it over the weekend, with anyone in the paddock who expressed an interest in it being given a conducted tour by the always charming and helpful marketing staff. As this was the case, it is not surprising one of the major competitions, outside guessing just how far in front of the opposition Michael Schumacher was going to be at the end of the race, was to come up with the best name for the 'building'.

The names were numerous and on the whole affectionate. For me the obvious one was "Ron's World", while the "Gaumont" was perhaps quite relevant. I am sure the journalist who came up with this one had visited many picture palaces with this name in his mis-spent youth that had similar architecture and had an equally lovely lady, this time called an usherette, to show him to his seat with her torch.

I suppose the fact that my first column for Atlas F1 has been about a new 'motor home' rather than the exploits of the drivers does tell a story. The last time I saw such a boring race was the Spanish Grand Prix in 1999, when Mika Hakkinen led a procession from start to finish. In those days I was living in Gainesville, Georgia, and so was watching the race with American friends. I was very near NASCAR country and so had great trouble explaining to them that this was great motorsport and that overtaking was not important to make it a show. I failed miserably then and if I tried to pretend we were entertained on Sunday I would fail again.

Felipe Massa was the only driver mentioned by most of us at Bologna airport on Sunday night as he overtook a car on the track. Michael Schumacher and Ferrari were not mentioned as this was a charter back to the UK with the likes of Jaguar, Jordan and Arrows personnel on board. Not many of them wished to discuss the race that for them had been disastrous, as none of their cars made the finish, and while running were not exactly setting the world alight.

Jenson Button was on the plane and quite rightly had every reason to smile, even though he was squashed in the middle of a row of seats that would make most midgets want to stretch their legs after sitting there for several hours, as he had put in one of the drives of the event. In fact, it was good to see him heading back to the UK for a Silverstone test with the rest of us, rather than using a private jet. He has come under some criticism for trying to be a 'superstar' too soon, but the gangly youth in the very creased t-shirt sitting there with his dad on Sunday night looked like an ordinary person with his feet on the ground.

Finally, I have to admit it was difficult for me to go to Imola and not recall the dark days of the May 1st 1994. I was the WilliamsF1 press officer in those days and, although the year had not started off well for us, we were pretty confident that with Ayrton Senna and Damon Hill in the team there was no reason we should not give the Benetton of Michael Schumacher some opposition.

I had originally worked with Ayrton back in 1986 when I spent a year with the Lotus Team. In those days he had yet to win his first World Championship and so was a pretty intense, focused driver. When I worked with him again eight years later he was a very different person. He was much more relaxed and, while focused on winning another Championship, not the intense driver he had been back in 1986. He was a gentleman who seemed much more at ease with himself as he had achieved his goal and was now able to enjoy his success.

For me, this made the events of 1994 even sadder, as I know Ayrton had so much he wanted to do with life. I know many words have been written about that weekend - how people felt he had a premonition. I am not sure whether that was right or not, but for me Imola will always be the place were I spent time working with, and lost one of the greats of the sport.

There will never be another Ayrton as he was unique, but I am hoping Juan Pablo Montoya will prove a worthy successor to him as the next South American World Champion. I had a fun 2001 season working with my 'Monster' - I called him this at our first race together after he had given me the 'affectionate' nickname of 'Grandma'. Our names stuck and the nice thing is we got on well and became good friends.

I was sad Montoya didn't do better last weekend, but know that, like Ayrton, he will never give up, and until he achieves his goal of winning Championships he will always be there to give Michael Schumacher a hard time.

About the author:
Ann Bradshaw - Annie - began her motor racing career as a teenager, helping out her brother in local rally races in England, where she grew up. In the 1970s she organised motor racing events in England, and was later the press officer for the RAC MSA - the motorsport governing body in Britain. In mid 1980s, she became press officer to team Lotus, where she worked with Ayrton Senna. Shortly after, she moved to the Williams team and was working there for several years, when once again she found herself working with Senna. She worked with Damon Hill after the Brazilian's death, and moved with the British Champion to Arrows. She also worked with the Panoz team in the United States, before becoming a freelance press officer, now working with Compaq and BAR among others. Annie joined Atlas F1 as a regular columnist in April 2002.