Want to go to a grand prix? Don't want the hassle of buying tickets, selecting the best seats in the house, organising the accommodation and transport to the venue? I know someone who can do it all for you ... at a price.
In Formula One, hospitality packages are big business. There are companies that can cater to your every whim and budget (as long as it's not too small, of course). They're busy too; lots of people, from corporate clients down to the die-hard fan looking for an experience to remember, are keen to use their services.
For a premier service with an attendant premier price tag you have to go to the F1 Paddock Club. Their website is almost as swish as the service itself. It offers a variety of suites above the paddock (hence the name) a chance to look around the pits, meet the drivers and, of course, unrivalled views of the race.
Naturally, it doesn't come cheap. For Shanghai, raceday itself costs US$3,800. The three days will set you back US$4,300 in total. This doesn't include local taxes, which at some venues such as Italy can be as much as 20 per cent. These prices are per person but there is a minimum occupancy of 10 people (you can buy additional space should you be the solitary type). The expense doesn't include airfares or hotels. No wonder corporate guests and team VIPs make up a lot of the faces among Formula One's 'beautiful people'.
If that makes your head spin, there are cheaper options, which will still give you a great day out. Dozens of companies deal in days out at F1 and other sporting events. Although many are European-based, it can be done from Asia. A dig around the web quickly throws up a ticket to the Chinese Grand Prix, hotel accommodation and transfers from the airport to your hotel and to the track. Depending on how posh your hotel is, you would have to pay anything from US$500 to US$1,000.
Many people wouldn't think twice about spending that for a weekend at a fancy spa or a golf resort. Grand prix hospitality adds its fair share of the US$100m that is spent in Shanghai around the race weekend. But for those who are actually spending the money, it's not about the cash. It's about having the race experience that you wouldn't be able to get any other way, unless you happened to be best mates with Bernie Ecclestone.