After the slightly rural setting of the German Grand Prix, Budapest is urban, urbane and frenetic. The city itself has an up-for-anything atmosphere, still clinging to some of the vestiges of its old regime while heartily embracing a new order.

And into this cultural melting pot comes Mark Webber at the Red Bull Mobile gaming event held in Budapest on Wednesday morning. All morning gamers had tried their hand in a Playseat console simulator and the top drivers (and one Hungarian model…) were given one-on-one tuition with Mark. The Hungarian model was also given training by DC earlier this year. Mark said she had obviously learned her lessons well.

The second big driver event of the weekend was the fan signing session at the track on Thursday afternoon.

Although it was an odd affair.

Since these have been introduced each host track has put its own interpretation on getting more of the spectators to meet more of the drivers. While some are ordered, some are chaotic and some verge on the dangerous. The Hungarian Signing Session 2012 will be remembered for… well, not actually allowing any fans close to the desk where our drivers were. There were hundreds of fans who had patiently waited to meet Mark and Sebastian and get their caps, posters, bodies signed, but no-one was actually being allowed near the tables past the three barriers which separated the two parties.

Fans told to keep their distance...

After some polite requests from our Communications staff to let the fans see the drivers were ignored, Webber and Vettel just vaulted over the barrier and went to meet fans. At which point 15 tooled-up police officers waded in as if riots has erupted. They hadn’t. Fans just wanted their caps signed…

Drivers ignore barriers and go and meet fans

But we now turn our attention to the track and the final first practice sessions of the first part of the 2012 season…