Meet this ‘F1’ couple who mortgaged their New Zealand home to be at all 23 races

They took a loan against their house and travelled the world for all the F1 races this year with their last stop being Abu Dhabi

How often do we come across people willing to sell their house and leave their job to travel the world? David and Michelle Harrison broke fan records as they packed up their life in New Zealand and went to every single race in the globally renowned Formula One World Championship, known as the pinnacle of motorsport.

While watching the Netflix series ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’, David and Michelle’s old love for F1 rekindled with a great fire. What they once thought would forever be a longing from the shadows, turned into a love story that broke all societal rules set for age and adventure.

The husband-wife duo took a yearlong sabbatical from their employment. To afford their massively expensive undertaking, they applied for a loan against their house, bought a phone with a great camera, and booked flight tickets to conquer all the 23 Formula One circuits.

“Michelle works at a university office and I’m a primary school teacher,” said David. “We’re just normal people who decided to have an adventure before we get too old and things like dementia set in.”

“We always said that one day, when we retire, we’ll sell the house and see every single race on the grid. And then the pandemic came and we thought, why are we waiting to follow our dream?” Michelle added.

The FIA Formula One World Championship has stood as the most famous racing series since its inaugural season in 1950. The 2023 Formula One season, consisted of 23 races set up across 20 countries.

Threading through mountainous hills, spanning across deserts, and racing through metropolitan highways, F1 tracks give their drivers and spectators every weather and terrain imaginable. The excitement of the race was often challenged by the sweltering heat of the summer or the sudden drops to freezing temperatures.

“The cold in Vegas surprised us. We got rid of all our winter gear before going there because we thought that the desert would be hot. When we arrived in Vegas, it was six degrees and the race was at midnight. But the really exciting track and the usual craziness of Vegas made up for that,” said the Harrisons.

For dedicated fans vying for more than a glimpse of the high-speed F1 cars zooming by, the treks from their hotels to the racing circuits were a battle of wills.

“There were hours of walking, and traipsing, and going up and down stairs, and queuing, and public transport. Sometimes you’re walking almost five to six kilometres to get to the track while carrying bags with water and food,” said Michelle. “A lot of people just don’t have the energy.” But for the Harrisons, achieving their dream was worth the aching feet.

Planning their travel across 20 countries came with a handful of technicalities to consider. But, when reminiscing about the races, David and Michelle were full of nothing but enthusiasm for all of the Grand Prix circuits.