Michelle and David Harrison said their goodbyes to New Zealand in late February, aiming to travel to every Formula 1 race on the 2023 calendar, starting in Bahrain for round one.
They both have had an interest in Formula 1 over the years, but Netflix show Drive to Survive ignited their love for the sport.
"We both got very invested in that, to the point that we would come home in the evenings and watch the races on F1 TV after the event. We would avoid all media during the day to not know who won," David said.
They were tossing up whether to wait until retirement to take their trip, but Michelle said they might not have the same passion for F1.
"We are doing it now so that when we come back we’re going to be working until we’re about 102 years old, rather than wait until we retire."
So they bit the bullet, taking a year of leave without pay from their education jobs. And they’re grateful they did; being fit and healthy means they can make the most of their trip. They’ve covered four continents so far.
A highlight has been visiting the Aston Martin Headquarters, which is Michelle’s favourite team. It all came about at the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, when Aston Martin's social media crew took a photo and video of her, which took off on social media.
"My kids like the next day were like mum, you’re on Instagram!" Michelle said.
Michelle and David then bumped into the social media team at Silverstone, inviting them for a tour of the facility.
Next on their list is Budapest for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
You can follow Michelle and David’s F1 journey on their website by clicking here.
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