The second annual Zoom F1 proved a roaring success on Friday evening, with the charity auction raising over £20,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.
Held at London’s exclusive InterContinental London Park Lane hotel, several notable members of the Formula One paddock attended the event hosted by BBC Formula One presenter Suzi Perry.
Guests included Formula One commercial supremo Bernie Ecclestone, former World Champion Damon Hill and team bosses Christian Horner (Red Bull) and Claire Williams.
Also in attendance were television stars Vanessa Feltz, Charlie Webster and James Martin; Formula E CEO Alejandro Agag and Ecclestone’s daughter Tamara.
Conducted by motorsport experts and auctioneers Coys, bidders enthusiastically received photos taken by the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Lewis Hamilton, Mark Webber, Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher.
However Fernando Alonso’s shot of the tifosi under the podium at last year’s Italian Grand Prix raised the bar, fetching £3,250 in a tense bidding war that lasted several minutes. Alongside the photographs, four signed Nikon cameras were also auctioned off during the event.
Not content with his status as a special guest, Ecclestone also provided the night’s comedy moment as he played both auctioneer and eventual buyer of his own photograph.
Following the event, Christian Sylt, co-founder of Zoom, commented: “I would like to extend a massive thank you to Bernie Ecclestone, the Formula 1 teams and also to the fans for their support and help in making this year’s Zoom event so successful. Not only for their generosity tonight, but also for their continued support throughout the year, without which Zoom would not be possible!”
Syly then added: “Not only have we been able to showcase a truly unique collection of photographs which encapsulate the world of Formula 1, we have been able to support the incredible work undertaken by Great Ormond Street Hospital.”
The remaining twenty pictures will be sold in an online auction that went live at www.coys-zoom.co.uk yesterday. As with the 2013 edition, all the photographs included in the auction will be published in a special edition book by Vision Sports Publishing prior to the beginning of the 2014 Formula One season – see www.visionsp.co.uk for further details.
