You may already know that I don’t mean pole position in the “I made it through to the duels in qualifying” sense; I left that to Mitch and Dan last weekend.

But no. When I say I had pole position, I mean in the ticket upgrade sense. This year, at the London E-Prix, the Pole Position upgrade was available to fans. As someone who is a huge fan of the sport, and wanted to get the most out of my weekend, I was enthusiastic about the upgrade, even if my bank account wasn’t. This season’s upgrade – available to buy for Saturday and Sunday individually – included an autograph session wristband, another wristband granting access to the track for podium viewing, fast track entry into the venue/fanzone, and £15 of food vouchers for use in the Excel per day of purchase. Now, in terms of girl math, I would say that last upgrade perk certainly helped to justify the cost.

It's worth noting that this upgrade in London was a one-price-fits-all scenario, with this being the only upgrade option at a cost of £99 a day; and make no mistake, I am very aware of how fortunate I am to have been able to afford this. However, after having seen the upgrade options in Berlin, I can’t help but wondering if different upgrade options may have been more affordable for a wider group of fans.

In rounds 13 and 14, raced at the Templehof circuit, fans attending the race weekend in Germany were given the option of three tiers; Overtake, Pit Boost and Pole Position, costing €51.50, €81.50 and €111.50 respectively each day. The Overtake upgrade included the fast track entry, the autograph session, and a €20 voucher for food and drink. Pit Boost included all of this plus access to an exclusive bar on track, then Pole Position included all of this and additionally gave fans access to the Golden Circle for podium viewing, and even a photo opportunity with the podium trophy. (Many thanks to @formulaesource for the specifics here!)

So why didn’t London get the tiered system? Your guess is as good as mine. I personally would have been happy with the Overtake upgrade both days, as the two most important perks for me were the autograph sessions and the food. It was possible to win an autograph session or a podium viewing wristband this year at one of the stands in the fanzone, so there was still the chance to get access to these sessions without forking out the £99, but it wouldn’t be guaranteed.

I recall last year taking a photo on the podium in the fanzone in order to get a podium viewing wristband on a first-come, first-serve basis, but these were limited and we were lucky to have gotten there in time. So, it is entirely possible to access these sessions without having to splash your cash, and it is most certainly possible to meet your favourite drivers without setting foot in the pitlane autograph session at all, but again – it’s not guaranteed.

I'm thinking about putting "the Dennis the Menace girl" on my CV.

This year, some of my favourite driver interactions were outside of the autograph session (namely my conversation with Jake Dennis through the track fencing before the podium on Sunday & our circle of friends offering Mitch Evans some words of support outside the Excel on Sunday evening), but I was still excited to get my hands on this year’s autograph cards for my collection, and to get a little peek into the garages as the teams prepared for the races each day; and not to mention getting to queue with Jake's lovely family at the Andretti table.

But despite having wished there were more options for upgrades, I can’t complain at the experience I did have. This year, the pitlane autograph session felt a lot calmer, and I was able to speak to more drivers and get more autograph cards on Saturday this year than I did across the whole London weekend last season. Generally speaking, the drivers looked more relaxed because of this, too, though with the autograph session being so soon after qualifying, the results have been known to affect the drivers’ moods. The organisation of the podium viewing felt more coherent this year too, as last year there were brief delays getting fans safely onto the track, but this year we had plenty of time to walk down the start/finish straight and pick a spot to watch from, and we appreciate all the work of the marshals and volunteers making sure we arrived safely at the podium.

I was able to have some of my wonderful friends accompany me this year, some of which were able to attend the autograph sessions alongside me, and the general consensus was that despite the price, it was a fun experience, but unless something was added next year (such as Friday access or a track walk) then some of us may have to give it a miss in the future, especially when two Overtake upgrades for a weekend in Berlin cost around the same as one Pole Position upgrade for London.

So, I have to say – the upgrades did elevate the experience this year, but they weren't essential. It’s certainly possible to have just as much fun without paying for the extras, and I wouldn’t want anybody to feel discouraged from attending without the Pole Position upgrade, but if you’re passionate about the sport and supporting your teams and drivers, getting the chance to meet them in person is truly one of the best things you could do.

I certainly will be looking to treat myself to an upgrade next season. Whether that’s at London or at another round is yet to be decided, but what can I say? I like to keep my options open.