Traveling the world, sought-after autographs – The life of an F1 superfan

When it comes to memorabilia, Formula One superfan Sarah Merritt has it all.

There is, in fact, a room in her house full of the stuff – a shrine of posters, caps, helmets, photos and car parts, all dedicated to her favorite drivers past and present.

Many items are adorned with signatures that have been collected from all over the world.

“The first Grand Prix I ever went to was reasonably late, 2011 Valencia,” Merritt tells CNN’s The Circuit from her home in Chelmsford, south east England.

“We did Valencia twice in a row. Then after that I’ve been to Barcelona, Italy. Hungary I’ve done a couple of times which is a real favorite, I’ve done a fly-away to Singapore, I’ve been Abu Dhabi for Jenson [Button]’s last race.

“And of course I’ve had lots of visits to [the UK’s] Silverstone.”

Lewis Hamilton sprays second-placed Sebastian Vettel with champagne after winning the Abu Dhabi season-ending race, 11th of his title winning season.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates his 10th win of the season as he takes the Brazilian GP ahead of Max Verstappen and Kimi Raikkonen.

Lewis Hamilton savors the moment after clinching his fifth F1 world title with fourth place behind Max Verstappen in the Mexican Grand Prix.

Race winner Kimi Raikkonen is flanked by second-placed Max Verstappen (far left) and Lewis Hamilton, who finished third after a thrilling US Grand Prix. Hamilton increased his title lead to 70 points over Sebastian Vettel ahead of the final three rounds of the championship.

Race winner Lewis Hamilton had plenty to celebrate after claiming victory in the Japanese GP at Suzuka to lead the world championship by 67 points with four rounds remaining.

Lewis Hamilton (no 44) overtook fellow Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas under team orders on his way to a decisive victory in the 2018 F1 title race as he extended his advantage over Sebastian Vettel to 50 points.

Lewis Hamilton led from pole position in his famous No.44 Mercedes and took his seventh victory of the season on the Marina Bay street circuit in Singapore.

Hamilton stormed to a record-equalling fifth Italian Grand Prix victory -- overtaking both Ferraris in the process.

Lewis Hamilton celebrates with the trophy on the podium after winning the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring near Budapest to extend his title lead over Sebastian Vettel to 24 points.

Hamilton celebrates an extraordinary comeback win at the German Grand Prix to give him a 17-point championship lead as title rival Sebastian Vettel crashed out

Dutch driver Max Verstappen claims a dramatic victory at the home of Red Bull Racing. But how does that impact the Drivers' Championship?

Melbourne, Australia -- 'Lucky' Vettel wins season opener —

Sebastian Vettel took full advantage of a bizarre incident involving both cars of the American-owned Haas team to claim the opening race of the 2018 Formula One season in Australia.

Drivers' title race after round 1 —

Vettel -- 25 points
Hamilton -- 18 points
Raikonnen -- 15 points

Sakhir, Bahrain -- Ferrari win soured by injured mechanic —

Vettel won for the second time in as many races at the Bahrain Grand Prix. But the Italian team's victory was overshadowed after one of its mechanics suffered a broken leg when he was hit by Kimi Raikkonen's car during a pit stop.

Drivers' title race after round 2 —

Vettel -- 50 points
Hamilton -- 33 points
Bottas -- 22 points

Shanghai, China —

An inspired Daniel Ricciardo claimed a remarkable and unexpected victory from sixth on the grid after a tactical masterstroke by his Red Bull team in Shanghai, with furious championship leader Vettel back in eighth place.

Drivers' title race after round 3 —

Vettel -- 54 points
Hamilton -- 45 points
Bottas -- 40 points

Baku, Azerbaijan -- Red Bull drivers shockingly crash as Hamilton triumphs —

Lewis Hamilton was the chief beneficiary of a late puncture suffered by his Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas as he clinched his first win of the season at April's action-packed Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Drivers' title race after round 4 —

Hamilton -- 70 points
Vettel -- 66 points
Raikkonen -- 48 points

Barcelona, Spain -- Lewis Hamilton leads Mercedes one-two —

After his unlikely victory in Azerbaijan, it was a second straight win for Hamilton as he bids for a fifth world championship -- and it could not have been more comfortable.

Drivers' title race after round 5 —

Hamilton -- 95 points
Vettel -- 78 points
Bottas -- 57 points

Monaco -- Redemption for Ricciardo —

Ricciardo nursed his ailing Red Bull to a remarkable victory on the streets of Monte Carlo and with it made up for his 2016 heartbreak on the same circuit.

Drivers' title race after round 6 —

Hamilton -- 110 points
Vettel -- 96 points
Ricciardo -- 72 points

Canada -- Vettel wins to take title initiative —

Sebastian Vettel's 50th career victory saw him replace Lewis Hamilton at the top of the championship standings to cap an emotional day for the Ferrari team.

Drivers' title race after round 7 —

Vettel -- 121 points
Hamilton -- 120 points
Bottas -- 86 points

France -- Hamilton back in the groove —

Briton Lewis Hamilton won the first French Grand Prix since 2008.
The Mercedes driver avoided the worst of a dramatic start that saw title rival Sebastian Vettel clip Valtteri Bottas. Both drivers sustained damage in the collision, forcing them to pit early them and fall to the back of the grid.

Drivers' title race after round 8 —

Hamilton -- 145 points
Vettel -- 131 points
Ricciardo -- 96 points

Austria -- Verstappen wins after Mercedes meltdown —

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won a dramatic Austrian Grand Prix as hitherto championship leader Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes teammate, Valtteri Bottas, were forced to retire.

Drivers' title race after round 9 —

Vettel - 146 points
Hamilton - 145 points
Raikkonen - 101 points

Britain -- Vettel wins despite Hamilton fightback —

Home favorite Lewis Hamilton was denied a sixth victory at the British Grand Prix as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel took control of the championship at Silverstone

Drivers' title race after round 10 —

Vettel - 171Hamilton - 163Raikkonen - 116

Germany -- Advantage Hamilton as Vettel crashes out —

Hamilton fought back from 14th on the grid to claim an astonishing victory as Vettel crashed out at Hockenheim.

Drivers' title race after round 11 —

Hamilton - 188
Vettel - 171
Raikkonen - 131

Hungary -- Hamilton extends title lead with 'beautiful' win —

Hamilton went into F1's summer break with a season-high 24-point advantage in the title race over Vettel after winning at the Hungaroring.

Drivers' title race after round 11 —

Hamilton -- 213 points
Vettel -- 189 points
Raikkonen -- 146 points

Belgium -- Vettel wins after spectacular crash —

Fernando Alonso's car was launched over the top of Charles Leclerc on the opening corner of the Belgian Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel went on to win at Spa to cut Lewis Hamilton's lead at the top of the Driver Standings to 17 points.

Drivers' title race after round 12 —

Hamilton -- 231Vettel -- 214Raikkonen - 146

Ferrari's sea of fans -- the 'Tifosi' -- hold up a flag making fun of Lewis Hamilton, but he has the last laugh, winning the Italian Grand Prix for the fifth time

The story of the 2018 F1 season so far

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READ: Mercedes ignites war of words with Ferrari over British GP

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McLaren mad

It was through her late father that Merritt first fell in love with motorsport, but it wasn’t until a decade or so ago that her petrol-headed passion intensified.

Working in IT in London, she’s been able to fit events and race days around her day job. Following her McLaren team, after all, is more than just a pastime.

Formula One superfan Sarah Merritt shows her Jenson Button cushion

“McLaren is just part of me now and it always will be,” says Merritt.

“Perhaps like when guys support football teams and they’re passionate about that – McLaren’s my team.

“I love them to bits whether they win or they lose. Obviously there’s not been as much winning as we’d have liked but we’re all confident they’re going to come back again.”

Lewis Hamilton was the last McLaren driver to win the F1 championship when he took his first title in 2008, and it was the Brit’s success, combined with countryman Jenson Button joining in 2010, that drew Merritt to the team.

While Hamilton is today seen in a Mercedes livery and Button has retired from competition, Merritt’s love for the team has remained strong even if winning has proven hard to come by in recent years. The team last enjoying a GP victory in 2012.

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Published 4:20 AM EDT, Fri July 20, 2018

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Silverstone's most iconic races

02:33 - Source: CNN

READ: Sebastian Vettel wins to extend F1 title lead

Signature hunting

Following the takeover of Liberty Media in January 2017, the importance of fans to the sport has been brought to the fore.

Former F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone dismissed appealing to a new, young fan base through social media, famously saying in 2014 that he’s “not interested in tweeting, Facebook and whatever this nonsense is.”

The new American owners, however, have vowed to make F1 more engaging for fans, both at race days and online, with the latter being a significant part of Merritt’s life.

“I think it’s really important to feel like you’re part of something in Formula One,” she says.

“You’ve got a community with other McLaren fans and what we call the F1 family as well. There’s fans all over the world that we communicate with and keep in touch with. It’s really important.

“Social media helps with that. Obviously, it’s a bit different to how it was in my Dad’s day. I’m about to talk to people about Formula One all over the world whenever I want to.”

READ: Jean-Eric Vergne seals his first Formula E championship

Merritt has been to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone on five occasions. The oldest race in F1 history is regularly the best-attended of the season with many fans choosing to camp overnight.

It means packing for the weekend is serious business.

“Silverstone is a bit different because it is the British Grand Prix and you get such huge crowds, possibly bigger than other race circuits we go to,” says Merritt.

“I have a checklist that I follow and because I’ve done it for one year it’s there for every year. I just add to it.

“There’ll be a few other bits of memorabilia I’ll take with me just in case I meet a driver. I’ll always have a sharpie pen in my pocket to get things signed by drivers.”

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The marker pen proved invaluable at Silverstone this year. Former world champion Button was chased down and his signature on a miniature helmet secured, another treasured memento for Merritt’s F1 shrine.