When Formula 1 arrives in Spain for the fourth time, the paddock chatter surrounds Red Bull’s attack on Mercedes as it occupies its new Powertrains division.
But are Covid’s compliance standards starting to slide in sports? And why do we suddenly have to apologize for drivers who report in a press conference for written media? Dieter Rencken brings the stories from the paddock.
Thursday
The journey from Portimao to Barcelona is painless enough. After last weekend’s race, I headed southeast where I spent two nights at a resort in an amber region, which means open shopping and eating are allowed. From there I drove to Lisbon early on Wednesday to fly to Barcelona.
When I arrive in Spain, I’m a little amused. Strict formalities are required to enter the country and the routing of passengers through the airport is cumbersome to ensure that there is no contact between arriving and departing passengers. In car rental offices, however, life seems “normal” and although the signs proudly indicate that the car keys have been refurbished, attendants scurry from car to car with no mask or glove in sight.
If an F1 personal signs Covid during this stage, the tracing can start here …
The Circuit de Catalunya has been in a very bad mood over the years, but I’ve always enjoyed my visits. In general, the weather is good any time of the year, there is a wide choice of city or seaside hotels, very friendly people and great food.
The only downside historically has been the crime rate in media parking lots, but I was told that the lack of onlookers means our gear should be safe. We will see on Sunday.
I had received a number of emails and messages – some from surprising sites, particularly from broadcasters or employees at F1 – to support my suggestion that F1 could profitably return to free TV instead of meeting the demands of the pay channels. In fact, I hadn’t received a single word of criticism.
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My determination is underscored by the need for the FIA presenter to apologize to the television audience so that young ears do not hear Valtteri Bottas saying “bullshit” before 9pm in the UK. The fact is that the Mercedes driver uttered the word emotionally in response to difficult questions during a closed FIA press conference – and that’s how it should be: raw emotions in a passionate sport.
If Sky wants to use the TV feed, delayed broadcasts will provide plenty of time to deal with strong language.
During the conference, I was delighted again to see Lewis Hamilton jokingly suggesting that we occasionally wear a color other than orange. He had made similar remarks during the FIA awards ceremony in December, and I may soon surprise him by wearing purple or even light green.
In the evening I rush to my hotel in Mataro because an exclusive interview that I had arranged with Christian Horner, CEO of Red Bull, was brought forward one day and I don’t want us to be overheard in the media center. We discuss a range of topics including the impact of engine recruiting and the structured coordination between teams with technical or commercial connections.
I am delighted that Red Bull has taken the step towards full integration instead of relying on engine suppliers, and I say this to Christian. It may seem strange that a beverage company owns two F1 teams, but Dietrich Mateschitz’s group has diversified massively over the years: it includes a television station, an event company, the commercial rights of the WRC, a magazine, the fashion brand AlphaTauri and a cellular network.
What is an F1 engine operation under this lot?
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Friday
Come out on the circuit and meet colleagues, some of whom I haven’t seen this year. Indeed, this race is the first fully subscribed media center – albeit with reduced capacity due to distancing – so things are sure to be headed in the right direction.
However, it looks like F1 employees in the paddock are gradually gossiping about the restrictions of Covid: with the media center corridor above the paddock and the windows overlooking the pit lane, more and more photos of protocol violations are shared with the media are so evident that patience is waning among those banished from the paddock.
During the team bosses’ press conference, I asked Frederic Vasseur about Alfa Romeo’s F1 future. In contrast to other manufacturing teams, in this case the company is practically a paint and name partner of Sauber, with the contract expiring at the end of the season. When it was originally hit in 2019, hopes were high that the brand would move 250,000 units a year; it has struggled to sell a quarter of that in a good year.
I’ve heard that at least one team is being renamed for next year and that Alfa Romeo has to be a main contender. Williams could be different, but I’d be most surprised – its new owners have kept the old name and why buy the legacy and then throw it away? Even so, stranger things have happened.
After the second practice session, I noticed that I haven’t heard an F2 car running in anger since Bahrain – six weeks ago – and that the next round is planned for Monaco in two weeks. That’s eight weeks without a lap for a championship one notch below F1. More worryingly, the calendar only lists three weekends in Europe and three in the Middle East. The remaining two stages are planned for Baku and Sochi. Eight race weekends in 10 months? Something seems very crazy.
After chatting with coworkers and having dinner – salad, chicken baguette, and fruit – I made my way to the hotel, where I listened to a replay of Liberty’s call to investors for the first quarter of 2021. At least the numbers are significantly higher than a year ago, which is most encouraging.
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2021 Spanish Grand Prix
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