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How F1 got ready for calendar shocks


How F1 has made itself battle-ready for calendar shocks

It’s an evolving nightmare for the F1 organization, FIA and the teams as events beyond their control continue to cause disruption. Some of the flyaway events in the second half of the year appear to be vulnerable even at this stage.

The Turkish GP was officially announced as a replacement for Canada on April 28th. It seemed like the perfect alternative, not least because it was on the way home from Azerbaijan for both personnel and cargo. In fact, it was a more convenient and cheaper option than the racing it replaced.

However, less than two weeks later, Turkey was redlisted by the British government. The usual “elite sports” exemptions allowing F1 people to escape quarantine would not apply and instead a mandatory 10-day stay in an approved hotel would take place at a cost of £ 1750.

To further complicate matters, Turkey also went on the Red Quarantine List for France, where the next scheduled round of the World Cup is taking place.

Given the logistical schedule for the combined trip from Baku to Istanbul, F1 couldn’t wait for these red lists to change. There was nothing left but to cancel the Turkish event within a month and juggle elsewhere in order to add another Austrian race to the calendar.

The fact that it went relatively smoothly is a testament to all of the work that was done last year in rescuing a season from the ashes of the original calendar, with the usual schedules of organizing events that got out of hand are.

The F1 executive in charge of putting together the 2020 calendar is Chloe Targett-Adams, global director of race advertising.

She was ultimately responsible for creating a 2020 schedule that worked and included five venues that weren’t exactly the same as the original. This had never been done in F1 before.

Lance Stroll, Racing Point RP20, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB16, Sergio Perez, Racing Point RP20 and the rest of the field at the start

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

“In a normal world it would take us between 18 months and two years to start, plan and run a new race,” she noted earlier this season. “So to drive five in a year in a COVID environment and on two tracks that we hadn’t driven before, I mean, what a team effort to do and manage.”

“And you can see why it got fans excited, and it just shows the possibility of a situation like COVID.

“I always speak to different organizers, different racetracks. We’re so happy that there is a lot of interest in Formula 1 in many places around the world. I think the stars align and you just think, ‘I know, me I’ll call this organizer and see if they’re interested in an F1 race in the next eight weeks! ‘”

Targett-Adams agreed that the sport learned a lot in 2020, and not just how to respond to race cancellations. There were also broader lessons on how quickly things can be changed and how a variety of venues increases interest.

“I think the only thing amazing about Formula 1 is that you are always learning, and in a COVID pandemic, it was steroids,” she said.

“It ultimately showed us how efficient the organization is, how quickly you can adapt to a scenario and innovate in ways that aren’t necessarily as regular for something like the company’s racing sponsorship side.

“For example, the opportunity to change racetracks and then the reaction to the commitment that leads to the fans and also to the drivers and the teams. We really took that into account and examined how we could.” Take this into account in our longer term plans and strategies for the calendar. “

A variety of factors contribute to the choice of replacement locations, not least the commercial arrangements. Last year, F1 hired Silverstone for its two events, and other late additions have received special offers.


Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Performance leads at the start of the race

Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11 EQ Performance leads at the start of the race

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Getting through the first eight races to qualify for a World Championship was badly needed and then 15, a number that sparked full season payments for many broadcasting deals.

This year, new boss Stefano Domenicali and his colleagues 23 and older can afford to play a little harder in negotiations, and more emphasis is placed on making things work financially than just adding one more number.

Offers are also directly related to asking about potential revenue from viewer participation – and local rules are constantly changing.

Along with the money, there are obvious logistical issues, such as transporting cargo and personnel, and whether a new or not recently used venue will be able to host an event.

One of the men at the center of such discussions is F1 Sports Director Steve Nielsen.

“My mission is to do 23 races if we can,” he told Motorsport.com just before Turkey became a problem. “And if we can’t all be on the calendar, it’s to find alternatives.

“If we can’t go to a race, Chloe and Stefano will say, ‘Well these are the options, what do you think?’ And then we’ll pick something that works financially and logistically and compromise where we have to. That’s pretty much how it works. “

Not only does F1 need to constantly monitor what is going on in the countries where the races are held in relation to COVID, but also – as Turkey has shown – how governments that are stationed treat those returning from race venues.

“It’s changing very quickly,” says Nielsen. “A few months ago Portugal was on the red list for Great Britain.

“And it was on the red list when we announced the race. So you’re aiming at something you can’t be sure of. You think it will be okay, and you hope it will be okay. And you hope it turns out the right way.

“We’re trying to find out in which countries the infection rates are rising and which countries are on the verge of or falling. And it is very, very, very difficult. There are quite a few assumptions. And if you are unlucky it could work.” against you.

“And of course it happened in Canada. If we announce a race, we don’t do that if we know there is definitely a red line. We would only do it if we are sure that there is nothing right now, what could stop it. But the way the world is now with COVID, that can change. “


Mechanics prepare the cars of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11, and Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11, on the front row of the grid

Mechanics prepare the cars of Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes F1 W11, and Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes F1 W11, on the front row of the grid

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

Despite the knowledge gained last year, there are still many unknowns in 2021. The first four venues on this year’s calendar were all venues for the 2020 races, but the next three in Monaco, Baku and Paul Ricard were not.

Eight venues in the second half of the year also did not hold a race last season.

“This year there are quite a few races where there was no COVID race at all,” says Nielsen. “And so it’s a combination of promoters and circuitry that are familiar with it, and then we go to some that have never had one.

“So we still have all these kind of remedies and we say no, it has to be, and you have to do this and that and that.

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“In some places it feels pretty much the same as last year when you talk to an organizer, especially for a street race. We haven’t done a street race in the COVID world. This has all sorts of challenges and problems you can imagine and we have Monaco ahead of us. “

The flyaway races are the most complicated, in part because teams ship a ton of garage and paddock equipment by sea weeks in advance.

“Last year it required such a different model, such a different mindset,” says Nielsen. “We now have a much better idea of ​​response times and what is possible.

“The teams are really good. We know when to send their ocean freight. So that’s a big part of our decision-making process. We haven’t touched wood and let them put things on a boat whose destination has been canceled. But Canada was getting closer!”

“We work very closely with the teams and prevented them from sending anything there. So we know what their shipping details are. But I think we’re a lot quicker than us because we had to. They adapt or to die . “

The cars and the rest of the cargo are packed on seven 747s for flyaway races, and in the current environment securing these planes for every event is not easy.

“The freight market is pretty volatile,” says Nielsen. “It’s a bit like renting a car. When a big event is coming up, your rental car can cost you a lot! The earlier you book, the cheaper your offer will be, and of course it goes against the fast-moving calendar. But knowing and predicting the freight market.” , is very difficult.

“We can now use two different aircraft configurations, we can use the 747 or the 777. All teams are switching to something called a 777-friendly cargo. We actually cut ours.” [F1 broadcast] Freight enormous because we are a largely distant operation. So we were much less restricted and so were some of the teams.

“We’ve always managed to get the planes so far. But it’s a bit like a swan, it looks pretty calm over the water and it can get pretty hectic under the water!”

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