On Sunday afternoon in Spielberg, even the proud "toreador" of Carmen, the anthem of F1 post-race ceremonies for a quarter of a century, had the air of an asthmatic "peón" (valet). Perched on their step, at a good distance and masked, Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes), Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) and Lando Norris (McLaren) were no exception to the traditional champagne shower. But this one, drunk in front of empty stands and with only a few drops intended for engineers kept far behind the grids of the pit-lane, was less tasty than usual. The pilots will have to get used to it. Because this is F1 post-Covid-19. A show always intense on the track but with decorum light years from the usual splendor. "It looks like an F4 race," said the young Briton George Russell (Williams).
Fiasco in Melbourne
After the Melbourne fiasco in mid-March (race canceled a few hours before the first laps) and eight other grand prizes that were struck off the calendar or postponed, the survival of the discipline in 2020 was at this price. Thanks to a “meticulous” and “quasi-military” approach, according to its sporting director Ross Brawn, F1 has already won a bet by becoming the first international sports competition to restart (only certain domestic championships have taken over in other sports). “It is both a pride and a responsibility. We are doing everything possible to make it a success, ”explained Jean Todt, the head of the International Automobile Federation, on Saturday. A few hours earlier, the FIA had announced that it had carried out 4,032 tests among teams and F1 personnel between June 26 and July 2. All negative.
“Everyone underwent a pre-test at most four days before arriving on the circuit. The rule then provides for a test every five days. (...) We have no room for error ”
Jean-Pierre Raymond (Renault)“Everyone underwent a pre-test at most four days before arriving on the circuit. The rule then provides for a test every five days. It is a young population and a priori less at risk but it is better to overprotect. We have no room for error, ”explains Jean-Pierre Raymond, head of logistics and security at Renault F1, to Le Figaro. Any entry into the paddock, where wearing a mask is compulsory, is also synonymous with taking a temperature. And please respect the rules around the white Algeco banals that have replaced the luxurious and ultramodern motorhomes. For having cut the fat without mask and burst the "social bubbles" prohibiting contact between competitors, Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) and his former bosses at Red Bull, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko, were called to order.
>> READ ALSO - The world of F1 united against racism, but each in its own wayThe on-site workforce was capped at 80 members per stable (compared to more than a hundred usually). The single-seaters, they remain pampered by 60 technicians. Sanitary rules still changed everyday life in garages. The number of certain tools was revised upwards to avoid loans between mechanics and social distancing was right for certain interactions. Engine supplier for McLaren, Renault “no longer interferes with other teams. We have a relay person on the other side. We avoid people crossing paths unnecessarily, ”continues Jean-Pierre Raymond, his head already turned towards Hungary and England where F1 will plant its barnum, after a second race at Spielberg next weekend. The pace is intense but bearable.
Twenty semi-trailers
"The European side (8 GP by September 6, Editor's note) does not pose a problem for us," explains the logistician. The absence of hospitality makes our task easier because they represent half of our twenty semi-trailers that crisscross Europe. These are the most time-consuming structures in terms of assembly and disassembly. As for “overseas” races (Asia, Middle East, Americas), we make and defeat scenarios while waiting for the rest of the calendar ”. Uncertainties linked to the evolution of the pandemic around the world will undoubtedly push F1 to organize other races on European circuits (Mugello and Imola in Italy, Portimao in Portugal). "With, perhaps, a little public in the stands from September," hopes Jean Todt. So that the flame also rises at the edge of the circuits.
Read also
- Bottas wins first crazy Grand Prix in Austria
