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As soon as an anomaly in the course of the pandemic, triple-headers have now turn into an ordinary fixture of the F1 calendar.
The primary of three runs with three consecutive race weekends begins at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, adopted by an overland journey to Austria after which on to Silverstone.
In the direction of the top of the yr there’s a triple-header together with Austin, Mexico and Brazil forward of an excellent more durable end-of-season run of Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
And whereas the 2 flyaway triplets throughout the Americas and the Center East carry their very own logistical and HR challenges, the summer season run of Barcelona-Spielberg-Silverstone is the toughest to tug off.
Groups carry every thing by vehicles, and the utmost drive occasions for truck drivers and logistical limitations of sure venues are all a part of a fancy puzzle that groups should resolve. The additional time that must be factored in for customs between the UK and France within the post-Brexit world has added to the logistical headache of the 1600km journey.
“From Austria to Silverstone, the chassis will probably be stripped on Sunday night time on the circuit, in order that they’re proper again within the manufacturing unit on Tuesday morning, prepared for the manufacturing unit workers to start out,” Mercedes Head of Race Crew Logistics Karl Fanson defined to Motorsport.com.
“Due to the customs course of we undergo now, we’ve to triple man the vehicles to ensure that we’ll get again. Generally you clear customs inside an hour, typically you may be ready two or three hours. The paperwork and admin now could be huge. Earlier than we used to double man the vehicles however they’ll solely do as much as 21 hours and we won’t assure to get again to the manufacturing unit in that point.”
It isn’t simply the upcoming triple-header that’s inflicting complications, but in addition the latest back-to-back of Imola and Monaco. Due to the cramped confines within the Monte Carlo harbour, with just one truck and crane in a position to enter the paddock space at a time, there’s a strict construct order so each group can construct up its motorhome and workspaces in time. McLaren was delayed getting out of Imola, which then precipitated a snowball impact that additionally delayed Alpine’s motorhome construct.
“Monaco was a little bit of a problem for just a few groups this yr,” stated Mark Norris, McLaren’s Director of Race Operations. “We work with F1 and the FIA on timings and it solely takes a little bit bit to go unsuitable and you’ve got a knock-on impact. And we discovered that in Monaco this yr, and purely from our perspective, we had been a little bit bit delayed getting out of Imola. With Monaco being Monaco, as soon as you’ve got acquired one truck in, you have to look forward to that different truck so it is a bit tetris-y.”
Pink Bull and Mercedes truck within the paddock
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
For groups like McLaren, the schedule concerned in transferring from race to race is further tight as a result of it is one of many groups that simply makes use of a single motorhome unit. Mercedes deploys a second smaller motorhome beforehand used within the DTM as a secondary unit, which has confirmed significantly helpful for consecutive occasions.
“We now have a complicated social gathering and as we arrive on the circuit we do a handover after which they transfer on, Fanson stated. “So on Thursday morning in Imola they left to Monaco, they got here to work on Friday and began constructing the storage.”
Dennis Reck, Fanson’s counterpart answerable for motorhome logistics, added: “We have found out fairly early that the back-to-backs are a problem, and also you begin trying into the chance of journey time and what the professionals and cons are. It was a very good choice to do Imola with the smaller unit and have the large one in Monaco. When the group arrived in Monaco on Monday, we had every thing prepared. Individuals had a spot to sit down down and have lunch.”
Mercedes began utilizing sustainable gasoline for its fleet of vehicles in 2022 and lined the whole European season the next yr with vehicles operating on HVO100, or Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil 100. For 2024 it prolonged the usage of sustainable fuels, along with McLaren, to cowl all of its wants on the circuit.
Being early adopters has added further prices and complexity when it comes to sourcing the biodiesel, however it’s a key component of their push in direction of a extra sustainable operation, consistent with F1’s web zero goal for 2030. Investments in biofuel are exempt from the fee cap, which in Mercedes’ case additionally contains its funding in sustainable aviation gasoline.
“We now have a devoted HVO truck to refuel all our vehicles, so we hold them transferring in the suitable path,” Reck added. “Working with Petronas, we’ve companions who provide us with gasoline on the go once we want it, so it is fairly helpful moderately than attempting to search out fuel stations that provide that. We have switched to Stage V turbines utilizing round 50% much less gasoline with AdBlue and HVO. We’re pushing actually onerous on that but it surely requires lots of planning as a result of that HVO just isn’t simply discovered.”
McLaren has joined Mercedes in utilizing HVO this yr. “It is one thing that we’ve actually embraced,” stated Norris. “It is 75% greener, extra environment friendly. Sure, the fee is barely increased, however I believe there is a trade-off with the advantages that come into it.”
That additionally mirrors initiatives by F1 itself, which has doubled its HVO fleet to 37 vehicles for this yr and has sought to scale back the quantity of freight needing to be shipped to races by way of its distant broadcast operations from the UK.
F1 additionally trialled a low-emission energy system finally yr’s Austrian Grand Prix based mostly on HVO and photo voltaic power, the info from which will probably be used to discover rolling the system out at extra races.
McLaren F1 Crew engineering hub
Picture by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
Along with the groups, race promoters are additionally closely inspired to make their occasions extra sustainable, with 75% now utilizing renewable power to some extent.
McLaren has scaled down and revamped its previous McLaren Model Centre right into a smaller unit, which now takes eight vehicles to maneuver it round as a substitute of 18, whereas additionally halving the variety of crew members wanted to put in and derig it. In the meantime, Mercedes nonetheless makes use of the unique construction with which the group re-entered the game in 2010, albeit it has undergone a number of facelifts alongside the way in which.
Norris admitted that McLaren’s earlier, mammoth unit would have made European triple-headers inconceivable. “I do not understand how you possibly can try this now,” he nodded. “Once we had the Model Centre we had just a few double-headers, however for triple-headers we might have needed to up the manpower and have individuals driving by way of the night time.
“We nonetheless have to do this now on a few of the double-headers, however we both try to fly individuals forward or we use sleeper coaches in order that they arrive roughly the identical time whereas they’ve had their relaxation.”
The 2025 calendar will add an additional problem as Imola and Monaco are forming a triple-header with Barcelona for what will probably be some of the tough logistical puzzles but that squads are already desirous about now. Whereas the drive from Monaco to Barcelona is comparatively brief, having the ability to derig and get all of the gear out of the principality in time will probably be difficult for all concerned.
“We do have two hospitality items accessible, so it is for us to debate the place our precedence focus is,” stated Reck.
“The large problem is to get the vehicles out, as a result of in the course of the takedown on Sunday night time there are tons of of visitors operating round. It’s difficult, however however we’re grateful for the way the game is being skilled within the metropolis.”
Haas F1 group gear arrives within the pitlane
Picture by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
For flyaways, F1 groups have increasingly shifted from air freight to sea freight. Solely probably the most essential performance-defining elements and instruments, together with the vehicles themselves, are being jetted around the globe on DHL’s Boeing 777 cargo planes, that are extra environment friendly than the earlier era of 747 jumbos and cut back emissions by 17%.
Different gear equivalent to storage infrastructure is saved in hubs around the globe, together with Florida, Singapore and the Center-East, and shipped or trucked from there to the races within the area. Most groups have six units of every thing, so whereas the European package was utilized in Imola and Monaco, the North American set deployed in Miami was despatched out to Montreal. The observe comes with an up-front price, however pays off each in delivery bills and CO2 emissions.
“We’re beginning to have a look at much more of that. Why will we at all times must carry this gear or these units again?,” stated Norris.
“It additionally takes threat away and we have seen points with the Pink Sea, Suez Canal, ships are getting held. By taking a look at that in a different way we will be far more intelligent, and that additionally helps Components 1 from a sustainability perspective.
“I do not suppose for the foreseeable future it can change, however if you wish to be extra sustainable, will we nonetheless transfer 180 vehicles round Europe only for these 9 races or are these flyaway kits one thing that we needs to be taking a look at for Europe as nicely?”
F1 truck
Picture by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images
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