F1’s race management was thrust into everybody’s front room in 2021, when then-race director Michael Masi determined it was a good suggestion to air his communications to the TV viewers. Following his departure forward of the 2022 season, race management reverted to its outdated, and quite secretive self.
Courtesy of System 1’s official companion Rolex, Motorsport.com acquired some unique entry on the Miami Grand Prix. Behind a really ordinary-looking door – as we stroll in earlier than Free Apply 1 begins, FIA driver steward Vitantonio Liuzzi is on the telephone and offers us a cheery wave – lies the hub of the race weekend…
It’s a sizeable windowless room, with over 30 individuals assigned roles, sitting at three rows of desks. These in direction of the entrance of the room are locals, assigned roles by the FIA’s US vehicle competitors committee ACCUS, who will even carry out the identical roles in Austin’s Circuit of the Americas or on the Las Vegas avenue race.
The very first thing that strikes you as noticeable is that it’s very quiet past some quick chattering into headsets – no person is speaking a lot on to the individual subsequent to them. The opposite is the excessive variety of females within the room, most likely a 50/50 gender cut up.
The vast majority of the FIA workers – from the game’s governing physique that runs the game – sit behind the room, with an elevated view above everybody in entrance of them and the massive video wall that just about spans the entrance of the room.
“They’ve the seats which can be furthest again for one of the best view of what all people else is seeing, in order that they will sort of oversee all the data,” says Roman De Lauw, the FIA’s F1 communications officer, who’s our information to who’s who and what all of them do.
FIA race management screens
Photograph by: Rolex / James Moy
The sensible blue desks at which they’re sat, that are stacked with electrical communications tools, are transported together with the FIA’s different package – resembling weighbridge scales and the protection automobiles – to every of the races. This ensures the programs are the identical at each race, and every has a myriad collection of buttons and a set of video screens.
On the far finish of the row is the video analyst, and in direction of the center is the race director, Niels Wittich – who sits subsequent to the native clerk of the course (in Miami that is Paul Waiter) and his deputies. They’re all in direct contact in order that any incidents could be shortly reviewed and any actions – resembling a referral to the stewards or security automobile choices – could be made.
Our information explains: “When the race director asks for one thing that he hasn’t seen reside on display screen, or that he needs to see a replay or an onboard, or if he needs to see if there is a piece of particles on observe someplace, then he’ll ask the video analyst who will discover that and play it for him.”
Whereas the race director takes care of the sporting aspect, operating the race to the FIA rulebook, the clerk of the course is accountable for what bodily occurs on the observe.
“The clerk of the course and his assistants are those who know the observe inside out, they have been collaborating when the observe was constructed, in order that they know the exit roads and the place the marshals posts are, etcetera.
“Principally, the race director is in touch with the people who find themselves on the desk right here and the clerk of the course, and they’re those who will probably be giving out the orders of what to do on the observe.”
Sat to the opposite aspect of the race director is the girl who offers instantly with the protection automobile, who offers the ‘standby’ or ‘deploy’ orders – and he or she additionally retains the driving force updated with the place the chief is at. “The security automobile is an FIA property and we’re instantly in touch with the driving force, so we try this half ourselves instantly,” De Lauw explains.
Subsequent to the video analyst is the race management messaging system operator, who works with the usual messaging system that informs groups (by way of web page three of the timing screens) of any actions or critiques.
Subsequent to her is the sporting director and race management analysts, and their job is to be in direct contact with the groups. He provides: “They’re all in touch instantly on comms, immediately, to allow them to talk about issues, after which the opposite two individuals with him are those who will probably be coping with the groups and their requests.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin AMR24
Photograph by: Erik Junius
“So, if a workforce has made a criticism such as you hear on the printed, ‘We expect our driver has been hit by one other driver at this flip – might you take a look at it?’ or ‘We have been impeded throughout qualifying’. Then, principally, the race director will get these messages by way of the analyst, after which the video analyst can discover the second, clip it up, and present him.”
We then take a more in-depth have a look at the race director’s desk, whereas not attempting to get too near trouble anybody…
“The video analyst’s display screen is replicated right here in order that at any time when the race director asks for one thing, then he can see it instantly,” factors out De Lauw. “He can see reside what the man is doing, in order that’s fairly handy.”
Having acquired a great eyeful of the complicated messaging system, which covers the observe’s standing with any flags clearly indicated, from over the shoulder of the particular race director as automobiles start to line up on the finish of the pitlane, we out of the blue really feel our keep right here has been out welcomed…
“Let’s simply stand to the aspect there, so we do not disturb them now,” suggests De Lauw. “You may have seen that on their desk that they will sort of dial into anybody actually that they need to by way of radio contact. And so they’ve all acquired iPads to be sure that they will additionally see the reside timing and extra screens if they should double test one thing on the laws.”
Any order given by the race director resembling yellow, double yellow, security automobile (or digital) or purple flags are made like this, and actioned by the clerk of the course by way of his people who find themselves in touch with the marshals’ posts.
We get an instance of the method, because the clock ticks in direction of the follow hour, because the clerk of the course’s assistant is busy speaking into his headset whereas urgent a sequence of buttons.
Vehicles line up within the pit lane
Photograph by: Rolex / James Moy
“He is presently talking to marshals and ensuring they’re all in place earlier than the session begins,” says De Lauw. “Additionally, for instance, if we begin a restoration of a car that stopped on the observe and we have to ship a crane, or if we ship marshals on to the observe to gather some particles, then these guys could be those who have been in touch with marshals across the observe.”
On one other row of desks is the FIA’s medical crew analysts, who’ve entry to any information that’s despatched out by the drivers’ biometric gloves, which displays their coronary heart price, or accelerometers to measure g-force of impacts, that are positioned within the drivers’ earplugs.
“Every time there’s a big effect, it would robotically set off an alert on his display screen,” says De Lauw. “And he’ll instantly know the way unhealthy the impression is and the place on observe it’s.
“We’ve an accelerometer within the automobile however having one contained in the helmet is even higher when it comes to measuring it for medical functions. The measurements are sometimes totally different, as a result of the physique additionally absorbs among the impression, quite than the automobile, which is basically stiff and does not take in a lot.”
The medical workforce can thus alert the race director if there’s an emergency with a driver, and whether or not the protection automobile and medical automobile must be deployed.
He provides: “If the medical automobile must be deployed, on among the tracks we have got some shortcuts that they will take to be there faster, and the medical groups additionally know the place all the ambulances are unfold out on the observe. We even have extrication groups on observe in case a driver is caught in his automobile and he can’t extract himself instantly.
“They have groups in place in order that they will take away the drivers exterior of the automobile, they will lower the halo ought to they should.”
Race motion on the Miami GP
Photograph by: Rolex / James Moy
In addition to the well being of the drivers, the standing of every automobile’s hybrid system can be monitored intently right here in case of a mechanical failure that might result in marshals recovering the automobile: “Considered one of them has it on his display screen always, however we even have somebody instantly on comes from our technical workforce as a result of we now have cases the place, for instance, if the automobile utterly shuts down then the ERS gentle is not seen anymore, so it is nonetheless vital that he is aware of what was the newest standing of the automobile earlier than it utterly broke down.”
One other row of desks is devoted to the timing of occasions, to make sure that the assembly is operating to its preordained schedule, or if it does get delayed that everybody is aware of and is appearing accordingly.
What helps is having the ability to see each millimeter of the observe on the massive display screen, so in addition to the TV feed that you just watch at house, I counted at the least 25 CCTV cameras protecting the observe. These are cut up into rows of 5, in order Kevin Magnussen’s Haas leaves the Miami GP pitlane on his set up lap in FP1, you may watch him drive across the observe from many angles. And the timing screens are additionally completely on show right here.
“Up to now, we had loads of small screens,” says De Lauw. “Now we are inclined to have a large display screen divided into small screens the place you may see every part.
“And when you want one thing particular, the race director asks, ‘I need to see this flip and this angle’ or ‘I would like see drivers’ proper at flip seven to test for particles’. After which we have got entry to all of the onboard cameras of the drivers and the helicopter digital camera, which all obtainable on the FIA desks.”
Miami GP marshals take away the broken automobile of Lando Norris, McLaren MCL38, from the circuit
Photograph by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images
As we depart race management, De Lauw factors out the race stewards’ room throughout the hallway, which Liuzzi has vanished into now the session has began. Apparently it’s smaller room however with the identical entry to all of the video screens.
There, Liuzzi sits alongside Nish Shetty, the chief FIA steward this weekend, Andrew Mallalieu (president of the Barbados federation) and Dennis Dean (the nationwide steward). That is the place choices are made if the race director has referred an incident on observe.
“The video analyst clips the incident up and sends it to the stewards,” he provides. “That’s all of the digital camera angles, together with onboard and possibly even helicopter, and the telemetry from the automobiles, the radio messages from the groups. They will see every part to present a penalty or declare no additional motion, or they will resolve to talk to the drivers or to the workforce afterwards after the session.”
With the session now in full swing, our time has come to maneuver on and go to the FIA’s personal pit storage, the place we see the weighbridge used to scrutineer all of the F1 automobiles (there may be additionally a second one within the pitlane that’s utilized in reside periods). Subsequent door is the storage for the protection and medical automobiles, and – as Bernd Maylander is in his ordinary cheery temper – I get him to take my picture on the wheel of his stationary Mercedes-AMG GT Black Collection!
Bernd Maylander in motion within the Security Automotive
Photograph by: Alexander Trienitz
Having instructed him the place we’ve simply been, he regales a narrative of being in race management when a critical accident occurred in free follow – which is his down time, as the protection automobile isn’t required after observe checks have been made.
“It was a giant crash, very spectacular,” he recollects. “The driving force was completely superb but it surely was a type of massive ones the place you assume at first, ‘is he OK?’
“The response in race management was wonderful – very calm, zero fuss, simply everybody doing their jobs to react to the state of affairs. It was very spectacular, so skilled.”
And that’s what race management is all about: staying in management and making certain every part runs because it ought to to the letter of the foundations.
