© Vladimir RysChristian's Column: Strange TimesIn the first of a new, regular feature, Team principal, Christian Horner, gives us an update as Formula 1’s season is placed on hold during the coronavirus pandemic.
Thesearestrangetimes.Weshouldbesixracesintoarecord-breakingFormula1seasonbynowandtheplanhadbeentoprovidetheseupdatesafterthemajorityofthe22races,butinstead,likeourentireworkforce,Iamathomeinlockdownwaitingforthefirstraceof2020.
Luckily, the weather has been fantastic and for a minute, you could be mistaken into thinking you are away on holiday. During these last few weeks, my IT knowledge has shot up about 4,000 percent in terms of downloading apps and video conferences and we have actually been very busy.
Albert Park Melbourne© Vladimir Rys
If you wind the clock back to the Australian GP, there were about 13 people who showed symptoms of Coronavirus in the paddock, and they all went off to get tested.
All the results were coming back negative. It was people with jetlag, sore throats, colds and that kind of thing. But then one McLaren test came through positive and, before there was a group discussion about it, they took the decision to withdraw from the event.
At the time, it all felt rather knee-jerk, certainly without knowing all the facts as this was one positive case from thousands of people working in the paddock.
We called a meeting at the Crown Hotel and got F1’s Managing Director, Ross Brawn, involved. He came and brought the FIA’s Race Director, Michael Masi.
Christian Briefs The Team In Melbourne© Getty Images
As the authorities were still happy for the event to go ahead I suggested, as many of us did, that we should run on Friday as planned and re-assess the situation on a regular basis. If people showed symptoms then they would be tested, because they were turning them around pretty quickly, and if there were any further cases then we would make the decision on whether we should continue, but at least we would have started the event.
It was McLaren’s decision to pull-out which they had every right to do given the circumstances but there is nothing in the rules that says if one team withdraws, the others have to do the same.
Given the guidance at the time and the fact that other sporting events were taking place in Australia the same weekend, I pushed to run because there was only one positive test which resulted in a split vote among the teams.
Ross called the FIA President, Jean Todt, who said he would go with the majority, so it was down to Ross as he had the final vote.
He said he agreed with my suggestion, to do further tests and evaluate the situation in 24 hours, and he also wanted to get the event rolling. My feeling was that if the government and medical authorities felt it was safe for the race to go ahead, then as a race team we were prepared to race.
But, soon after the meeting had ended, I had a telephone call from Ross at around 3am, who said we had a bit of a problem because Mercedes had changed their position. It also meant they would not supply engines to their customers.
It turned the situation on its head and the eventual outcome changed. As a result, there was little choice for F1 but to cancel the event.
Red Bull Racing Factory© Red Bull Racing
ProjectpitlaneandtheincredibleefforttoproduceventilatorsfortheNHS.
So, the season didn’t start but that’s not to say we have not been busy in Milton Keynes. I am incredibly proud of F1 and how all the teams responded to the coronavirus crisis and the call to manufacture and supply ventilators to the NHS.
As soon as Project Pitlane was mentioned, we had over 200 staff volunteering to come into the factory to help design and produce ventilators.
It is difficult to explain just how impressive it was that people were prepared to risk coming into the workplace during lockdown to support the NHS through this crisis. The NHS initially identified a portable, low cost prototype ventilator designed by junior doctor, Alastair Darwood as valuable in the UK COVID-19 response. The challenge was that from the initial concept drawings, a working prototype was needed within a matter of weeks. We are an F1 team and we used the machines and technical knowhow normally used to make our cars to take a concept ventilator and turn it into a fully functional working prototype in just three weeks.
One thing we are all good at is our ability to approach issues with a can do attitude and solve problems quickly.
One thing we are all good at is our ability to approach issues with a can do attitude and solve problems quickly. That astounded people in the medical profession as we could turn things around so quickly. They would suggest a modification and the next morning they would turn up at the factory and it would already be manufactured and on the rig for testing.
It was a real team effort, between the engineers at Red Bull Advanced Technologies, our senior F1 engineers and the factory staff who turned the race bays into a facility to mass manufacture the ventilators if the need arose.
Interestingly, we worked alongside Renault on this particular ventilator project. We had their team members in our factory, combining forces with ours - who would have thought that a few months ago.
I think in a crisis you realise just how much of a family Formula 1 and motorsport as a whole truly is. Some of the brightest engineers in the world, who are usually part of a fierce engineering race on track all working together for a common goal is something that I certainly won’t forget.
What they achieved was outstanding and while there was a sense of disappointment that the final design was not required to go into production for the NHS, the positive thing was that the ventilators were not needed, but the design is now ready for sign-off if any other countries or even the military require it.
Outside The Factory In Milton Keynes© Getty Images
For the meantime, all F1 factories are closed, which I think is the sensible route for the FIA to take. It means that all teams are suspended from working on their cars until the end of May, so no team will gain an advantage.
From this week, there will be 10 people allowed to work on long lead-time items, such as gearbox designs, but at the moment it is against the rules to have anyone working on designing or producing parts for F1 cars.
It is the right decision given the circumstances and we all have a duty to protect our workforce, which is our biggest asset and that is what we will continue to do. We are lucky here at Red Bull that our campus allows us to provide people with space to social distance, we put these measures in place prior to shutdown and that is something I envisage us keeping in place when we return to work.
Alex On Track For Testing© Getty Images
Money is a hot topic among F1 teams right now.
The problem is, so much is made about the figure of the cost cap that I believe it is missing the point.
F1 teams will always spend whatever budget they have available to them. Plus an extra 10 percent.
It is impossible to compare the spending of Ferrari to Haas, of Mercedes to Racing Point or even from Red Bull to AlphaTauri. They are all completely different structures and business models.
I believe the solution should be looking at what drives those costs up in the first place and that is the R&D cost of building and developing cars in the hope of being competitive.
I fully support the need to reduce costs and ensure that all 10 teams remain in the sport but there are many ways to accomplish that goal. I fully support the need to reduce costs and ensure that all 10 teams remain in the sport but there are many ways to accomplish that goal and they are not all just about lowering the cost cap. If the main target of a cost cap is about being competitive and helping the smaller teams, especially as we come through the current crisis, then I would be fully open to selling our cars at the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi.
Some people say that customer cars are against F1’s DNA to design and build your own car, well times have changed and we need to find the best way to make the smaller teams competitive and survive the current crisis. This approach works well in MotoGP and it could even attract more teams to the grid, which we would all welcome.
Teams spend fortunes over winter copying others, why not just give them the opportunity to buy last year’s car?
It would make far more sense for a team to be competitive, rather than spending money developing something if the funds are not there to do so. As the business model of the smaller teams evolves and they become more competitive with customer cars, they can bring in increased revenue and then look to build their own cars again.
I truly believe the customer car solution could help in the short term and should be a serious consideration. I truly believe the customer car solution could help in the short term and should be a serious consideration. There has certainly been some opportunism by some teams during the current crisis but I believe we need to look at all options rather than making a knee jerk reaction that could see many jobs lost.
We should be less obsessed about the cap and more focused on making the sport competitive.
