© Thomas Butler

Christian's Column: Factory BoundHear from Christian Horner in the second of our new, regular feature series.

InthisfeatureChristianchatsaboutgearingupfortheprovisionalseason-openerinAustria,stayingintouchwiththedriversduringthecoronaviruspandemicandtheMichaelJordandocumentaryonNetflix.

After what feels like an eternity, the factory will be back up and running next week, with the majority of workers coming back in on Monday. We are very fortunate that we are on a big site in Milton Keynes with lots of space so that we can spread people out and follow strict social distancing guidelines. The health and wellbeing of our staff is of paramount importance to us, so we have taken all the necessary measures so they can come back to a safe environment. Our workforce are our biggest asset and we want to ensure they feel comfortable, they are safe and being looked after.

Max Drives At The Red Bull Ring© Vladimir Rys

TheRedBullRingwouldbeafittingvenuetokick-offtheF1season.

There has been a great reaction from Red Bull in Austria and they consider the possibility of hosting the first race as a positive and a way to get F1 going again in the right manner. The safety measures they are looking at, with the testing and isolating of the teams and of course owning the facility, means the event is fully controllable. They have been working hard with Liberty and the local authorities to put a plan in place and it looks like it is coming together, which is great for the sport.

It would be a television only event with limited trackside personnel but there is still a lot of effort required to make that happen. We will be looking at around 80 people per team, charter flights and trackside teams won't be able to interact and mingle with each other.

Different teams will stay in different hotels, there will be social distancing and we will follow all the relevant guidelines, and there will be plenty of testing going on.

It is going to be a different type of operation to what we are used to but the sporting directors have been taking their time to go through everything to make sure all the right procedures are in place.

Cars Line Up On The Silverstone Starting Grid© Vladimir Rys

Andtheother'home'raceatSilverstone.

It would also be fantastic to race at Silverstone this year. We are a British-based team and it is an important race for us and many of the other teams.

Geographically it is the most convenient for 70 percent of the field and it is a great track.

I would be sad to lose Silverstone this year, but hopefully with the pandemic becoming more under control and the safety measures F1 are taking to ensure personnel and local communities are safe, those two races will be enabled. It would be a great shame for Silverstone to miss out on its 70th anniversary in F1.

Max And Alex Walk In Race Suits Smiling© Getty Images

KeepingintouchwithMaxandAlex.

Of course, the lockdown means I have been unable to see both Max and Alex in person but we do stay in touch via WhatsApp and on the phone. It all seems rather old fashioned to phone someone these days as we are all on video calls!

Max and Alex have been in touch with all the staff and they came on the last live webinar chat that I held with the Team

They have been in touch with all the staff via video messages and they came on the last live webinar chat that I held with the Team to keep everyone up to date. I am also pleased to say they have been taking part in our online fitness sessions.

They are keeping fit but racing drivers are not good at being caged animals. They have both been doing sim races. Max especially, is obsessed with it and has probably done more races than a whole F1 season and Alex has been doing a great job in the virtual GP’s for us.

Both drivers have used this time positively but they are now itching to get going again.

A Front On Look At The RB16© Getty Images

FormulaOne'sroadmapforthefuture.

The sporting and technical regulations are now in place. There are still a few areas that need tightening up because financial regulations are completely new in Formula One and, trying to police the cap and treat all the teams in a uniform manner, despite their different structures, has proved to be challenging.

There has been a lot of discussion, there were some extreme ideas tabled and a level of opportunism in some areas, but the teams have found a middle ground in most cases. We now have regulations we are comfortable with but there is still fine tuning required. The new financial regulations inevitably have an impact on the shape of our business and we are in the process of evaluating the organisational changes required in order to comply with those regulations.

It has also been quite enjoyable to watch the driver merry go round, knowing that we have two great drivers under contract, so we can sit back and watch it all unfold.

Beingathome,homeschoolingandMichaelJordan.

It is all very different from the hectic world of Formula One at the moment and being in lockdown makes you appreciate the other things that life has to offer.

I am fortunate to have my family around me and thanks to modern technology I have been able to continue to operate almost as normal.

We have taken part in more FIA meetings than we would normally do and I am in touch with all our senior managers and observing the business remotely.

You have to adapt, whether that is the home haircut or logging the children on to do their online school programs.

I've enjoyed the simple things like spending time digging vegetables in the garden, mowing the grass and helping the children learn to ride their bikes.

It shows you the drive and determination that is required in any sport to achieve dominance.

I have also really enjoyed watching the Michael Jordan series, 'The Last Dance'. It has been a fascinating insight into an awesome competitor. It shows you the drive and determination that is required in any sport to achieve dominance.

What an athlete he was but more so, what a competitor. That is what impressed me the most, how he drove the team forwards.

The amount of preparation that went on behind the scenes because a natural gift was not good enough. That was 40 percent of it but the other 60 percent was down to the hard graft you have to put in.

I have also spent more time keeping fit than at any point since I was in a racing car. I have got into the discipline of getting up and doing some training to combat the vast amount of food that seems to be available.

On one side I am burning it off and on the other, I am consuming food I would not normally be doing! There are quite a few cakes being baked!

I suppose the biggest difference during this period is that in this sport, you are always focused on the next race.

You win a race and enjoy it on Sunday night and then the next day, the feeling wears off as the focus is on the next race.

But this time I have been able to watch some of the reruns of the races, which has been extremely interesting.

Max Crosses Finish Line In Germany© Vladimir Rys

Even watching through the German GP from last year with Max, there is always something you can learn.

So, if you can take any positives from what has been a horrendous time for so many people, it has been a good time for reflection and looking back as well as forward.