Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of single-seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) and owned by the Formula One Group. The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950. The word "formula" in the name refers to the set of rules to which all participants' cars must conform.[1] A Formula One season consists of a series of races, known as Grands Prix (French for 'grand prizes' or 'great prizes'), which take place worldwide on purpose-built circuits and on public roads. That is the wikipedia explanation of the Formula one.
For me F1 is the ultimate one, in the world of racing and every time I watch a Grand Prix it keeps teaching me new things almost every race. Vividly remember F1 and Ayrton Senna in the early 1990s, thanks to ‘The Hindu’, the news paper that I had access to.
Did I just say, ‘the news paper I had access to..”, well one of the good habit that my Dad forced on me was reading and I don’t think I have picked it up as yet. If at all anything interested me in a read, then it will be something to do with sports or at least some anecdote(s) from some game. The Hindu had it in its past page and last but one.
Heard about Ayrton Senna’s tragic death in a Grand Prix race during my 8th grade, little more read on it, sure established the legend of a driver the Brazilian was and more importantly drew me closer to following this sport. One more added to the list that I want to follow and talk about. My support was for the Team Ferrari and slowing got to know about, team’s pit stop strategy, seconds at pit stop, the tyre type, of course the skill at the wheels and many other intriguing finer details of a F1 Grand Prix race.
School, College and initial couple of years at work had its own set of challenges but there were enough updates from fellow followers and friends gathering for watching a race. And like all married man know, a lot of good things comes to an abrupt end post all the celebration it take to tie yourself into a tangle (hoping my wife does not get an eye on this!!!), following F1 was one of the many that came to an end. Years have passed and I recently had an opportunity to watch the German GP which witnessed some gritty driving from the Ferrari man whose machine as such may not be up to the standards that it once was but still managed a second place and the one that won the race will probably give some stiff challenge to the current number one if not this season, in the coming seasons for sure. Mercedes and Hamilton it is, at the helm of a fabulous run in the F1 for close to a decade I guess.
But the intent of this write-up is for a completely different reason, Hamilton, Bottas, Verstappen, Vettel and other drivers from their respective teams have probably made a name for themselves including the legends like Schumacher, Ayrton Senna and beyond, but if your have thought these guys were simply talented/skilled bunch of individuals taking their respective team to glory then you have completely got it wrong. Yes, they are the ambassadors for the brand and deservingly so, but there is a team behind them that makes it possible every time these drivers get on the track.
Apart from the capability of the machine on the track, there is a strategy, one, two, three or even more pit stops, the timing of the pit stop, tyres used depending on the conditions etc. but to execute these… the pit stop crew…
The pit-stop crew
Set of mechanics who attend to the racing machine at the pits simply abiding by the strategy, but believe me it is changing the tyres and probably few damaged parts but with in couple of seconds, yes you hear it right couple of seconds is all that they have. Just to give you a perspective, in the early days when I started watching the mechanics did that in 18 sec or less, I was fascinated by that timing and over the years came down to 13 sec or lesser; missed a few years and now its down to 3 sec or lesser…well an average distance covered per race is 305 Kms but the trick is to keep the racing machine in the track as much as possible and minimising the stay in the pits and yet rendering the best of services that the machine deserves to rip through the tracks at its optimal performance.
Yes, technology and process has come to aid these crews; aid and not replace. And I heard these crews do these drills / routines over and over and over…again and again and again…as much as 80 times a day. One of the pit crews in the recently concluded GP completed a pitstop at sub 2 seconds.
When the name and fame is taken by the man on the face of the media, these pit crews do all the dog work. But what keeps them going…???
So what motivates these guys who do the dog work…
Passionately removing and fitting the tyres over few 100 times a week??? Salary, that does not make you a millionaire??? Travelling around the globe??? Performing on the D-Day??? Enjoying the Champaign that the racer had won??? I am not sure, may be the research will go on and on…like the egg or the hen that came first…
“is it the excellent team one is in that keeps him/her going or does the team becomes an excellent one because of excellent ones…”
One thing is for sure, one has to be self motivated; to do the tyre change over and over again, work your butt off to make some one else a celebrity...there are may other dog work in different industries, but his is dog work par excellence.
Incidentally I watched Hamilton episode of Dave Letterman this weekend. For your question on what keeps the crew going, I believe the sense of ownership that they are part of a bigger cause and their actions being respected... It is dignity and a meaning is what everyone would be looking for .
ReplyDelete