2021 Formula 1 Thread

[DLSTR]

Today at 12:01 AM

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/th...pands/6960600/

The brutal reality for mechanics as F1's calendar expands
By: Jonathan Noble
Dec 23, 2021, 3:45 AM
Formula 1’s ever-growing calendar, allied to the punishing presence of triple-headers, has pushed the championship’s travelling staff to the limit.

Grand prix racing’s chiefs have always tried to give the impression that they are doing their best to manage the difficulties those that working in the pitlane face.

However, as F1’s calendar looks set to explode even more in the future, and triple-headers are now the norm, many within the paddock have expressed some private concerns that they are not being listened to, as things look set to get even worse for them in the future.

While some team bosses have cruelly suggested that anyone who doesn’t like the gruelling work demands can simply go and find another job outside F1, losing a bunch of staff needlessly through burnout is not a solution that suits the series best for the long term.

Autosport has heard the story of what life is really like on the road for a mechanic right now, and just why things are close to a breaking point.

Speaking anonymously to a team member who travels with the F1 circus, Autosport can reveal how life has changed for mechanics in recent years, what impact the bigger calendar is having for those in the garages, and just what F1 can do to help make a better future for all those involved.

Here are his words...

The mechanic's viewpoint
There is no hiding from the fact that life on the road as a Formula 1 mechanic is tough. It has always been that way, and none of us do it because we are after an easy time.

We all love F1, and know that being a part of grand prix racing is something that requires you to dig deep.

But, as the Formula 1 calendar has expanded and the triple-headers become a norm, things have hit a breaking point for a lot of people who work in the garages.

The working hours are a lot. From the Wednesday before a race until the Sunday night afterwards, it's a minimum of 12-hour days every day. You don't realise what that takes out of you until you go back to work in the factory and a normal eight-hour day is almost comical because it feels so short!

In fact, you don't realise what an abnormal life it is on the road until you actually come back home.

What makes it especially tough is the fact that it is so relentless, with no recovery time. You work from the moment you get off the plane, and that can be after a really crappy flight where you have been crammed in economy class and got little to no sleep.

After the end-of-season triple-header in Mexico, Brazil, and Qatar, the combination of punishing economy flights, late timetables and timezone changes meant everyone was absolutely shattered, and that is when I think I saw people struggling the most.

The peak tiredness when it hits is a horrible, horrible thing. When you are away from your loved ones and on the road, you can feel so alone.


Then, when you are coming home on a Monday morning or Monday evening, and you haven't slept properly in days, that then affects how you feel in your personal time. It means your relationships can suffer – either because you are agitated with your partners or you've got other things on your mind. And that's not fair on you nor them.

You are not just mentally fatigued, you are physically drained as well. As the season wears on, there are a hell of lot of injuries happening. The teams do have doctors and physios to help look after you, but the easiest solution is to pump you with painkillers to just keep you going. There is no way in a million years that a regular doctor would give you what we are given to keep us going.

For those that don't want to go down the painkiller route, they turn to alcohol, and that's not especially good either.

On top of all this, the COVID rules have added another stress point, especially as teams like to manage the timing of the tests in terms of what is best for them rather than what is best for the individual.

Some teams don't want you to test too early in case that puts you out for qualifying or the race. Instead they prefer for you to wait until as late as you can for your pre-return PCR.

But if there is a problem and the test result doesn't come back for any reason, then it's the mechanic who suffers as he has to stay away from home for yet another day to go and get retested.

One day extra doesn't seem a lot, but it all adds up when everyone is so tired and just wants to be home with their loved ones. It is typical of a lack of empathy from the teams about what they are putting people through.

Between the stress of test results being processed in time so we can all go home, the requirement to self-isolate in the UK, and the calendar changes on short notice, we have had to give up so much of our lives to F1 so that people at the top can make more money while we get nothing in return.

On top of the sheer tiredness and being away from home so much, it is difficult to balance the relentlessness of it with the really high expectations that is placed upon everyone in the garage to work at their highest level. Nobody wants to make a car in which a driver retires or crashes, so everyone is absolutely wired into it.


And that just adds to the stress. The drivers, and all the factory personnel, are relying on you to perform at 100% and not to make any errors. But anyone can make mistakes. We're only human, and I've made plenty in my time.

When you do, there is just this silent disappointment from others. You get asked about why you let it happen, why you weren't more aware of things, and it's difficult to take that in on top of everything else.

Then you start doubting yourself. It throws you, and makes you risk even more mistakes because you start getting more stressed about it. It's mentally fatiguing.

The pressures of all that, plus the tiredness triggered by the number of races and the triple-headers, has got to a point where the atmosphere in the garages can be very toxic at times.

And that toxicity comes from being in a competitive arena. It's almost like a corporate environment where you're trying to climb the ladder but people aren't getting anywhere so they end up being horrible to others.

There is a lot of banter but it can get nasty very quickly. I've seen it a lot of times where it's been funny but has then crossed the line a bit too much, and the humour has become too dark.

It can have a negative impact on some members within the team who have insecurities regarding their appearance, sexuality, or work status. Exacerbating those insecurities can lead to depression and everything that comes with it like social isolation and an unhealthy lifestyle.

It's a toxicity caused because everyone is on top of each other all the time: there is no getting away to have a little bit of a breather.

The guys are having to build the car, then straight after they might have to go and build the gearbox and then they might have to go and do the suspension. There isn't even half an hour for some lunch sometimes, as you feel you need to wolf your food down to get back to work.

Teams have tried to do their bit to improve things, and there are things that are better now than a few years ago.



The curfew has helped a bit, and of course we don't have to do a whole bunch of testing between races like there was a few decades ago.

On hotel rooms, we did used to have to share rooms, but now a lot of teams have realised that giving everyone single rooms doesn't really affect their budget too much. And the positive reaction they're getting from the people due to that is very beneficial for the teams.

However, the mental health awareness on teams’ social media is often about the drivers, but not the rest of their workforce.

You get the impression that the top management don’t want to assess their mechanics and technicians as they’ll be scared of the results. If they know the results, they know that they have to act upon them, and ultimately a mechanic isn’t important enough to worry about nor spend extra money on.

That leaves some of us feeling that if you do mentally breakdown – and I know some colleagues who have – there is no extra support for us. No one is going to come and catch us.

Often when people talk about the stresses and strains of the mammoth F1 calendar, they say that if you don't like it then you can leave. Some team bosses have even said as much.

But that attitude just shows how out of touch some are with the reality of what is needed in F1, and this belief that you can simply slot in replacement staff like fresh light bulbs.

All that will be left, if you push everyone over the edge, is having kids doing the job. You won't find great mechanics, you won't find great technicians, and the sport as a whole will fail because it is no longer about the best staff working for the best teams who attract the best drivers.

If any teams think they can promote someone fresh and young from a junior category with no experience, and expect them to win championships in the future, then they’re not understanding the reality of the sport.

Just like any master craftsmen, you need the experienced person to pass on their knowledge to create the best product. F1 isn’t too far from that, and you need the previous generation to teach the new generation. Without that, a team won’t succeed in being the best.

I feel that F1 is close to a tipping point, with the calendar getting longer and the sport's bosses thinking they can keep rolling out the triple-headers.

So many people have talked about quitting this year and that hasn't happened any other years that I've been involved in the sport.


Normally at the end of the season there are two or three team members who decide they don't want to keep going to the races. But this year there have been so many more people talking about the need to get out. I think with COVID, people are realising that there is a life outside of F1.

I worry about the long-term future too because on top of all the stress and strain caused by the schedule, the mechanics are also paying a big price for the cost cap.

The wages of a mechanic have pretty much flatlined over the past 20 years – and what motivation does that give you for the amount of time, mental and physical effort that you are putting in over your years in the sport?

In addition, because teams are trying to keep a lid on spending due to the cost cap, they simply cannot afford to hand out pay rises that keep up with inflation. So it's going to stall wages, and kill the job market in F1 as it will fall behind other series.

There is a weird scenario where we are almost better off going to work in Formula 2, Formula E or WEC for slightly less money, but do almost half the races and not have to put up with all the hassles of a 23-race schedule. It should not be like that.

It also means for those who love F1, and who can put up with the stresses, that there just isn't the scope to plot a normal career path. In the past you could aspire to move up to be number one mechanic, to chief mechanic and then even higher. And each time getting a decent pay hike.

That path doesn't exist anymore because the pay grades just aren't there – and if the staff inside the sport can't see a future, then how on earth can F1 expect to attract the most promising individuals from outside?

And does it make sense for the cost cap to exempt the highest paid staff in the team who already enjoy many more luxuries than those working on the garage floor?

I think team management and those who run F1 are aware of what's going on, but I don't think they fully understand it, which is why there isn't an urgency to make changes that would help everyone.

If F1 does nothing and doesn't react to what a lot of mechanics feel, then you are just going to end up with a high turnover of people, and that is going to hurt the teams the most.

I'm not sure if it's just the working staff who think that 23 races is too much: I sense even the fans think that a run of triple-headers is not great. It feels like the sport is being cheapened in a way, where each race is no longer as valuable and important because there are now so many.



And why isn't there more consideration for a calendar that works better for staff? Why, for example, are we going from Azerbaijan straight to Canada next year? It doesn't make any sense at all, especially when a Turkey/Baku run would be much more sensible.

There are some solutions though that would help us a lot.

Of course, wages are always important. There needs to be a rethink about the pay structure in the sport to ensure that those in the front line aren't being hurt the most by the cost cap.

For what would seem like a small pay rise for the bosses would make a massive difference to a lot of us on the ground.

Also, why not get us out of our cramped economy plane seats for some of the more gruelling races, just so when we land we are in much improved shape to do a better job for the teams?

And what about pushing more for a staff rotation system, so we keep the best team members refreshed and motivated for the entire season? I know one team has tried resting mechanics for a few races this year and it has made a big difference.

But perhaps the biggest thing that would help is a bit of empathy from the top of F1.

We all do this job because we love grand prix racing, but there comes a point where our mental and physical well-being needs to take priority over the needs of the sport to keep pumping out the races.

More downtime for exercise and for recovery, some proper health checks to ensure we can perform at our very best, and just a better understanding of what our life is really like when you hit those brutal low points in the middle of yet another triple-header, would mean the world.

[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/f1...ottas/7013338/

F1 2022 cars "not crazy different" in simulator, says Bottas
By: Jonathan Noble
Co-author: Luke Smith
Dec 28, 2021, 6:00 AM
Valtteri Bottas does not think Formula 1’s 2022 cars will have a totally different feel for drivers compared to the current generation of machinery.

F1 teams are working flat out on the all-new ground effect cars that are arriving for 2022, and aimed at helping improve the racing by allowing drivers to follow each other more closely.

A number of drivers who have tried the new concepts out in simulators have said that they will require a contrasting approach compared to now – as they will move around a lot more on the edge than the current cars.

However, with Bottas having tried out versions of the 2022 car in both the Mercedes and Alfa Romeo simulators, he feels that things will not be totally different.

Referencing his run in the Mercedes sim earlier this year, and the Alfa try-out a few months ago, Bottas said: “At least at that point, it felt like the cars are a bit off in terms of downforce.

“But the overall feeling, at least in the sim, wasn't that dissimilar in either of the simulators. We can't simulate following other cars and stuff like that, but it’s not crazy different. Maybe still a bit less downforce but, like I said, that will change.”

Bottas’ comments are in contrast to McLaren driver Lando Norris, who reckoned the new F1 cars feel quite similar to drive to F2.

[DLSTR]

Get rid of these in F1 as well. This certainly applies. Force drivers to deal with the track. Minimize escape --

Stoner: MotoGP corner run-offs “worst thing that's happened" to bike racing

Double MotoGP world champion Casey Stoner believes the advent of large asphalt run-offs at circuits is “the worst thing that’s happened to motorcycle racing”.

[DLSTR]

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wh...ivers/7067159/

Why F1's 2022 cars will be more of a handful for drivers
By: Jonathan Noble
Co-author: Giorgio Piola
Jan 3, 2022, 5:10 AM
Formula 1 will unleash a new rules era this year, as the series shifts to ground effect cars that are aimed at making the racing better.

While the regulations are not specifically designed to make overtaking easier per se, the hope is that the new concepts will allow drivers to follow their rivals much closer than before.

To achieve that, F1 has had to move away from a reliance on downforce created by the front and rear wings and instead the cars will generate much more performance from channelling air through venturi tunnels underneath the car.

By doing that, it is hoped that pursuing cars will not suffer as much from the wake of rivals in front, which should also help reduce sliding and minimise tyre overheating.

One of the consequences of the change in rules was expected to be a dramatic increase in lap times – with initial talk being that the cars could be as much as five seconds per lap slower.

However, with teams rapidly understanding the details of the rules, the suggestion is that the cars could be as little as 0.5 seconds adrift of where F1 lap times are right now.

But even with the lap times being similar, one common theme that has cropped up in recent weeks has been how different the cars feel for the drivers.

For beyond the loss of downforce, drivers who have tried the cars in the simulators have talked of the cars not feeling as settled.

As McLaren’s Lando Norris said: “I don't think it'll be as nice to drive in a way. I think it'll be a little bit more on the limit in terms of pushing and so on. A little bit like F2 in a way, I think, where you see more fighting the car and stuff.”

Such comments, at a time when F1 has moved towards cars that are aimed to make them more stable when following others, appears to suggest something has gone awry.

However, as the FIA’s head of single-seater technical matters Nikolas Tombazis explains, what the drivers are experiencing is a consequence of a move to make the aerodynamics of the cars simpler.

For, whereas teams previously honed the airflows of the old generation of cars to ensure consistent airflow over the bodywork through a corner, such an outcome is not possible now.

“There's quite a few challenges in driveability terms nowadays,” explained Tombazis.

“Teams had developed the through-corner performance from a driveability point of view and for stability, and they did a lot of work in the simulator.

“They also did a lot of work on the aerodynamics to make sure the car didn't have quick changes of characteristics through the corner that would unsettle the driver.

“To my understanding, the new rules make that a bit more difficult. So therefore, the cars I think will be a bit more difficult to drive: which I think is a good thing.”


Tombazis said the areas that teams had honed the most – like airflow from the front wing to the bargeboards and under the floor – was no longer possible because of rule restrictions.

“It was previously achieved on the front wing and on the bargeboard area by playing very carefully with the various vortices, and how they travel through air,” he said. “That is more limited now in what is possible.”


The consequence of the limitations on what teams can do, allied to the change in car characteristics, should put a bigger emphasis on driver talent – something Tombazis is happy about.

“I think it's a good thing for the skill of the drivers that the car isn't as predictable,” he said. “I think it's going to be potentially more difficult to drive because they may be not as refined in some of the characteristics.”

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by DLSTR

https://www.autosport.com/f1/news/wh...ivers/7067159/

Why F1's 2022 cars will be more of a handful for drivers
By: Jonathan Noble
Co-author: Giorgio Piola
Jan 3, 2022, 5:10 AM
Formula 1 will unleash a new rules era this year, as the series shifts to ground effect cars that are aimed at making the racing better.

...
“I think it's a good thing for the skill of the drivers that the car isn't as predictable,” he said. “I think it's going to be potentially more difficult to drive because they may be not as refined in some of the characteristics.”

In other words, it's going to make passing more difficult, because both the car passing and the one being passed will already be on the edge. And good luck if the passee is Stroll, Mazepin, Schumacher or Latiffi!

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

In other words, it's going to make passing more difficult, because both the car passing and the one being passed will already be on the edge. And good luck if the passee is Stroll, Mazepin, Schumacher or Latiffi!

Nice now even more heavy. Crazy crazy.......

New 2022 F1 cars only ‘0.5-2 seconds slower’ despite 40kg weight rise
2022 F1 season Posted on

2nd November 2021, 8:13 | Written by Keith Collantine and RJ O'Connell

Cars built to new technical regulations for the 2022 Formula 1 season could be as little as half a second slower than their predecessors despite being much heavier.

On top of a 40kg increase in the minimum weight limit, to 792kg, next year’s rules will also simplify the cars’ suspension and radically alter their aerodynamics. Upper aerodynamic surfaces will be simplified, while teams are being given greater freedom to generate downforce using their cars’ floors.

Despite these changes, F1’s technical director Pat Symonds recently suggested the new cars could lap as little as half a second slower than this year’s machines.

When the new regulations were first confirmed in 2019, Aston Martin (formerly Racing Point) CEO Otmar Szafnauer predicted it would slow cars by around five to seven seconds. He now concurs with Symonds’ view about the performance of next year’s machines.

“It’s going to be track dependent. I think at some of the tracks we’ll be on par with this year and other tracks we will be slower,” Szafnauer told RaceFans. “But my five-to-seven second estimate at the time was before we delved deep into our development programme.

“I think we’re going to be a lot closer – even on the tracks where it’s going to be slower – to this year, than five to seven seconds. It might be at some places a half a second difference, and other places one-to-two seconds.”

The new technical regulations were originally slated for introduction this year, then delayed by a season due to the pandemic. Teams were allowed to carry their 2020 cars over with some modifications to limit performance gains this season. As a result lap times have risen by around one to two seconds year-on-year.

https://www.racefans.net/2021/11/02/...g-weight-rise/

[God-Speed]

The real question is, just how many times will the FIA CHANGE THE RULES after the season has started??

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by God-Speed

The real question is, just how many times will the FIA CHANGE THE RULES after the season has started??

They haven't invented a number high enough, yet!

[ZCanadian]

Meanwhile, here's a simple Rorschach-like test to see how well you are coping without F1.

What do you see here?
(hint: it isn't sexual! LOL)

[abm89]

why do they keep making the cars heavier? The PUs are efficient enough to shrink the fuel tanks so they can go back down to 2009 sizes, right?

[Hotrodz]

Originally Posted by abm89

why do they keep making the cars heavier? The PUs are efficient enough to shrink the fuel tanks so they can go back down to 2009 sizes, right?

I would suspect to give the cars more mechanical grip since they are losing down force. Weight also add stability. Fuel management will be more important. Bring back refueling!!!

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[abm89]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Meanwhile, here's a simple Rorschach-like test to see how well you are coping without F1.

What do you see here?
(hint: it isn't sexual! LOL)

Obviously the Parabolica at Monza

[ZCanadian]

Originally Posted by abm89

Obviously the Parabolica at Monza

You got it in one!

Although the corner was actually re-named yesterday, after I posted that (I didnt know that was going to happen).

It is now Curva Alborito
https://wtf1.com/post/the-iconic-par...a-name-change/

[ZCanadian]

Here's a shocker:

https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...rture-of-otmar


Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team announces the departure of Otmar Szafnauer

DATE
05.01.2022

Otmar Szafnauer has left the Company and his role at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team will be managed within the leadership team until a replacement is appointed.

[DLSTR]

Originally Posted by ZCanadian

Here's a shocker:

https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/...rture-of-otmar


Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team announces the departure of Otmar Szafnauer

DATE
05.01.2022

Otmar Szafnauer has left the Company and his role at Aston Martin Cognizant Formula One™ Team will be managed within the leadership team until a replacement is appointed.

Off to Alpine - worst kept secret LOL