Getting back to the team

When the race winner returns to the pits, he is always treated to a hero’s welcome. The team has often cracked open a few bottles of champagne (for drinking this time, not spraying) and will be patting each other on the back when the driver returns.
Still in his sweat- and champagne-soaked overalls, the driver shakes hands with all his mechanics and team members and gives a congratulatory speech in which he thanks everyone for their hard work. Then he rushes back to his motorhome to have a shower and change into casual clothes before a final sit down with his team to run through how the race went. This post-race debrief is important because it is the final chance the team has to discuss and analyse exactly how they won that day – so that they can do it again and again. Some of these debriefs can actually go on longer than the races themselves!
Finally, when the debrief is finished, the driver is free to do what he wants to do. If he’s flying out of the country early, he may make a dash for the airport, or he may choose to sit around with the team and join in the post-race party. There are also usually more interviews with the media and hundreds of autograph hunters waiting for him outside the motorhome because he has suddenly become the most in-demand man to meet at the track.

F1 press conferences

Although the race winner may be very tired and soaked in champagne, he is still not allowed to return to his garage and get changed because it is time to meet the world’s media. And like everything else in Formula One, this takes place to a rigid timetable.
TV interviews, first
As soon as the drivers have finished on the podium and perhaps dropped their trophies and bottles of champagne down to their team members below, they are rushed off to a special television interview room. This is the first chance the world will have to hear just what went on in the race from the drivers’ perspective – and that’s why so many people tune into this interview. This is the one interview that is always broadcast straight after the podium ceremony on every single television channel. The drivers are always asked two questions each in English about their race before the winner is handed his final moment of glory by being asked about either his championship prospects or the next race. Afterwards those drivers whose first language is not English are asked to speak a few words in their own languages, specifically for their fans back home.
Press conference, next
After the television interview has taken place, the drivers have to go to another press conference room for written media and radio. Track commentator Bob Constanduros hosts the first part of this press conference, before it opens to questions from the floor. Some drivers dread this moment, because they can be asked some difficult questions – especially if something controversial has taken place on the track.
One of the most amazing post-race press conferences was after the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix, when Ferrari controversially imposed team orders in the closing stages of the race to ensure that Michael Schumacher won the event. The top three drivers had just endured being booed and jeered on the podium when they got exactly the same reception from the press!
Then more questions from more folks
Even when this press conference has finished, which can sometimes last more than half an hour, the drivers are still not free to return to their teams. In the main paddock, just outside the media centre, officials set up a special fenced-off area for the drivers. Here television crews can ask the drivers their own questions for a few minutes before the drivers can finally walk back to celebrate with their teams.

Joy on the podium

There was a time when drivers would turn up for the podium only if they wanted to, but in modern Formula One, this special post-race ceremony is organised with military precision. Of course, it has to be with several million people tuned in around the world and wanting to share the joy with the winning drivers.
The podium is usually set-up high above the pits and in front of a main grandstand, so that as many fans as possible can see the top three drivers. At most tracks, after the cars have returned to the pits, the fans are allowed to run onto the track so they too can get close to the action.
Everyone lines up
On the podium are three steps, one each for the top three finishers of the race. The middle step is the highest, and this is designed for the winner. To the right of the winner is a slightly shorter step that the second place finisher stands on. To the left of the winner is the shortest step for the third place finisher. When the ceremony is ready to kick off, the three drivers step out onto the podium followed by a representative of the winning team. Out on the podium as well will be between one and three VIPs, whose job it will be to hand out the trophies.
A few patriotic tunes are played
The first national anthem to be played is that of the winning driver, followed by the national anthem of the winning team. After this, the race winner and team representative are presented with their trophies, followed by the second and third placed driver.
Someone breaks out the bubbly
Finally comes the moment that everyone has waited for: the champagne, which gets sprayed everywhere – not a surprise with a bottle for each of the top three finishers. Usually the focus is on the race winner – who will find his rivals pouring champagne over his head, over his overalls, and down the back of his neck. It is a small price to pay for winning the race!

Doing post-race checks

When a driver wins a Formula One race, he may suddenly become the most important person at the track that day, but he still has to follow the rules. However much the driver may want to drive straight back into his garage, crack open the champagne with his team, and party long into the night, he knows he has to wait a little bit longer for that.
As soon as he has completed his slowing down lap, the winning driver enters the pit lane and he is directed to an area called parc ferme. As its name suggests, this is a closed, fenced-off area where only race officials and drivers are allowed. This area is where the post-race checks take place. These checks ensure that all cars are legal and that teams haven’t cheated in their quest for glory.
The winning driver’s team members and the team members of his two closest challengers all rush up to the side of parc ferme to cheer on their star. This is the first time that a driver has seen his team members close up since the end of the race and, if the winner had managed to calm down on the slowing down lap, then this moment is sure to get his emotions flowing again. Because the winners don’t have long in parc ferme (they need to be weighed and rushed up to the podium ceremony), you often see them rush over to congratulate a handful of people with hugs – and perhaps a kiss – before they disappear again for a few moments. The people a driver is likely to make a special effort to see are the following:
_ His wife or girlfriend
_ His team boss
_ His manager
_ His race engineer
_ His best friend

Finally the Finish Line

No matter how fast a driver is, how good his car is, and how much sponsorship money there is pushing his team towards glory, winning a Formula One race is not something that anyone can take for granted. It is the end result of an incredible amount of effort and, even with a technical advantage over your opposition, a driver still has to push himself and his team to the limit to ensure that they do not slip up.
There is a famous saying in motor racing that to finish first, first you have to finish. And doesn’t every Formula One driver out there know it. There have been countless occasions when drivers have looked all set for a spectacular victory only to have things go wrong in the final stages of the race. Formula One drivers often talk about hearing strange noises from their cars in the final laps of a race as they begin getting really paranoid of not making it to the finish.
One of the most famous times in recent history was at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix when Nigel Mansell had dominated the race and was poised for his first win of the season. On the final lap of the race, with no challenger near him, he started waving to the crowd who were cheering him all the way. Unfortunately, on the way into a slow hairpin, he got too excited and forgot to change down a gear to get around the corner. This mistake caused his car to stall, and he was left stranded at the side of the track. His team was not happy, to say the least! That is why some drivers wait until a few short seconds before the chequered flag, knowing that if anything does go wrong with their car, they would still be able to coast across the line, before sticking their arms out of the cockpit and accepting the victory. As soon as a driver takes the chequered flag (explained in the following section), the race is over, but the spectacle isn’t – not yet anyway.
The first driver across the finish line receives the chequered flag. As the driver crosses the line to take the chequered flag, you often see him move off the racing line and swerve towards the pits. But don’t worry; he isn’t trying to scare the man waving the chequered flag. Instead, he wants to cross the finishing line and get right alongside his team members, who will be crowded onto the pit wall and cheering him on. It is a very special moment winning a Formula One race, and it’s probably the only time of the entire weekend when crew and driver can relax for a few short moments.

Winning and Losing Races in the Pits

Races can be won or lost in the pits through the timing of the stops, through the pit crew’s performance, or through malfunction. The timing of the stops is decided by the race strategists; the time taken for the actual stop is determined by the amount of fuel delivered and the efficiency of the pit crew. The most frequent cause of a pit stop delay is an equipment problem.

Timing of stops
Before the race, the team strategists will have worked out an ideal plan of action. This plan is based on the characteristics of the track, the car’s grid position and the grid position of the main. But once the race gets underway, the strategy can be fine-tuned by tactics.
If a rival holds up a driver for example, it may be advantageous to pit early and hope to set a strong enough pace immediately after the stop to pass the rival when he makes his stop. On the other hand, being able to run longer than your rival before pitting may find you the winning margin. In this scenario, your driver may be able to put in the critical fast laps after the rival has pitted; these laps could enable your man to rejoin ahead after he makes his own pit stop.
Changeable weather during the race brings all sorts of opportunities for winning pit tactics too.

Crew performance
Getting the whole crew to put in an error-free performance is the first prerequisite here. Under the most extreme pressure, the wheel guys have to ensure they don’t cross-thread a wheel nut and that the correct tyres goes on the correct side of the car; the jack man mustn’t miscue his lift; and so on. Although all crew members must perform at their peak, how quickly the refuellers can attach the hose, refuel, and disconnect is really the critical path to how quick the stop is. The fuel goes in at a pre-determined rate and the wheel changing takes up only a fraction of the time of the refuelling. So, assuming nothing goes wrong, it all hangs on how quickly those two refuellers can do their stuff. In a closely matched race, the time they take can be the difference between winning and losing.
Stalling due to driver error at the pit stops is now largely a thing of the past as they use their launch control electronics to get them underway.


Equipment malfunction
Typical malfunctions that have cost teams races include sticking wheel nuts –where the expansion of the metal due to heat causes the nuts to seize on their splines – and problematic refuelling rigs. The standard fuel rigs have proved notoriously temperamental and have frequently failed to deliver the programmed amount of fuel, for example. For this reason, teams usually have the other car’s rig on stand-by just in case, with a third refueller manning it, ready for action.
Faulty connections on the steering wheel controlling the launch control can also cause the car to stall. This lost Jacques Villeneuve over a lap in the 2003 Austrian Grand Prix and lost him what had been a real chance of finishing in the points.

The Anatomy of a Pit Stop

In just a few seconds a huge number of actions are carried out by a Formula One pit crew. Here they are broken down.
Pre-programming: Once the strategists have agreed on when the driver is to make a pit stop and the intended duration of the next stint, the driver’s fuel rig is programmed to deliver the precise amount of fuel required.
Timing: The driver’s race engineer tells him over the radio, usually on the preceding lap, when to pit. At the same time, the team manager – listening in to all team radio communications – scrambles the driver’s pit crew, who gather their equipment and tyres and move from the garage into the pit apron in front of the garage. The lollipop man – a crew member with a big carbon-fibre lollipop –stations himself in line with where the nose of the car will stop and holds out his lollipop directly in the driver’s path, giving him a clearly visible guide for his precise stopping place.
Pit lane entry: The driver enters the pit lane at full racing speed but brings the speed down to the pit lane speed limit of 80 km/h (60 km/h in the very tight pit lane of Monaco) before he crosses the white line that denotes the start of the speed limit area. As he crosses the line, he engages a pit lane speed limiter that electronically prevents the car from accelerating above the speed limit. Selecting the limiter automatically pops open the fuel filler flap. Although the pit lane limiter helps, the driver is the one responsible for being under the speed limit as he crosses the line entering the pits. The limiter only prevents the car accelerating beyond that speed once it’s already below it.
Hitting the marks: The driver stops the car in the appropriate spot. As the car stops, the lollipop man brings down his lollipop in front of the driver. Imprinted on the face of the lollipop is the word “brakes” to remind the driver to keep his foot on the brake pedal so that the wheels don’t turn as the wheel nuts are spun loose. The driver must also prevent the engine from stalling, which they can be prone to.
It is essential that the driver stop at precisely the same place that his crew are awaiting him. Failure to do so means that the crew have to drag their equipment and tyres up to the car, costing valuable seconds. To help the driver hit the mark, the stopping place for the front and rear tyres and the lollipop man are marked out by extremely tough-wearing adhesive tape.
Front jack: Crouching next to the lollipop man is the front jack man. The instant the car stops he levers his jack under the nose of the car and lifts it into the air. The jack is made from steel tubing and has a quick-release button to bring the car back down.
In most cases the car only needs to be jacked-up around two inches though at certain tracks the pit lane is on an incline and the jacking height has to be increased, which is done by giving the jack bigger wheels. Because teams have different nosecones giving different aerodynamic characteristics, they need also to have specific jacks to suit them, with specially tailored mating points.
Rear jack: The rear jack man has to wait until the car has passed him before getting into position. He then places his jack beneath the car and raises the rear of the car.
Starter motor: The rear jack has a fitting incorporated into it for a starter motor. The starter is there ready to bring the engine back into life if the car stalls. A car may stall due to driver error or trouble with the gearbox, clutch, or hydraulics system. The starter is fitted with an extra-long lead as a precaution in the event that the car stalls after jumping forward a few feet.
Wheel changing: Each wheel has two crew members. One operates the compressed air-driven gun that removes the single, central retaining nut. The other removes the old wheel and fits the new. The gun man then re-attaches the nut and tightens it to around 500 lb/ft (pounds per foot). The wheel nut and the socket of the gun are magnetised to prevent the nut falling to the ground. This whole process takes around three seconds. To prevent the nuts working loose, the right-hand side of the car uses righthanded threads, the left-hand side of the car left-sided threads. This means that the guns of the right and left sides have to work in opposite ways. Teams usually colour code them to denote which is which. Each wheel man has a spare gun with him and usually a couple of spare wheel nuts too, just in case.
Refuelling: A transparent plastic shield is fitted between the filler and the rear of the car to prevent any spilt fuel reaching the hot exhausts. (It’s transparent so that the lollipop man can see through it and know when the rightrear tyre has been attached.) Two refuellers attach the hose to the car’s filler. One handles the hose itself, the other presses on the “dead man’s handle” which has to be kept down in order for the fuel to flow. As soon as this handle is released – as it would be by the man running away, for example –the fuel stops flowing. The rig delivers the exact amount of fuel that’s been programmed in, at the rate of 12-litres per second.
Fuel shrinks in volume when it is chilled, enabling more of it to be contained within each litre. The regulations allow the fuel to be chilled to 10 degrees C below the ambient temperature.
The rig is standardised and provided by the governing body to the teams who are not allowed to modify it in any way. Attached either to the hose or to the refuellers’ helmets are indicators showing when the fuel is flowing and when the process is completed. As soon as these indicators tell the refuellers that the car is full-up, they release the latch that holds the nozzle to the filler and then use a second handle to release the nozzle from a connector on the car. Overseeing the whole operation are two crew members, each with a 60-litre fire extinguisher. Larger capacity fire hoses are at hand in the garage. An additional safety feature on the fuel rig are earthing strips that are wired to the refuelling rigs and reduce the chances of static electricity discharging –highly undesirable with all that fuel around.
Lollipop up: The lollipop man, who’s been watching the whole operation intently, lifts the lollipop. He does so only when he’s satisfied that all four wheels have been attached, the refuelling completed, the nozzle removed from the car, and that another car isn’t about to be in his man’s path. Only then can the driver leave.
Pit lane exit: The driver, while waiting for the crew to finish, will have armed his launch control. The launch control, in concert with his pit lane speed limiter, governs his getaway. As he crosses the line denoting the end of the pit lane speed limit he disengages the speed limiter and accelerates hard back up to race speed, taking care not to cross the next white line – the one that denotes the exit lane back onto the track – before he reaches the end of the pit lane itself. Failure to respect this will incur a penalty.