Opinion: Things for Granted
Despite my profession, Formula One is a sport I follow only with passing interest and as a result, I certainly can’t claim to be the leading authority with regards to F1 news. I can name all twenty football teams competing in the English Premier League this season off the top of my head, but it was only on Saturday that I learned the existence of Marussia-Cosworth as a team competing in Formula One.
It was the Malaysian Grand Prix yesterday, and rather than braving the heat of Sepang or gluing myself in front of the television set, I was at a pub enjoying a few pints, and it would appear that I missed out on quite a bit drama. The reports and op-eds this morning were all focused on Sebastian Vettel’s controversial passing of Mark Webber and also Ross Brawn explicitly ordering Nico Rosberg to not overtake Lewis Hamilton. Then there’s Hamilton’s episode revisiting his old house that was extensively covered in various amusing side notes.
At the post-race conference, Hamilton took a conciliatory tone and paid tribute to Rosberg’s deference to team orders, but one suspects the atmosphere is less harmonious over at the Infiniti Red Bull Racing camp. Webber is clearly less than pleased with Vettel’s initiative and I have my doubts that Christian Horner would be amused by Vettel’s public insubordination, though it is doubtful that any action would be against him at the end of the day. Well, I’m content to let the subject experts discuss this topic to its death.
Although the events on race day passed me by, I did follow the action on qualifying day a lot more closely, even if there was some initial reluctance on my part to do so. Simply put, my plans for the weekend did not have Formula One on the agenda. That changed at the eleventh hour after I was invited as Infiniti’s guest at the Paddock Club.
Not too long ago, such an opportunity would have filled my heart with excitement and anticipation for days before, during, and after the event. These days, I look at it as just part of the job, and if I am to be honest, I have to admit that I no longer feel the sense of wonder and astonishment that I once held towards car events of any sort.
This is not to say I’m losing interest or enthusiasm in my work, far from it. I do get stuck with writer’s block once in a while, but I never dread Mondays and I still enjoy engaging engineers and product development personnel on long-winded discussions on their products. Of course, the opportunity to try out the newest cars in the market and commenting on them is something I’m unlikely to get tired of anytime soon.
It was pretty much a routine day for me at the Paddock Club with the usual free flow of food and beverages plus the hospitality treatment from our hosts with the usual mingling and chit-chat taking place. After the Free Practice session, Paddock Club guests were given about an hour to do a pit walk and in our case as guests of Infiniti RBR, we even got a chance to tour the team’s pit area in a walkabout.
I didn’t see either of Webber or Vettel present, but the team’s well-drilled team of engineers and technicians were busy fiddling with the two race cars and adjusting them to the last detail was there for all to admire. It was at this moment that the engineer in me woke up and began to marvel at the impressive coordination that define the work of these people. Formula One teams work in clockwork precision and whilst there is very little margin for error, it is absolutely essential that one prepares for the unexpected.
Perhaps the day’s highlight was when we were given the opportunity to watch part of the Qualifying Day’s action from inside the team’s pit area itself. We were herded into a booth isolated from the team’s mechanics by a transparent panel which allowed us to see but not disturb them at work. We were then given a pair of headphones each from which we could listen to the ongoing communication between the drivers and the team principals over the radio.
It was a fascinating experience listening to the instructions being communicated to drivers, who in turn replied with their feedback. I can’t recollect the conversation verbatim, but bits that I remember include instructions to not impede cars on fast laps and to back off from slower cars to give themselves room to gun it on their hot lap. From our vantage points, we were also able to see the very same monitors from which the team’s officials monitor race proceedings. It was an experience that essentially allowed us to see the race from the team’s perspective. I am properly impressed by the attention they pay to various details that seem almost trivial but add up to make substantial differences.
I made my way out of Sepang almost immediately after the qualifying session concluded and I am glad to say that I enjoyed the day a little bit more than I expected, although I suspect the true fans who paid good money and braved the heat to attend the race would have had a memorable experience to take home. The magic of the experience remains alive in them, and they are all the better for it. For me, it was more of a learning experience, gaining a better insight into the workings of a Formula One team and also learning to rediscover the sense of wonder that I once had.
Editor’s Note: Views expressed in this article are personal opinions of the writer and may or may not represent the official views of the publication.
