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At the 2005 Chinese Grand Prix
Race Control is a small, undistinguished
room on the ground floor of the control tower. The white walls give it a cold,
sterile atmosphere, but the people working here need cool, clear heads because
their decisions could – and often do – influence the outcome of a
Formula One race.
The layout of the room is reminiscent of mission control, as seen on TV during
shuttle launches. Three rows of desks face forward, looking at a bank of 54 televisions.
Each shows a different section of track, making it virtually impossible for the
FIA delegates to miss an on-track incident – and even if they don’t
see something clearly there is always the instantaneous replay button to take
away any doubt.
As well as these trackside images, race control has numerous pitlane cameras,
pitlane speed limit alarms and grid position sensors. On the back wall there
are nine maps of the circuit, each showing a different section of infrastructure:
tunnels, bridges, access roads and the like.
If that weren’t enough information to ensure the smooth running of a race,
the FIA also has the ability to tune into every radio conversation in the pitlane.
Drivers’ names are listed on a monitor in front of FIA observer Herbie
Blash and when a radio channel goes live, the relevant name flashes green and
he can listen-in at the flick of a switch.
“It’s quite a useful tool,” he says, “because
if we ask a team to inform their driver of something during
a race,we can check whether they have actually done it.”
Radio conversations can also be two-way between the FIA and the pitwall. Team
managers seeking clarification about a Safety Car situation or an on-track incident
can radio Blash or the FIA’s race director Charlie Whiting for advice.
“The way we do it,” says Team McLaren Mercedes
Team Manager Dave Ryan, “is that Ron contacts race
control about all matters concerning Kimi and I deal with
everything
to do with Juan Pablo. It can be about anything, but often
we talk to them to get peace of mind about something.”
All these conversations – and the constant need to update the race stewards,
who sit in an adjacent room in the control tower – amounts to a huge workload
for race control. And there are only three permanent staff from the FIA to deal
with it: Whiting, Blash and race control operator Colin Haywood, whose job during
the sessions is to file an instantaneous incident report.
Sitting alongside this trio in the front row is Alexander Keck, who oversees
the video replays. The remaining 21 people in the room are representatives from
the local National Sporting Authority – all under the jurisdiction of the
Clerk of the Course – each with different areas of expertise from crowd
control to first aid.
The race control team kicks into action whenever the Formula one cars are on-track,
although in Europe they also oversee the GP2 races. For Whiting and Blash, however,
their jobs far exceed these four walls. Their race weekend begins on Thursday
afternoon with a walk around the track to check safety issues: the kerbs, tyre
walls and gravel traps. “The tracks used to vary quite a lot,” says
Whiting, “but there’s not such a big difference these days.”
Other jobs for Whiting and Blash include briefing the team managers, the marshals
and the drivers, and overseeing technical matters with the help of the FIA’s
technical delegate Jo Bauer. There are also the Mercedes-Benz Safety and Medical
Cars to think about, and television schedules, which is why you see Blash rounding
up the top three drivers for the podium within seconds of them finishing the
race.
“It’s undoubtedly a busy weekend,” says
Whiting, “but
a very enjoyable one. I think I can speak for everyone
who’s
part of race control when I say we still get a buzz out
of the race on Sunday afternoon.”
Shanghai proves to be an eventful GP for race control. As everyone sits down
at their desks before the start (apart from Whiting, the official starter), Michael
Schumacher collides with Christijan Albers on the formation lap. Within seconds
Haywood has reported the incident. Takuma Sato then jumps the start “by
a significant margin”, according to Blash, who knows exactly how much he
jumps it by thanks to the sensors in every grid position.
Disaster then strikes Team McLaren Mercedes on lap 18 when Juan Pablo runs over
a loose drainage cover while running in fourth place. Haywood immediately reports
the incident and, after watching a video replay, Whiting deploys the Mercedes-Benz
Safety Car while the cover is replaced.
Job done, Whiting re-starts the race only for Narain Karthikeyan to crash on
lap 29, leaving debris on the track. More incident reports follow, as does another
Safety Car period and various radio queries from the teams.
The race goes green four laps later, but race control’s work is not yet
done, as another incident is under discussion over the airwaves. Giancarlo Fisichella
slowed dramatically in the pitlane ahead of his second pitstop, holding up Kimi,
and in doing so also breaking the new rule that forbids driving too slowly and
causing a danger in the pit lane. Whiting decides to punish him with a drive
through
penalty.“We have to enforce the letter of the law, otherwise what are we
here for?” You can’t argue with race control – it’s the
most important room in F1 during a grand prix.
(Taken from the latest edition of Racing Line magazine) |
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