Too many guests in garage

[pikey]

Hi,

I remember reading a story a while ago about a team (I think it was Renault) having a nightmare with every Tom, Dick and Harry being invited as guests who were allowed to be in the garage during a race. The situation got ridiculous as they got in the way, the team wasn't performing and the amount of guests was a significant part of the problem. The team got management to agree that no more guests would be in the garage during the race, which was part of a strategy that improved performance.

I'm trying to find the article / details again, but can't locate anything. It was a very good article.

Anyone recall this?

Thanks
Ben

[StevieBee]

I think that was in F1 Racing magazine.

Most of teams keep guests in a fishbowl at the back of the garage these days. I would have thought that during a race, the garage is the most uninteresting place to watch from anyway.

[Derek Smith]

StevieBee said:

I think that was in F1 Racing magazine.

Most of teams keep guests in a fishbowl at the back of the garage these days. I would have thought that during a race, the garage is the most uninteresting place to watch from anyway.

I was in the pits of a team running in the LMES at Le Mans. It was exciting, like nothing I'd ever experienced in racing before.

The pit stops were thrilling and driver change, with the driver about to go off on edge and being avoided by everyone. The mechanics trying to appear relaxed when in point of fact they were going through their role in their minds. I remember one who was supposedly leaning on a tyre but there was a gap between the top and his hand.

You don't have to ask when the car's due as everyone is moving, although most going nowhere. It arrives with a scream of tyre and a cloud of smoke. The mechanics will start their job before the car's stopped. The driver throws the door open and a wave of heat comes at you. One mechanic will lean in to help undo the straps. He comes out red-faced from the heat. The driver is helped out by his/her replacement and then walks past you, like a 3 kw fire in your living room. In the meantime they've opened the bonnet and a mechanic puts his gloved hand into the engine bay and does something, stepping away whilst rubbing his arm to dissipate the heat. The tyres are taken by others to the back of the pits, steam coming from them as they are rolled across the floor.

They give the driver a wave and off it goes, after a push from the mechanics. They return to the pits and there are high fives and handshakes; all of them hyped up.

The driver removes his/her helmet, looking par-boiled, their hair stuck to their head. They gulp down water whilst being questioned, giving replies that seem gibberish. They still give off heat.

When there's nothing to do the crew stands around the repeater checking times, nodding or shaking their heads almost in unison. Yet it's a relaxed time, right up until the board goes out for one of the cars.

The mechanics, who like to give off and air of 'it's all in a day's work', are so excited by the racing that you can't help but join them, tutting at a lap time that is not quite on the precise time agreed. The mechanics are the unsung heroes of motor racing and they do their business in the pits.

I hope I've got over that it is tremendous fun being in the pits.

Edited by Derek Smith on Thursday 29th March 09:39

[Vaud]

StevieBee said:

I think that was in F1 Racing magazine.

Most of teams keep guests in a fishbowl at the back of the garage these days. I would have thought that during a race, the garage is the most uninteresting place to watch from anyway.

Years ago I watched a GP2 race 2007 from the Williams garage and being this close to a pitstop was a real buzz.

[pikey]

StevieBee said:

I think that was in F1 Racing magazine.

Most of teams keep guests in a fishbowl at the back of the garage these days. I would have thought that during a race, the garage is the most uninteresting place to watch from anyway.

Perhaps, it was online when I read it though.

Pretty sure it was to do with a French team that due to the connection with the government's partial funding had many many people in there. The team was crap and as part of turning it around they insisted that they had no guests in there.

[anonymous-user]

I’ve found practice sessions are interesting from the garage, especially when plugged into driver/pit radio.

That was especially so before the transmissions were regulated, though qualifying and race is always better outside.

[davidd]

We had a garage tour form Renault F1 at the Belgian GP last year. During the event guests are very restricted at the back behind barriers. It is a very good setup and doesn't interfere with the running of the team.

[Graham]

All the formula E teams have a set aside viewing area in the garages, some even with a window rather than just a low wall. guests only get further than that when there is no track action and then they are always escorted in very small groups..

FE is very fan conscious, so there are lots of guests, and also a lot of pit lane tours so much so getting up and down the pit lane when the tours are on is a pita.. people everywhere and having to dive under the barrier to get into the garages to work...

you generally get very limited view of the circuit from the garage, although pit stops are interesting. all the fe garages have big screens where the mechanics watch. ( separate room in the back for the engineers with screens and laptops!!) we generally watch the start from which ever garage we end up being closest too.

[Derek Smith]

A friend of mine worked for a company that used to sponsor McLaren and Tyrell. After a particularly good sale he was awarded a visit to the Tyrell pits for a tyre change. He used to go to the Formula One Paddock Club for the British and some other GPs, but this was the first time he was allowed in the pits during a race.

They were taken into the pits and told to stand at the back. A short barrier had been erected with a white line chalked on the pit floor two steps from in on the pit side. A lap or two before the car was expected the two were walked down to the white line, told to stand there until a board came down in front of the car.

They waited, getting all excited. They were told the car was due. He had to force himself to stand upright rather than crouch for a quick run. The car arrived, the board came down, the pair took two steps forward and got to the divider just in time to see the clouds of smoke from the rear tyres as the Tyrell sped down the pit lane.

[Pericoloso]

I'd much rather be close up to witness a LM24 type of pitstop than the 2.5 seconds stationary in F1.

As Derek described.

[Stan the Bat]

Derek Smith said:

StevieBee said:

I think that was in F1 Racing magazine.

Most of teams keep guests in a fishbowl at the back of the garage these days. I would have thought that during a race, the garage is the most uninteresting place to watch from anyway.

I was in the pits of a team running in the LMES at Le Mans. It was exciting, like nothing I'd ever experienced in racing before.

The pit stops were thrilling and driver change, with the driver about to go off on edge and being avoided by everyone. The mechanics trying to appear relaxed when in point of fact they were going through their role in their minds. I remember one who was supposedly leaning on a tyre but there was a gap between the top and his hand.

You don't have to ask when the car's due as everyone is moving, although most going nowhere. It arrives with a scream of tyre and a cloud of smoke. The mechanics will start their job before the car's stopped. The driver throws the door open and a wave of heat comes at you. One mechanic will lean in to help undo the straps. He comes out red-faced from the heat. The driver is helped out by his/her replacement and then walks past you, like a 3 kw fire in your living room. In the meantime they've opened the bonnet and a mechanic puts his gloved hand into the engine bay and does something, stepping away whilst rubbing his arm to dissipate the heat. The tyres are taken by others to the back of the pits, steam coming from them as they are rolled across the floor.

They give the driver a wave and off it goes, after a push from the mechanics. They return to the pits and there are high fives and handshakes; all of them hyped up.

The driver removes his/her helmet, looking par-boiled, their hair stuck to their head. They gulp down water whilst being questioned, giving replies that seem gibberish. They still give off heat.

When there's nothing to do the crew stands around the repeater checking times, nodding or shaking their heads almost in unison. Yet it's a relaxed time, right up until the board goes out for one of the cars.

The mechanics, who like to give off and air of 'it's all in a day's work', are so excited by the racing that you can't help but join them, tutting at a lap time that is not quite on the precise time agreed. The mechanics are the unsung heroes of motor racing and they do their business in the pits.

I hope I've got over that it is tremendous fun being in the pits.

Edited by Derek Smith on Thursday 29th March 09:39

Yes, I got the impression that you enjoyed that.

[2 sMoKiN bArReLs]

Didn't the Haas team let some of the guests do the wheel changes in Melbourne?

[red_slr]

said:

Hi,

I remember reading a story a while ago about a team (I think it was Renault) having a nightmare with every Tom, Dick and Harry being invited as guests who were allowed to be in the garage during a race. The situation got ridiculous as they got in the way, the team wasn't performing and the amount of guests was a significant part of the problem. The team got management to agree that no more guests would be in the garage during the race, which was part of a strategy that improved performance.

I'm trying to find the article / details again, but can't locate anything. It was a very good article.

Anyone recall this?

Thanks
Ben

Sounds like a BS excuse to me.

I attended many races as a guest of a team from 2011 to 2015.

My presence was known to the team PR / Guest manager, general manager (forget his exact title) and usually the TP/CEO also knew I was there.

On arrival I would always be introduced to the door man, usually the same person, who would allow me access to the garage. Access is highly restricted, as you can imagine.

I suspect all teams run a similar system. There are limited number of passes for each weekend so you cant just wander into the paddock you must have a pass. Passes have your photo and your name on the back and you cant get through the turnstile without one.

You cant be "buzzed in" or try the "he is with me" trick. Even drivers have to scan in. I heard some teams may have been letting guests in then taking their pass back out and giving to another guest to get more people in. If that's the case its their own fault. I think the FIA have now clamped down on this with the photos on passes.

Teams don't get passes for free they have to pay for them. So they will know full well who is coming in and out of their garage as its up to them.