In the paddocks
First of all : the video
The paddock is a real bee nest, everyone moving everywher but being all the while extremely organised. I never saw two mechanics bumping into each others (when they were a dozen of them crowded around the car). Mechanics, technicians, engineers, all move without being on the way of others, as if their moves were already predicted on a computer software, as are the controls and actions of the car. And my friend Azlan and I, were in the middle of it, not knowing where to stand not to bother anyone. So you just stick to the wall and you don't move. Unless Uncle waves you to follow him, that is... ^^
Everything is codified around there. Each one stands his place and does exactly what he has to do, even if his task appears as trivial for a lay person. Usually, you have two people for every kind of task, one for Alonzo's car, the other for. Piquet's car. For example, in front of the 6 computers, you have 2 technicians, 2 engineers and 2 electricians.
But if the moves, acts and steps of the staff are coordinated, the details concerning the car are way more important. We speak in milligram, in millimeter and in tenth of degrees, which are able to make you lose or win millions of dollars. We're playing with the big boys over here... Some examples :
- Between each race test, someone (Aurelien for Renault F1) comes to sample some oil in order to do a... a mass spectrography ? He does about 30-40 tests for every "free tests" day, i guess, about 15 for each car. Basically, he takes some oil, puts it in some big machine (which must cost many tens of thousands of euros), closes the door. You then have blue sparks flotting around behind the glass and finally a curve appears on the screen, which he alone is able to interpret (as far as I am concerned ^^)
- The tires are always wrapped in heating protections, to be kept at a temperature of about 80 degrees. It helps the tire not to explode after the car start up. If it was kept at room temperature, it would suffer a difference of more than 60 degrees at least. As it is, the temperature change is not enough to cause damage and to weaken the tire. Obviously, you have different tires for dry weather, small rain and strong rain... One different weel according to whether it's rear or front, left or right.
- Temperatures account for a big deal, so they count in kilograms and not in liters of petrol. Because, as we learn it in Chemistry classes, the volume of a liquid changes with the temperature : 1 kg of petrol will take more space at 30 degrees than at 5. They are thus allowed to cool down the petrol before the race, so as to be able to put a bigger quantity in the tank. More petrol, less stops...
- Most of the pieces may will be disassembled. You have a whole set of the same piece, but with slightly different changes of forms of weigh. They choose the "good" one according to the weather and the shape of the circuit. For example, at the front of the car, you have a small square form than ranges from super-light to super-heavy but still has the same form and dimension. It makes the reactions of the car different and so to win (or lose) seconds during the race.
Uncle Jack (actually, Uncle Jacques but he prefers it that way ^^) showed us around and took a great deal of time to explain too many things for me to write it all down. He was over-kind, Azlan didn't know how to say thank you enough, while trying to see everything with eyes as big as the ones of a small kid on Christmas Day.
Alonzo's car, just before the start. Everyone is buzzing around...
The guy on the left is ready to drop the car on the floor and the wrappings around the tires are about to be taken off. The "umbilical cords" are already hanging over head
Flavio Briattore, Renault F1's Big Boss.
I heard that you have to call him "hey Flavio" if you want to talk with him, even if you've never met him beforehand. Yeah... Sure... I'm not gonna try, it's not like he's my best buddy... .
Officials medias... And crazy camera-zooms. I wanna try one !
The big wire at the back is to start the engine via a computer and a technician. Some then takes off the wire and the white board is there to prevent him from inhaling the nices fumes coming out of the exhaust. The guy on the left may be taking off on puting on one of the tire. I'll let you guess if it's on or off...
Fernando Alonzo and his "I'm a killer look"... I would never have dared to ask for a pic but Jack took my camera out of my hands and tried to take a photo as discretly as possible while forgetting to disable the flash light. ^^
Azlan was so impressed... He was trying to look cool and unconcerned, but he kept on telling me things like "It's ALONZO lah !! Just behind us !" so I tried to switch to Malay because, obviously, Alonzo speaks English, Spanish and a little French. No but... I'm sure he's not so nasty as his look. Isn't he ? 27 y/o
Nelson Piquet is my age, looks much more friendly and ... he has a plane. At my age. Pfouah, depressing ^^
The inside of the paddocks, from the "pit" My back is facing the circuit.
On the white TV, the pilot can read super-important informations (super-important for him and the team, obvisoulu, cuz i was hardly able to understand 2 of the numbers). That way, he can do something while staying in the car between two tests. They have 1h30 of free tests in the morning, the same in the afternoon, and they must make as many tests as they can to check everything.
The same screen than in the car. You can see the situation of the drivers : Piquet (in red) just went "out" on the circuit, whereas Alonzo is still in the pit. Just right of their name is the best time they did that day. The other screen is the same than in your TV, back home.
Alonzo gets into the car...
Ready, guys ?
You have 9 differen layers on the helmets. You just have to take one off when you feel you have too much dust and grease on it. Nine... For a race of 1h30...
Azlan in the Renault Hospitality Space, with his passes.
Coulthard, Red Bull team, just had an accident. The front kind of twisted around while the two tires went taking a walk on the race track. No much harm to the pilot...
The stirring wheel. This little insignificant thing costs 50.000 euros...
If you drop it, you pay, ok ?
And then we were lucky enough to meet Julien smthg, radio animator at RMC (Radio Monte Carlo), who explained tous all the buttons and levers and odd things. Weird enough, you have a "turbo" button, to get a short but powerful acceleration, like in the video games. Science-fiction...
Between the pit and the race track, specialists and engineers check how the test is going on
"He, he, you can take my picture here too ?? Please ?"
GP2 car, one of the side races which take place bedore the official GP. Many of the current pilots used their first tires as GP2 pilots. As a matter of fact... I think Piquet was in GP2 last year. Got a promotion ^^
As the GP2 paddocks are too far away, the cars stop in front of the GP paddock (like Renault F1 instead of Renault GP2) to make the control and tuning. But the pilot stays in the car so he gets an umbrella to protect himself from the sun. Who said being a race pilot was always fun ... ?
Checking the oil weight after the tests, to mesure how much has been used. Yes, in grams, not in millimeters. Sometimes, it looks kind of "hand-crafted", such as when they modify a piece of the car, on the spot, without any preliminary measurement. When everything else is soooo codified...
After the tests, disassembling of the car...
Jacques Laffite, a formet pilot, now a TV presentator (in white)
Di... ?? Di Grazi ?!? I forgot his name... He's the 3rd Renault pilot, the one who would take the place of Alonzo or Piquet, should anything happen to them. They are 5 pilots in the team, but the remaining 2 are here more for the show and the pleasure of the sponsorts... One Japanese sponsort ? Oh, that's why the 5th pilot is Japanese...
Umbilical cords, measures and controls of the car
I counted 15 of them. It looks like a UFO coupled with a hospital machine...
So many people bustling around and not one to bump into another...
And so small, in the middle of all the agitation...
So this one is... Boudais ? Something like this. He's the only French pilot in the F1 world this year...
And journalists everywhere everywhere everywhere...
Uncle Jack and Azlan - end of the day
It was a crazy day and I'm so happy I have been able to go. Not because of my "oh-my-god-I'm-with-Alonzo" picture, but because I was able to understand and learn a looooooot. And that it's so impressive, all the noise and activity, that at first you can just stand and watch in awe. Even if you don't like watching F1 at all.