F1
Closure of factories during the summer break: how does it work?
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The world of Formula 1 may live at a frenetic pace, traveling around the world and racking up miles on circuits or on planes, but its actors are also entitled to vacations! During this summer break between the Grands Prix of Belgium (July 28) and the Netherlands (August 25), the teams must respect precise rules with a compulsory rest time and the forced closure of factories.
According to Regulation 2024, the closure of premises must be respected for a period of 14 consecutive days. This rule comes into effect for the weeks beginning Monday, August 5 and 12. The teams will be able to return to their bases from Monday August 19 to prepare for the second part of the season and the Dutch round in Zandvoort.
During these two weeks of blackout, no activity related to F1 can take place within the factories. The use of wind tunnels is prohibited, as are CFD simulations and the production – or development – of parts and tooling. No cars may be built or pre-assembled, and no design, development or production work may take place.
“We are not allowed to work, think or do anything that could make an F1 car faster, explains James Allison, technical director at Mercedes. This actually means we can go home and take a vacation for 14 days straight! »
A timely break
If this can slow down the dynamics of a team, whether in the research or in the development of their mounts, this 14-day break is very well received by engineers, mechanics and other staff members in order to breathe and recharge the batteries.
“During the season you work very hard and as the close approaches you start to notice that the team starts to think about the break, underlines Rob Thomas, director of operations at Mercedes. You don't really notice how tired you are until you have that rest time. When the team returns to work, you can see that they are refreshed, you can feel a boost of energy throughout the factory. »
However, the closure of factories does not mean that there is no one at the factory! In fact, maintenance and upkeep work is constantly carried out on the premises, even more intensively during the summer break. Such work would not be possible in the middle of the season, when all systems are running. Departments not directly related to the racing team, such as finance and marketing, are also allowed to remain open.
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Dorian Grangier
A young journalist nostalgic for the motorsport of yesteryear. Raised on the exploits of Sébastien Loeb and Fernando Alonso.
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