An F1 team consists of hundreds of people if you consider all the ancillary staff. While the driver generally gets the most kudos, the mechanics surely aren’t far behind. But what exactly is their role?
Living the dream
For many youngsters, being involved in F1, either as a driver or mechanic is the dream job. But the job of a mechanic isn’t always as glamorous as it seems.
Each race in the calendar is a transient event, so it’s not just a case of turning up to the track on a Saturday morning and setting up the car ready for the timed laps. For most races, the car is delivered to the track as early as the Monday or Tuesday and entire garages have to be constructed before the car can begin to be put together, checked, tuned and tested. They will be checking everything from electronics to wheels, engine and all the small parts inside the car. Some of these parts could well of been made from Rubber Injection Moulding specialists sourced from links such as https://www.meadex.co.uk/. Any good mechanic will always look at having a few spares of the parts that are well known to break or cease up.
The performance of the vehicles is key to success for the entire team so every detail has to be fine-tuned and configured correctly to exacting standards. There’s often not a huge amount of time either and F1 mechanics often work under a huge amount of pressure.
Travelling the circuit as a mechanic also involves a lot of time away from home for several months of the year, from pre-season testing right through until the very last race is completed.
Once the vehicle is race ready, the mechanics also need to be on hand during the race should there be any technical difficulties and also for pit stops.
F1 provides an insight into what happens during a pit stop and how it has changed over the years.
Get up close to the action
For motorsport enthusiasts watching an F1 race live has got to be up there on most bucket lists. A visit provides spectators with aN experience of a lifetime, offering exceptional views of the racing along with the chance to meet drivers, and of course, there’s the unrivalled hospitality. Companies can provide inclusive packages for enthusiasts.
So, if you’re an aspiring F1 mechanic you’ll need to be dedicated and passionate about the sport, ready to spend long periods of time away from home and able to work under extreme pressure. But surely the kudos of being able to say you were part of a championship winning team must make it all worthwhile.