F1
The behind the scenes documentary 'Open the Doors' follows the newest name in Formula One and reveals the pressure involved in starting – and restarting – a season put on hold by a global pandemic.
This is what we learnt after taking a rare glimpse into Scuderia AlphaTauri’s inner sanctum – including their offices, race car assembly area and composite facility – as they prepared the AT01 for the launch of the new Formula One season.
The new look on the grid:
On February 14, the racing world was introduced to Scuderia AlphaTauri during a high-profile launch from Hangar-7 in Salzburg. In partnering with Red Bull’s premium fashion brand, whose foray into motorsport represents the first move of their global expansion, Formula One had a new look on the grid with their innovative teamwear and 2020 race car livery. As F1 legend David Coulthard commented: “It’s a fresh start. It’s a fresh impetus.”
Long flights and empty streets:
The team powered into the 2020 campaign with unprecedented anticipation and confidence. Coming off their best season in over a decade and, in Pierre Gasly and Daniil Kvyat, they had named the most experienced driver line-up in their history.
They would have to wait for their first race action though, as the sport was forced to hit the brakes. The documentary shares the reaction of Team Principal Franz Tost to the Melbourne cancellation, his uncertainty over the team’s long flight home and shock at his eerie drive on the empty Italian streets when returning to the headquarters in Faenza.
The boxing and karting:
Tost admitted to concerns about his two drivers staying in shape: “I told them to please train as hard as possible. If a driver is not fit enough, he will not last until the end of a race.”
Both drivers threw themselves into on-track activity with a return to their karting roots while Kvyat also informed Tost he had taken up boxing.
Communication is key:
For technical director Jody Egginton, the No.1 focus for the team after returning from such a long lay-off was easy to single out. “The key point is communication,” he said, imploring all of his workforce that “if there is any doubt, raise your hands and ask.”
The pursuit of the perfect pitstop:
When the world came out of lockdown, the atmosphere in the garage was intense with the season opener in Austria looming and a race car that hadn’t been worked on for over 60 days.
A big focus upon the return was working with the pitstop crews to ensure their reaction times had not diminished. In the build-up to race one, they did practice tests under difficult circumstances twice a day, each with 10 repeats, totalling more than 300 in all.
Team manager Graham Watson explained: “It gives the guys the ability to react in the real world when things aren’t going well. It’s easy to do a pitstop when things are going perfectly. But it’s when those moments come along that aren’t expected. The goal is to be fast but also safe.”
