Toto Talks Australia
The progress we saw in Saudi Arabia was encouraging. We maximised the package we had and scored some solid points. More importantly, we continued to learn and understand more about the W14 and our development direction. Everyone back at base has been hard at work to turn these learnings into performance.
The signs we are seeing back at the factory are promising. We have got to take it step by step, though, and won’t get carried away until we see performance translated into lap time on track. The competitive order behind Red Bull is tight, with small margins having a big effect on points scored. There remains a significant gap to the front and that is ultimately what we are interested in closing.
We are looking forward to Australia. It’s a country serious about its motorsport with a great racing tradition, and the fans are super passionate. Albert Park is a circuit with unique characteristics, which we will have to work hard to adapt to with the W14. As always, we will look to maximise the car we have, and score as many points as our potential currently allows. We are not where we want to be – but that won’t stop us from racing hard and giving it everything we’ve got.
Fact File: Australian Grand Prix
The Albert Park Circuit, modified prior to last year’s race and thus shortened to 5.278 km, is a temporary track partially run on public roads.
As part of the modifications, new tarmac was laid. We normally see the biggest shift in grip levels from the first year to the second as the tarmac ages, before it then settles in.
Melbourne has one of the shortest pit lanes on the calendar at just 281 metres. Cars therefore spend only about 13 seconds at pit lane speed.
A fourth DRS zone, between turns 8 and 9, has once again been added for the race in Melbourne; it was implemented last year but removed following Friday Practice.
There is a slight difference in the chosen tyres from Pirelli this year with the C2, C3, and C4 compound the choice. Last year the C2, C3, and C5 were used.
Formula 2 and Formula 3 will join Albert Park’s support race schedule for the first time this year. We will therefore see Junior Programme drivers Fred Vesti, fresh from his maiden F2 Feature Race victory, and Paul Aron in action down under.
There is a considerable time difference between Melbourne and the team back at Brackley and Brixworth supporting remotely, adding another level of challenge to the weekend.
This is complicated even further with the clocks ‘going backwards’ in Australia on early Sunday morning of the Grand Prix weekend. The time difference at the start of the weekend is 10 hours and reduced to nine hours for race day once Daylight saving time ends.
10 years ago, the 2013 Australian Grand Prix marked Lewis Hamilton’s first race with the Team. He qualified third behind the Red Bulls of Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber before finishing the race fifth. Since that day, he has claimed 82 wins, 77 pole positions, and six Drivers’ World Championships with the Team.
The same race also marked Toto’s first with Mercedes; since then, the Team has scored 115 wins, 126 pole positions, seven Drivers’ World Championships and eight Constructors’ Championships.
A third-place finish in last year’s race saw George net his first podium with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team.
Former F1 aerodynamic engineer Kate Reid opened an acclaimed bakery in Melbourne in 2012.
Insight: Human Performance in F1
Formula One is a team sport. To win, every single person must be operating at their best. With a 23-race calendar that spans the globe, the difficulties of keeping everyone at their highest level of performance are obvious. We spoke to four team members who play a vital role in tackling these challenges to understand more about wellbeing and human performance.
“When we talk about wellbeing, we talk about three main elements: physical, mental, and recovery,” explains Chris Armstrong, Wellbeing Programme Manager at the Team. “From a physical standpoint we want to make sure that team members are physically active, both in the workplace and at home. From a mental standpoint we want to make sure that all team members are happy but also able to focus. From a recovery standpoint we look at two real key areas: one is workload, making sure that people have adequate rest and recovery so they can do their job and then secondly, nutrition and hydration.”
With a large variety of roles with differing requirements, tailoring the approach is key. Sporting Director Ron Meadows is responsible for the travelling race team of mechanics. “Health and wellbeing is very important to get through the long calendar. The season starts in February and takes in 23 races plus several tests, before ending in November. We become a family who support each other.”
Team members who support remotely from Brackley are not immune from these challenges. Sleep patterns need to be adapted regularly, particularly for races such as Australia. “We have very good guidance from a scientific point of view, especially on sleep, nutrition, on how to best adapt what to do, when to start eating, when to shift and by how much in order to get onto Australian time,” explains Dominique Riefstahl, who runs the Race Support Operations at the factory.
And what about the drivers? Aleix Casanovas, Performance Coach for George Russell, adds: “Every race is different. We go to different continents and jetlag makes it complex…Australia is a big time zone shift for us. We start preparing beforehand, we change the body work a little bit and then use light and darkness a lot to adapt.”
There are many other methods the Team uses to optimise its human performance. “We are a high-performance team, always pushing the boundaries of everything we do,” Chris Armstrong says.
