Career Path to Formula One

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Everyone holds their breath as the red lights appear and heartbeats start a thud thenen 's got the launch. It' Chlac Cla spin. It's a spin for Maxerstabben. Gan the pack avoid him. The Ferrari leads. Antonelli went wide. Maxerstabben spun and Charlleac Clc takes the lead of the Grand Prix. What a dramatic getaway we've had here. Yes, the start is one of the most exhilarating moments in Formula One. It's where a race can be won or lost so the pressure is huge and not just for the drivers, but also the woman who makes it all happen. Welcome to F one Explains And this is the Circuit to Catalonia and we are at the twenty twenty six Barcelona Catalonia Grand Prix. Hi everyone I'm Christian Hughill. My first time at this racetrack, far from my first time in Barcelona, it's a city I absolutely adore. But I've never been to this race before. You're listening to this while the episode is released on a Friday. We're recording this First thing in the morning Thursday of a race weekend, Media Day, which if you were listening a couple of weeks ago, we were talking all about and it's very much in full setup mode. So we're sat here at the FIA's hospitality builduilding Well, Roman from the FIA is currently bringing us some water for the interview we're about to do. Thank you, Romans. Roman would you like to say hello to theone explains listen? Hello, I'm Roman and I'm press offfficer for the FA. Roman is a wonderful man who is looking after us very well. and opposite Roman, we can see Aston Martin. there was a man in a drawer with a piece of paper and a notebook checking some things that are in that drawer, I presume. He looks very important. We wish him well with his duties. And then next to them is the RB team who are all Don with VCarb FC for the World Cup, which of course is underway by the time you're listening to this. So a little bit of World Cup fever here in the Formula One paddock As the World Cup starts, we are talking about race starts. Now we had an email from George in the Netherlands who wants to know about the race start procedure. So George, we are devoting this episode to you He's not the only one. There are plenty of questions you've sent in about all things race startarts to F one explains at f one. com and that is how this podcast works. Send your emails to that address and we find the best people in the paddock to answer those questions. And for a podcast all about the race Start, which let's be honest can often be the most exciting bit of a race. Who better to ask than the person responsible for getting the race under the way. I'm not sure I'd want that responsibility. Could you imagine? Rebecca Lee is the head of single Cater operations at the FIA and one's permanent race starter. Rebecca firstirstly, a warm welcome to Eone exxplains. Thank you I'm fascinated by how you answer the question of what you do for a living. When people say what do you do? Do you say, we know Fmula one, you know the start, I do that. how earth do you explain what you do? Be it's a fantastically niche job Yeah, it's not actually the biggest part of my job, it's probably the smallest element of my job. Really? Yeah. So I head up the operations for the single seater department within the FIA. So I have to make sure that we've got all of the relevant facilities in order to run a race weekend. I'm looking after the legal compliance, managing contracts, managing suppliers, budgets projects and then I'm also working with the ASN. so when you see all the marshalls and ASNs being So all the motorsp the local motorsport Federations. So when you see all of the marshals and the recovery and all the inter intervention on a race weekend, I've been working with The locals prior at the event, Mums prior at the event to ensure that those guys have got exactly what they needs. Can I make a bold guess at something? Yeah. You sound like a busy human being. Very. Yeah, sounds like a lot. We're obviously on this episode focusing on that small but important part of your job the start. Let's break it down Just before the start of the race, the mechanics step away from the cars, the drivers complete a formation lapse. Firstly, and we covered this and F one explained a couple of weeks ago, but for anyone who might have missed it, why do we have a formation that when the cars are already on the grid, likeike they're there Wh do we send them around again? So the formation lap is basically the final check and the final test so the drivers can make sure that You know, the cars are operating as they should be, they can warm the brakes, they can warm the tyres, assess the track conditions and it also gives us the FIA an opportunity to make sure of that We're happy with everything before we deploy all of our cars at full speed into turnerm one. Now that's what the drivers are doing and what the teams are doing. It's final checks time. It's making sure everything's warmed up and in the right temperature to be able to go racing What are you doing at that point I'm at the Stark country at that point and I am on the Race control channel observing the cars going around to make sure that you know, we don't need to abort the start or any intervention. I think there was a couple of years ago one of the drivers crashed on the formation lab, so obviously we are about I was starting procedure. so at that point I'm alert and observing all of the cars going around waiting for them to come back to me. So if that happens, if a driver spins or goes into the tyres or breaks down even Is that your decision to abort the start or is that someone around you? So yeah, obviously when I'm in the start country, if I physically see something, then of course I'll abort What if the race director picks up because they've got more camera visibility, then he'll let me know and say look, we need a report U we might be able to just do an extra formation lap. But of course the vest director needs to communicate with the locals and the marshals to see how quick we can get the incident recovered So it's a collective sort of agreement And is the race director because obviously there'll be lots of race officials around everybody who have different responsibilities is the r are extra sort of the boss in overall charge. Yeah So obviously he'll make all of the final decisions and he's also the safety delegate as well. so that's very critical to all the decisions that are being made. Very, very important. Now the cars come back aroundound to their starting positions What are the rules about where they line up on the grid? Is that the next thing you're thinking about when they've got through the formation lap and everybody's fine? Yeah. So the tres need to be within the white lines on the grid. We have grid cameras so we can check the positioning and we also have got the transponders as well so we can check if there's been any non compliant movements. So yeah, it is quite hard actually when you're up there to see exactly you the positioning of the cars. So I am also relying on the marshals to report back to me. and we've got a team of people from the FIA that are on the side of the pitwall as well. and then we've got race control checkcking on the cameras justust to make sure that everyone's in position. Monacor, for example start finish straight it's not actually straight. a courseuse round on a bnd so can be optical illusion sometimes. Sometimes it's very easy, you know you can see it but completely depends on the visibility that we've got. So I am relying on other people on that point as well. Was Moniaco last weekend a busy one for you in that regard? Yeah, very busy. Yeah. So let's talk about a couple of those things. So of course for those that mised in Monaco last weekend, George Russell was investigated for a potential start line breach his wields were within the white lines of the grid boox. So in those situations you don't get a penalty. But Sergio Perez, unfortunately for Sergio lost out on Cadillac's first point in Formula one Why was that Rebecca? pulled into the wrong grid box. So I don't know if you can see sometimes on TV, we've got our grid lights on the side as well and That also acts as a aid to the drivers as well so they can see the grid position that they need to be in So it's the driver's number and the abbreviation on top of the light. So next time you watch the start, have a look for them. Were you tempted to let him off because it was Cadillac's first point. I would have been That decision is not on me unf You're harsh taskmasters here at the FIA, you're all harsh taskmasters. Let's take us back to what would be a normal race start. The cars are all lined up in formation. The medical car is behind the last row And that's there ready to follow them around in case there are any incidents on lap one Well, let's be honest, the risk of accidents are highest. We see someone behind that car waving a green flag. Now Rebecca, just describe where you're positioned at this point. what you have in front of you, who you're in communication with. what happens next? So I'm set up the Stark Gry of course. All the cars will go into position. We'll see our marshals activate the grid light. So once the driver' in the stationary in the grid box Gid marshals will activate the light so they all come to a ninety degree position. So if we need to deploy a yellow The drivers behind the driver in that position will see the lights and we can deploy your cascode. So once all the cars are in position, all the lights good lights will go green Flag marshal will wave and then once the flag marshal at the back is happy that all the cars are in position because obviously he's got a better visibility even me at the back. I'll communicate to race control that we're good for the pre startart. Once we're good for pre startart, all the grid panels will flash green for five seconds and this will then enable the drivers to prepare the cars, spin the turbos And then obviously after that when we deem it's necessary, we will start the start sequence. There preparing the carts and spinning the turboes, that's different this year, isn't it? That wasn't there last year. Was that the main difference to the twenty twenty six regulations and the change of start procedure compared to last year? Yeah. And just explain The moment of lights out Now it's always very exciting for us watching at home. And one thing we've covered on F one exxplains before is when you get the five lights and when they go out It is a different time from all the lights being on to all of them going out. so the drivers don't get used to it in muscle memory knowing. it's always one point four seconds between the last light going on and them going out. Explain how that works. Is it somebody deciding? Is it a computer? How does the lights out and a away we go moment work So I'll begin the start sequence and then obviously make sure that everything's safe. I'm happy that everyone's prepared and good to go and then I'll extinguish the lights. So it's all done manually, it's nothing done automatically. It's all me in the panel. So Rebecca, it's your decision as to how long to wait to make the lights go out? Yeah. That's a lot of power and responsibility. How does it feel? It's a good feeling to be honest. Obviously you get an adrenaline The sound, you know when all of the cars are revving up it's quite unreal. but no ultimately, all I'm thinking about is keeping everybody safe. So it's relief. Oce everyone gets deployed and everyone's completed lap one, I do get a feeling of relief and I just always w tosure with that everyone's deployed in a safe manner. I think if I did it, it' depends what mood I was in. You know, if I'd had a bad day I'd be like, I'm going to leave him. I'm gonna make him sweat orr I'd just be like takaking off straight away be like I' catch you out. But is there a minimum and maximum amount of time you can leave them for? No. Again, like everything goes down to safety. if I need to wait a couple of extra seconds because You know, we think that there's a gate not closed or we might see a marshall or we might see something on track or I might think that drivers give us the signal, you know I'd always you know give it a second. We've always got a couple of seconds so I'd always wait and then obviously extinguish the lights. At the same time, you don't want to unnecessarily make the guys sit there sweating They spend enough time in them cars during the race or Oh, forget it, they paid loads I to make them sit there longer. It's great fun. And you guys must have to have your eyes and ears to the ground at all points because the situations like in Canada where poor Avid Limblads was struggling he couldn't get off the line. Do you have to sort of manually, if you like, keep an eye out for those moments. Yeah I was lucky at us seeing him actually because he didn't wave his hands for very long. It was like a quick wave and then down At that point in time, I am completely focused. I'm looking at the drivers, I'm looking at the drivers in the cockpit. Obviously I check you all the areas around, I make sure that everything' safe around. And then before I deploy, before I extinguish the lights, I'm looking at the drivers, so I'm looking up and down the grid at the guys in the cockpit and that's when I see an Avid wear his hands. You do get taught about that right from the grassroots of motorsport. I did a bit of racing when I was a kid, which our listers get bored of me talking about But it didn't last long Rebecca I wasn't very good. There's a reason I'm talking about it now. But you are actually genuinely told, like if your cart or your car is stricken wave like a mad person because people like you need to spot them. So we'll pass that on to Hvid. in future, Harvid, a bit of a big away from you would be help. Thank you very much. Now Let's get on to some listening questions. F one exxplains to F one dot comot Shannah is from North Carolina. Shannah has asked you Rebecca, what happens if a driver moves before the lights go out? How is it detected So we've got transponders there' a move detected, the report will automatically come through and then we can review that with the stewards with our grid cameras any onbard cameras, the telemetry, and then obviously it'll be a combination of the report from the transponders and obviously all of the infrastructure that we use for additional checks for the stewards to school starts now Get long lasting battery life on the Dell XPS laptop, powered by Sies three Intel Core, so you can work from anywhere Now starting at six hundred and ninety nine dollars with exclusive student pricing starting at five hundred and ninety nine dollars And it's lightweight, portable, and packed with enough processing power to make multitasking a breeze So say goodbye to distractions and hello to more free time because you finished your work faster. Complete your setup with savings on select monitors and more must have electronics and accessories. Limited time deals and free shipping on PC's and more await you at dell dot com forward slash deals Dell. com slash deals. So you know that uneasy anxious feeling you get when you think about dealing with your insurance company Well, there's actually a term for that. It's called insureanoia And if that sounds like something you're way too familiar with, you should really think about getting NJM insurance They go to great lengths to do what's best for their policyholders by providing dedicated reps whose priority is you. And that means you'll find more peace of mind with them Relieve your insur an noia with NjM insurance by visiting njM. com for a quote today And what about the cars start innovation from the pit lane? How is it different for them Well, obviously if the car starting from the pit lane, they'll still join the formation lap. And then once the last cars cross the pit exit, I'll release the car, I'll release the driver Kindada is a little bit different actually If I'm releasing the driver from the pit lane, basically the pit exit line is short of in going around turn one. Ultimately it means the driver would get there quicker than the drivers that are starting on the grid. so I need the race director to let me know when to release the driver the pitan. That makes perfect sense. And there are times when you'll need another formation. in fact we've just mentionedvid Limlad at the Canadian Grand Pri One very good example. What's the procedure for something like that? In what circumstances would you by the rule book say, rightight, we need another formation thatap? So exactly what happened in Canada. So if there's a driver waving his hands, he's got a problem We do an extra formation lap in the hope that during the formation lap we can get the car off the grid in the relevant time before the other drivers get back to the starting grid. Obviously in Canada, we didn't achieve that just due to the positioning of the gates and things like that. So yeah, otherwise, you know, if there's something more sinister than you know just a driver's got an issue We'd just abort the start and then we'd have to redo the starting procedure. Right sure. So, I'd never go back to the pit lane in that eventuality. it's completely aborted. No, so it's Do you only go back to the pit lim and we've red flagged? Fine. So obviously if we get on track and I don't know, there might be somebody on track, a fan might have gone on the track, for example. Yes, sure So obviously we don't want to do an extra formation like we don't want the cars going near the people. We need to find out where the problem is. So well ab bort completely, the cars will stay where they are and then all the teams, the engineers will come back onto the grid and we redo the starting procedure and then we need to give the teams at least a ten minute warning tryry the new official start time. and with you the difference between what I was getting mixed up with is the red flag when the race is stopp, that's when they go into the pitch. But if it's aace if the race has been aborted, it's a more simple case of stay where you are guys, everyverybody comes starts being ab as. Yeah, that makes sense. Now once the race has started and the race is underway, Is it time for you to switch off a little bit? I'm guessing not. Given the description of your job, it doesn't sound like you ever switch. Unfortunately not. No, so I'm listening to the race control channel and of course I'm watching the race As we add in Monaco, if there's a red flag, I need to be there on standby and ready and prepared to do any race resumptions. becausecause we do see that. I mean, Monaco is a good example where we had the red flag. When a race is starting under the safety car, how is that different in terms of what you do and also why would a race start under the safety car Obviously I'd need to make sure that I program the start system under a safety Gar start And sometimes we do it so if it's wet conditions, sometimes we want the drivers to go around do multiple laps behind the safety car so they can get used to the track conditions or maybe we want to clear some standard water off the racing line. And then obviously if we're going to do a rolling start, if the start and grid' not equally parts wet on both sides, we don't want to do a race start because it'd be unfair on one half of the grid and not the other. So ye. The protocol is pretty much the same. I just need to manipulate the system with some additional steps. but yeah, at the end go is still the same, you know there's nothing drastic that changes. George in the Netherlands is emailed and said watching on TV we hear the heartbeat noise when the five red lights come on at the start And the drivers hear that? I didn't even know there was a heartbeat at the start. I've got headset on and I'm listening to various different channels I can't hear anything else outside of what's gone through my headset, apart from the engines. I will be honest, M and Rebecca spoke a little bit about this before we started recording. with the obviously for us fans watching at home, the sort of heartbeat noises have become an iconic part of our weekend and there's Rebecca at the heart of the action said to me, didn't know we had them. So for you it's just light, isn't it? There's no sound effect or anything like that Exactly The start procedure moved on quite heavily, hasn't it? Back in the nineteen fifties when the F one worldorld Championship began. The race was started by just a bloat waving a flag, and then in the seventies lights started to be used, red lights came on above the starting grid, then green lights came on below to signal the start of the race. the current system. five red lights coming out one by one, then all going out. was first use in nineteen ninety six Rebecca, why is that a good start procedure? Why does it work? Why have we stuck with it since you a few decades ago back in the nineties? I think the main aspect of that is safety. We've got repeater lights as well. So for the drivers that are further back on the grid. Yes, there's a second set. Exactly. So you know I think it makes it more fair in same again safety. I spoke earlier about the transpondterers of the cars, you know to detect any false starts and movements them transponders are also linked to the start lights so we can see where in the start sequence if someone's forward, you know, the drive is a getting themselves prepared with the clutch and things like that. so sometimes there can be accidental movements, but ultimately you know like all of our systems are pretty much linked and speak to each of us. So we've got one system to detect a certain element, but also you know the lights are also supporting lot of the software and technology that we've got in place. so I definitely think it's a good thing Rebecca, we speak to forormula One dririvers on this podcast, but frankly, we hear a lot from them. So one thing we try and do is speak to people who you don't normally get to hear from and we would put you in that category. Now often our listeners are very intrigued as to how people like you got into this mad Formula one world. How on earth did you do a journey to eventually becoming in charge of the Formula One start procedure? plus all the many other things that are in your job role? How'd you get into something like this? I never planned it. I don't think you could plan it. couldould you? It a very niche plan, wouldn't it? I never thought When I was younger I never thought right, that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to be the F one race star. What do you want to do when you grow up? You know the start of F one rac? So I started with the FIA in twenty twenty two Prior to that, I was a supplier to the FIR I used to do the installation, you know spoke about the grid lights earlier on the side of the pit wall and we've got like the information panel on the start and gandry. So I actually used to do like the installations there, like all of the electrical installations and then I started you know doing the training with the marshals and then I started to do the support categorory so I was doing the rest arts for Parsh W series at the time, F two and F three and then got asked if I'd be interested in stepping up to do F one. Sounds a fascinating job. Do you enjoy it? Yeah, I love it. I'm blessed. I'm very lucky. Now this podcast is a very international listenership. So you're from the Northeast of England, right? Yeah. It's an unusual accent to hear in this paddock. Graham Laudon, the team boss of Cadillac is another one who has it, but for those that aren't aware The Northeast accent is often known as the friendliest in the UK. I never knew that, but that's nice to know you. Often called Jeordi for those that don't know. Jeordi people are generally delightful. It is a very friendly accent. But you were saying that people around here think you have an accent, but when you go home, they don't think you've got the accent any. I think I speak too slow when I go home and when I come here everyone thinks I speak too fast I've got a very midlands accent and people say the same to me go home and say, you've not got an accent. and when I'm around people in this paddic they go, Oh yeah you sound really midlands, so there must be something about it. It's a fascinating journey. And as I say, we love on this podcast sort of shining a light and people you don't usually get to hear from. So it's been lovely to hear your story, Rebecca how you got into this ridiculous world of Formula One, but also really appreciate your insights on how you do your really cool job. So thank you for coming on F one exxplain. Thank you. Thankks for having me