Mercedes has begun its preparations for the start of the 2020 F1 season next month by conducting a two-day test at Silverstone.
Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas will drive a Mercedes W09, as raced by the team in 2018, as Mercedes conduct a real-world test of the procedures it will observe to operate its cars safely at next months first races behind closed doors.Photographs issued by the team showed its crew wearing personal protective equipment including gloves and face masks while fitting Bottas into the car. Hamilton will drive tomorrow.
Formula 1’s regulations forbid teams from conducting private tests with their current cars. They are allowed to use “cars which were designed and built in order to comply with the Formula 1 Technical Regulations of any of the three calendar years falling immediately prior to the calendar year preceding the championship.”
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Chaitanya
9th June 2020, 13:02
“Normal”
RB10 (@rb10)
9th June 2020, 13:10
it is not normal already
Chaitanya
9th June 2020, 15:06
It actually is “normal” in post-Covid world for travel, and even in saloons. Wont be long before it creeps into all the places.
Postreader
9th June 2020, 20:16
I don’t think you have seen the videos from Italy and France recently. People have really, really short memories.
Tomcat173 (@tomcat173)
10th June 2020, 1:00
@rb10 Agree, it looks like the team is scrubbing up for surgery.
JC
9th June 2020, 13:53
One thing I spotted with the Indy race in Texas was sponsor logos on the facemasks. I wonder if we’ll see the same in F1 when the race weekends start again – a great opportunity for particular types of sponsors to get pretty much everywhere in online and print media! Where else can sponsors get their logos on people’s faces?!
William Jones
9th June 2020, 19:18
Some entrepreneur is selling Scuderia Ferrari ones on etsy. I won’t link because I doubt very much that they have permission.
Mark
9th June 2020, 14:17
Is the car actually 2 years old? The end of the 2018 season is actually only 18 months ago? Surely they should only be allowed to use the 2017 car? Bit confused.
Robert
9th June 2020, 14:38
“cars which were designed and built in order to comply with the Formula 1 Technical Regulations of any of the three calendar years falling immediately prior to the calendar year preceding the championship.”
Starting at the end of that sentence the “year preceding the championship” would now be 2019, since the current championship is 2020. And “three calendar years falling immediately prior” to 2019 would be 2018, 2017 and 2016. So any car “designed and built” for the regulations of 2016-2018 would be ok this year.
Interestingly, as I read it the car doesn’t actually have to be FROM any of those years, only built according to the regulations of those years. So technically they could build an entirely new car and test with that as long as it is following the old rules. It’s unlikely that any team, even Merc, would do that but it would be an interesting loophole if it’s true… typical of FIA rules formulation.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
9th June 2020, 14:58
Not sure any team had the time to develop a DAS yet, but according to what you wrote, that would be an opportunity to test it.
Don’t know how hard that would be for Mercedes to fit into their 2018 car.
Engine regulation hasn’t changed but engine kept evolving. As long as the architecture is not too different, that would be another item which fall in the “loophole”.
Just to name 2 obvious items, not without interest I would say.
Curious if anyone knows it the loophole exists or if it is closed somewhere else in the regulation?
Jere (@jerejj)
9th June 2020, 15:02
@Mark I don’t find it any confusing. Whether the car is in the early-season, mid-season, or late-season spec is secondary. The rule has been like this for roughly ten years now.
Jere (@jerejj)
9th June 2020, 15:04
Surely, the glass-thing alone should be enough as a face-mask not to mention more pleasing aesthetically.
bosyber (@bosyber)
9th June 2020, 16:28
As my doctor here said ‘do not forget to take of your shoes before you wash your hands, drops come down’ @jerejj, and that plastic sheet does not have a barrier to that on the bottom – I guess the combo is to further reduce risk
lewis hameltin
9th June 2020, 15:47
It is NOT a car test…its for checking the anti-Covid precautions for the team in the pits.
Sensord4notbeingafanboi (@peartree)
9th June 2020, 23:10
Wearing a mask is quite unpleasant, but at least you are not breathing fumes and carbon dust, a trade off.
neil
10th June 2020, 23:57
clearly you don’t know very much about the specifications of masks; they are utterly useless at protecting people from fumes and not much help as regards carbon dust. the “masks you see all MB personnel wearing will only help to reduce water droplets (from coughing or sneezing) being broadcast. the masks do not seal around the face and their weave ( fibrous construction ) is not fine enough to stop ANY disease. i’m in medicne and IMO the whole mask thing is a bit of a joke. what they will do is prevent / reduce / dissuade (not stop) water droplet(s) not vapour (ie breath or exhaled airs / vapours / gases) from being potentially transferred to another. so they might be an ok option if you are working in close quarters and / or in a hospital or medical environment but even then they are a really poor choice. if one really wants protection a respirator should worn (and properly fitted).
Chaitanya
10th June 2020, 1:43
No, but even in India people are behaving as though last 2 months didnt happen. On the other hand over here as I said for air travel and in Saloons(staff) has been taking precautions and using protection gear along with sanitizing the shops and equipment before each customer is served.
Chaitanya
10th June 2020, 1:43
Sorry meant to reply to @Postreader.
Stephen Crowsen (@drycrust)
10th June 2020, 3:23
I don’t know if Mercedes will win the WCC this year, but this is exactly why you can expect them to be in contention for that title.
Balue (@balue)
10th June 2020, 12:17
@drycrust Yes we do
Bob
10th June 2020, 16:16
Stop calling it the “new normal”, it’s not normal and it never will be! It has to be a temporary thing and we’ll have to go back to the (old) normal as soon as possible!