Anyone here work for a F1 Team??

[Evanivitch]

We had one (of several) ex-F1 guys leave us to return to F1. He said it was too stressful and F1 was an easier life!

Would love to get into it one day.

[SystemParanoia]

Banana Boy said:

Don't get me started on 'Grid Girls'

Please enlighten us on the realities of the corridor of clunge!

Edited by SystemParanoia on Monday 5th September 15:27

[RobGT81]

F1 here. It's not as bad as people make out. As long as you love unpaid overtime.

[Banana Boy]

SystemParanoia said:

Please enlighten us on the realities of the corridor of clunge!

Edited by SystemParanoia on Monday 5th September 15:27

The biggest problem isn't the girls themselves but the perception of said grid girls at home!

To be fair, of the girls I did meet, most of them were lovely people doing a spot of weekend work to pay the bills etc. while at college etc.

Thanks to TV coverage and social media though most of our WAGs were convinced that racing paddocks are full of fanny just kicking around all day... queue insecure jibes about boys on tour and single life styles... The grim fact, at least at club/national level is that they certainly aren't 'kicking around'! The only girls at race circuits are either working there too, customer's wives or customer's daughters. Either way, they're mostly not interested and definitely off limits!

Those of us who were working didn't get any time to stand around chatting anybody up and at the end of a 14hr day at the circuit the only thing you're interested in is eating and sleeping! (that's not to say that we didn't get the occasional sneaky night out etc. but they were few and far between in reality)

Glamourous it is not!...

Having said that, there is a bit of me that still misses it though... we often said working in motorsport is like self harming, you know it hurts, you know it's not right but there's something strangely addictive about it?!

• Disclaimer: Obviously I only speak from my own limited personal experience and from what I've seen and heard from people who've done a lot more than I have. So my own jaded views probably don't represent everyone else's experience.

Edited by Banana Boy on Monday 5th September 18:44

[clonmult]

Neil Oatley (McLaren Design & Development director) is my other halfs cousin ...

But unfortunately he apparently doesn't talk much to the rest of his family.

[sandman77]

clonmult said:

Neil Oatley (McLaren Design & Development director) is my other halfs cousin ...

But unfortunately he apparently doesn't talk much to the rest of his family.

I'm sure he will be thrilled that you have shared that information with everybody.

[hondafanatic]

Composite Guru said:

Checking in. I've worked in F1 for 18 years.

I've still got a set of those carbon 'Type-R' door sills you sold me way back when I lived in Northampton. Hope you're doing good...still got an S2K?

[Composite Guru]

hondafanatic said:

I've still got a set of those carbon 'Type-R' door sills you sold me way back when I lived in Northampton. Hope you're doing good...still got an S2K?

Wow that was a long time ago. Yeah I'm good thanks.

Unfortunately the S2k went about 5 years ago. Family came along and I couldn't justify the running costs. Just lease a Nissan through work now. Brand new car every year not needing to worry about insurance, tax, tyres & servicing. Suits my life at the moment.

[hondafanatic]

Composite Guru said:

hondafanatic said:

I've still got a set of those carbon 'Type-R' door sills you sold me way back when I lived in Northampton. Hope you're doing good...still got an S2K?

Wow that was a long time ago. Yeah I'm good thanks.

Unfortunately the S2k went about 5 years ago. Family came along and I couldn't justify the running costs. Just lease a Nissan through work now. Brand new car every year not needing to worry about insurance, tax, tyres & servicing. Suits my life at the moment.

So what are doing at RB? Similar role?

[Abbott]

My Mrs worked for Camel Team Lotus for a while in sponsor liaison. She would occasionally talk to Ayrton Senna while booking hotels etc for him.

[davidd]

We developed systems that are used in F1 (race control) and have been to a few events, worked with the teams. Lots of very interesting, very clever, generally tired people

[angrymoby]

dazm said:

Quite a few of us do, but most who work in F1 do so many hours at work the the last thing they want to do is sit online talking about it. There are certainly a lot of PHers at my place, but we rarely post anything about it because the keyboard warriors always know better!

I have friends & family in F1 (Brackley & Tilbrook) ...& tbh 'we' outsiders tend to get wind of stuff before they do (or they're keeping shtum, which would be a first for some of them )

Which is probably true of lots industries ...I occasionaly get msg's asking about rumours at my company & i havn't a clue as i'm not far enough up the food chain

[MrTickle]

Banana Boy said:

SystemParanoia said:

Please enlighten us on the realities of the corridor of clunge!

Edited by SystemParanoia on Monday 5th September 15:27

The biggest problem isn't the girls themselves but the perception of said grid girls at home!

To be fair, of the girls I did meet, most of them were lovely people doing a spot of weekend work to pay the bills etc. while at college etc.

Thanks to TV coverage and social media though most of our WAGs were convinced that racing paddocks are full of fanny just kicking around all day... queue insecure jibes about boys on tour and single life styles... The grim fact, at least at club/national level is that they certainly aren't 'kicking around'! The only girls at race circuits are either working there too, customer's wives or customer's daughters. Either way, they're mostly not interested and definitely off limits!

Those of us who were working didn't get any time to stand around chatting anybody up and at the end of a 14hr day at the circuit the only thing you're interested in is eating and sleeping! (that's not to say that we didn't get the occasional sneaky night out etc. but they were few and far between in reality)

Glamourous it is not!...

Having said that, there is a bit of me that still misses it though... we often said working in motorsport is like self harming, you know it hurts, you know it's not right but there's something strangely addictive about it?!

• Disclaimer: Obviously I only speak from my own limited personal experience and from what I've seen and heard from people who've done a lot more than I have. So my own jaded views probably don't represent everyone else's experience.

From my experience of knowing a few people in F1 and living in a very 'F1 location' for a while - the reality was the wives of the 'on location' F1 guys were usually getting a good seeing to by others due to their husbands never being home

[Banana Boy]

MrTickle said:

From my experience of knowing a few people in F1 and living in a very 'F1 location' for a while - the reality was the wives of the 'on location' F1 guys were usually getting a good seeing to by others due to their husbands never being home

ha ha, yes, I heard of at least a couple of instances of exactly that in my short time!

[Composite Guru]

MrTickle said:

From my experience of knowing a few people in F1 and living in a very 'F1 location' for a while - the reality was the wives of the 'on location' F1 guys were usually getting a good seeing to by others due to their husbands never being home

What do you think the "on location" boys get up to?

It's all swings and roundabouts!!

[cgt2]

MrTickle said:

From my experience of knowing a few people in F1 and living in a very 'F1 location' for a while - the reality was the wives of the 'on location' F1 guys were usually getting a good seeing to by others due to their husbands never being home

There was a VERY high profile case of this (allegedly) which was one of the factors in a top driver swapping teams.

[markbigears]

didn't work for a team, but for TV on location for 4 seasons, had a blast, saw the world, stayed in great hotels, some same as the drivers and as i found out, Montreal has the most strip joints of any other city, happy days.

Edited by markbigears on Monday 12th September 18:39

[rubystone]

cgt2 said:

There was a VERY high profile case of this (allegedly) which was one of the factors in a top driver swapping teams.

And indeed one involving a team principal...

[cgt2]

rubystone said:

And indeed one involving a team principal...

That would be the same one I'm referring to. Better not say any more..

[poppopbangbang]

markbigears said:

didn't work for a team, but for TV on location for 4 seasons, had a blast, saw the world, stayed in great hotels, some same as the drivers and as i found out, Montreal has the most strip joints of any other city, happy days.

Although lacking in density of said joints when compared to Singapore.....