Behind the scenes at the Belgium Grand Prix
| Published: 21st November 2007 09:15 |
We have all seen the glamorous side of Formula One on our television screens, but have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes to get those images?Well, I have the good fortune of working for the company that is responsible for organising and policing the races and bringing all the pictures and the myriad of race statistics together to produce the programmes that millions of people around the world tune in to watch.At the Belgium Grand Prix in Spa, I spent two weeks in September working behind the scenes. This is a brief account of that fortnight.We arrived at the track on the Thursday morning, eleven days before the race. There was already a lot of activity going on with a large number of the race support teams setting up. The F1 teams were in Italy preparing for the Italian Grand Prix, and wouldn't be at the circuit for another week.
When two races are run in consecutive weeks it is referred to as a "back-to-back". This means there are two teams of riggers each responsible for one of the races. They have to assemble all the equipment necessary to bring the race pictures to the television screen and then disassemble it again after the race is over. I was helping one such team in Belgium.
Not long after we arrived, the rain started. Those of us who had been before, knew this was normal at Spa. Those who hadn't had gotten a good idea before leaving England. One of the pieces of our race uniform that we were told would be essential in Belgium, was a very good set of waterproofs!
Our first task was to unload the lorries carrying the framework for the broadcast centre. This is the largest portable building of its type and is transported to every race around the world. It is similar to a giant meccano set and is packed into several containers, each one the size of a large shed. Once all the bits had been unpacked, the task of assembling this large structure started. By the end of the first day, we had the main structure up. The rain had been intermittent all day, but as we left the circuit, the sun came out!
The second day, we had to start putting the "skins" on. These are the covers that make the broadcast centre waterproof and are extremely bulky and awkward. None of the technical equipment can come into the broadcast centre until everything can be protected against the weather. True to form, the rain returned and made this task much more difficult than normal. When the skins get wet, they get very heavy. It takes the whole team to put each skin on in turn. We left the circuit drenched again and had to complete the skins the following day.
Due to the problems the previous day, we arrived at the circuit on the Saturday early to make up the lost time. After finishing the skins the team splits up and some of us started the long task of laying the cables around the whole circuit. These carry the pictures from different parts of the circuit, back to the broadcast centre. There are also timing loops that are cut into the track which relay lap times and positions of each driver in the race. All these have to again be relayed back to the centre. In all we put out approximately 25km of fibre optic cable and data cable around the circuit. It is hard work dragging the cables off the drum, some of them are nearly a mile long! Once you've dragged it out to its final position, you then have to walk back to the start point, making sure along the way that it is secure and out the way. Nearly a two mile walk! One advantage, you get to know the track very well I walked the whole circuit during that first week, some bits more than once!
We worked through the weekend and by the end of Monday, we had the majority of the cables in position. The Italian Grand Prix had been taking place over the previous weekend and the technical broadcast team were still occupied in Monza. They arrived at the circuit on Wednesday and started to integrate and test all the systems. Because all this equipment gets transported around the world, it is not a question of plugging it all in and switching on. Things break and because of this they have to work long hours with some late nights fixing any problems. There is no question that the race will have to be run without any pictures! A lot of clever and resourceful people with years of experience are there to make sure everything that needs to happen, does.
On Thursday the Formula One teams started to arrive. The majority had driven up from Italy from the previous weekend race. This was when the place started to take on the character and atmosphere that is associated with Formula One. One of the first things the teams do when they arrive is wash all the trucks. I don't mean a full valet but you would be pleased with the end result if it was your car after a Sunday afternoon with a bucket and sponge.
All around the circuit, where the day before, there were empty spaces, they were suddenly full of marquess, food outlets and product stands, all offering something and everything to the growing number of spectators who were already coming into the circuit.
Being around the teams during race weekend you get to see that there are a lot of normal people going about their business under the gaze of a world wide audience eager to get a glimpse of anything that is Formula One.
As well as the teams, there is another group of people who are there to support all the people in the race team as well as all their sponsors. Each team has a portable building which has to be assembled. They are delivered on a fleet of lorries and some of these become part of the structure itself! They are spectacular structures, each team seems to try to outdo themselves. These are set up behind the pits and form a high tech village. Everything is immaculate, not a smudge, dirty mark or piece of litter anywhere!
The weather was awful right up to the moment the teams arrived. Then the sun came out and stayed out. On the Sunday evening after the race, when we started to dismantle everything, the heavens opened and it didn't stop until we finished, late Tuesday evening!
The effort that went into staging the race was staggering. Not only by us and the Formula One teams but also there were three other race series going on during this weekend each with their own support teams. Such was their efficiency and work ethic that by Monday morning, the place was nearly empty again and the formula One circus was off to the next race.
The one thing that strikes you most is the noise. The noise generated by a Formula One car close up is extremely loud and unique. When you hear a grid full taking off, nothing I have heard can compare. Once heard never forgotten. This is one thing that television cannot portray.
