F1 Teams In Talks To Add Second Factory Shutdown During Winter

Formula 1 teams are working to introduce winter factory shutdowns similar to the 2023 summer shutdown.

In the year Following laws passed in 2013, it was decided that groups would be limited to 14 days of factory work to save costs and also to ease the pressure on workers and give them time off.

The break is usually in August when F1 has a gap of several weeks in the racing schedule. All performance-related jobs have been halted, but departments or roles focused on human resources, logistics and finance, as well as media and marketing, have been allowed to continue.

The lockout is now an integral part of F1, and has become even more important as the schedule has grown. In the year 19 races were held in 2013 but the 2023 F1 calendar has a record breaking 24 rounds.

This year marks the first time since 2018 that the season ended before December, but

The last time F1 started earlier was in 2002, and twice in the 19 years before that it started before March 5th.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff said on Saturday: “I think it’s great that the season ends these two weeks earlier than the previous weeks because everyone is really at the limit, and I think we have plans to introduce a shutdown next year.” Last weekend’s Mexican Grand Prix.

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“Not everyone agrees, but I really hope we can do it for our employees. Having this week, an extra two weeks, is certainly welcome. But on the other hand, there are a lot of people in the factory who will be completely flat over Christmas and New Year, but for the run.” The team, that’s racking up a lot of air miles, that’s positive.

“We have a lot of team directors who want to repeat what we had in the winter. At least starting from Christmas and then two weeks into the new year. But that was clearly still up for discussion, but it was a positive indicator. For his safety [team]He said.

His counterpart at Alpine, Ottmar Schaffnauer, expects the plan to continue in 2023. “It’s not happening this year, so it will be next year,” he said.

“Christmas, it’s one of those things that happens on the same day every year. Not as a thank you. So I think it came from the 23rd [of December]. So I think everyone gets Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off. But that week, until the beginning of the year.

Szafnauer believes that the change will be positive for the sport. “As far as I can see, we are making more and more runs. And if you don’t force them to close, people will because it has a strategic advantage. So if you take away that benefit, it means everybody takes it out, I think it’s good for all of us.

With no winter closures currently limiting work, Szafnauer says the Alpine Wind Tunnel “is usually only closed for a couple of days” for Christmas and New Year’s. “We’d shut it down for two days, that’s all. So if you don’t force that [shutdown]You get no rest.”

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