Formula 1 has been warned it must ensure the safety of drivers and marshals with coronavirus measures when racing resumes.
Currently, F1 bosses are working with teams and the FIA to try and come up with what is been called a “biosphere” to reduce the risk of Covid-19 spreading in the paddock.
Testing, social distancing and reduced numbers are part of that plan, however, marshals are one group that haven’t been mentioned but will remain an essential requirement for the sport to return to action.
Although it is claimed the governing body is considering a possible reduction in personnel on guard around the circuits.
“That was a question asked of me recently – ‘What if they were going to have smaller teams on each post?’” British Motorsport Marshals Club Brand and Communications OfficerSmithson told GPFans.
“I know some governing bodies are looking at – ‘What is the bare minimum that we can run with to run safely?’. It’s all well and good, but once you take that step, if something major happens and it all goes wrong, it’s too late.
“If you haven’t got the bodies on the ground to do what you need to do, then you’re going to be in trouble.”
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Another issue marshals will face is the need to congregate whether it be at posts or at crash scenes.
“I think we face some real challenges, to be honest with you in that respect,” Smithson continued.
“There are some roles and some occasions where there may well be ample opportunity to keep social distancing in place for some people, but there will be other roles and other occasions where it’s impossible.
“We’ve got to be mindful of that. I know the governing body is in discussions with governments and other people, and I think we have to wait and see whether or not it’s feasible or practical.
“But I strongly suspect when you break it down and look at it in detail, there are too many situations where it’s just going to be impossible to maintain that safe space and distance.”
It was also noted how many marshals are currently involved in the fight against Covid-19 as medical personnel and in other roles, so holding an F1 race could impact normal life for some, even as the sport tries to shut itself away behind closed doors.
And as for the argument that marshals could simply wear more protective equipment, Smithson suggested that could potentially put a driver at risk if it leads to longer reaction times.
“You just don’t know what could occur, what kind of incident would require the intervention of marshals,” he said.
“If you think to Abu Dhabi when [Nico] Hulkenberg went on his roof. That’s probably the most recent challenging situation that any marshal has had to deal with [in F1], and without any [additional] protective equipment on them, that took them a while to get that under control and get him out safely.
“The extraction crews that go to those kinds of incidents are exemplary. They really are first-class at what they do.
“But you put extra protective equipment on them to safeguard them from this current situation and who knows what impact that would have on their ability to carry out their function quickly and efficiently.”
Just another factor for F1 to consider in the complex task of getting back to normal post-Covid-19.