F1 Racing - UK (2020-07)

GP RACING JULY 2020 53

PICTURES

:SAMBL

OX

HAM

;AND

YHONE

;MARKSUTTON

The bottom has

fallen out of the

luxury sports car

market and it has

hit the McLaren

Groupvery hard

For Claire Williams,

a possible sale of

Williams F1 - previously

unthinkable - is now

on the table

season, even before thecost cap comes in.

Steiner describes the decisions he had to

take during lockdown, in terms ofputting

staff on furlough, as the “toughest time of my

management career”, a phrase that’s been

echoed by other team principals including

McLaren’s Andreas Seidl. The challenge has been

magnified by thatlack of certainty over whether

there would be any racing at all in 2020 – or how

it would be organised if and when it did begin.

A grey area still exists beyond the eight European

events this summer, though F1 hasexpressed the

desire to run up to 18 races.

“You never had a fixed budget towork with –

and we still don’t really know,” says Steiner.

“If you know what you have to achieve, you

don’t have to guesstimate how much you’re

going tospend. You knowwhat you’ve got and

then you manage it.”

It’s going to be a hand-to-mouth existence,

then, in the coming months, as COVID-19

remains a threat. In terms of keeping personnel

safe, the ‘cluster’ system (see Pat Symonds

column, p24) is the most logical structure in

GP RACING JULY 2020 53

PICTURES

:SAMBL

OX

HAM

;AND

YHONE

;MARKSUTTON

The bottom has

fallen out of the

luxury sports car

market and it has

hit the McLaren

Groupvery hard

For Claire Williams,

a possible sale of

Williams F1 - previously

unthinkable - is now

on the table

season, even before thecost cap comes in.
Steiner describes the decisions he had to
take during lockdown, in terms ofputting
staff on furlough, as the “toughest time of my
management career”, a phrase that’s been
echoed by other team principals including
McLaren’s Andreas Seidl. The challenge has been
magnified by thatlack of certainty over whether
there would be any racing at all in 2020 – or how
it would be organised if and when it did begin.
A grey area still exists beyond the eight European
events this summer, though F1 hasexpressed the
desire to run up to 18 races.
“You never had a fixed budget towork with –
and we still don’t really know,” says Steiner.
“If you know what you have to achieve, you
don’t have to guesstimate how much you’re
going tospend. You knowwhat you’ve got and
then you manage it.”
It’s going to be a hand-to-mouth existence,
then, in the coming months, as COVID-19
remains a threat. In terms of keeping personnel
safe, the ‘cluster’ system (see Pat Symonds
column, p24) is the most logical structure in