Men behind the F1 scene: Castrol Asia Pacific Cars Super Mechanic contest

By JAY WONG | 20 September 2018


THE most unsung heroes in motorsport are the ones who work tirelessly on anything with wheels and an engine.

They are none other than the mechanics who ensure that these high performance machines are race-ready.

At this year’s Castrol Asia Pacific Cars Super Mechanic contest, CarSifu had the privilege of chatting with two unique mechanics who hail from England and work within the high-pressure cooker setting of Formula 1 — the pinnacle of motorsports.

How does one even begin to imagine working in such an environment that requires you to be on your toes at all times amid a fluid and ever-changing situation?

“You need the right mindset. Always thinking ahead. Thinking how you’re going to get things done and keep on track. Obviously, you’ve got a limited time to do things and in a high-pressure situation there’s always things going on,” said Jonny Goodenough - the current Renault F1 No. 1 mechanic for Carlos Sainz.

As for Jason Milligan, the Renault F1 No. 1 mechanic for Nico Hülkenberg, it took him six years to reach his present position at the team. “But then, there’s also another 10 years of knowledge and experience previous to that,” he said.

So how does one manage to keep cool in a seemingly chaotic environment?

“It can be (chaotic). But if you’ve got one person running around panicking, then other people will start to panic as well. If you stay calm and level-headed, everyone else around you may or may not, but you can sort of calm the situation down,” said Milligan.

The journey to become an F1 mechanic is long and arduous.

“It starts with the lower Formulas — Formula 3 for example — and then you’ve got to work in those Formulas to learn basic skills and about team work and the industry to gather years of experience to gain entry into F1. After that, it’s a lot easier to progress.”

In terms of responsibilities, it seems there isn’t anything specific.

“It varies. We’re like the figurehead of the car, so we have to liaise with the engineers and the people at the factory. They give us a list of requirements of what should be fitted to the car and you know that 9am in the morning, or whatever time that may be, the car needs to be ready.

“So that’s your responsibility — to organise the team of people that you work with to achieve this. Whether it means working faster, later or taking it steady. The ultimate goal is to be ready for that time with a car that doesn’t break down,” said Milligan.

A No. 1 mechanic also can’t afford to slack off.

“In Formula 1, there are maybe 10 teams and within that there’s only two number ones in each team. In the pitlane, there’s 20 people who do our job, and then there are other people from other parts of the world who are trying to arrive at our point,” said Milligan.

After a hectic race weekend, Milligan and Goodenough still make time to release the pressure even if it’s just for a few hours.

“There are people who like to go running/cycling after work and there are those who prefer to go back to their hotel room. Personally, I might go and have a drink with friends,” said Goodenough.

“Generally, once we arrive we have got a couple of hours (of free time), and then a few more on a Saturday after parc fermé (literally means “closed park” in French) at 6pm. That’s where we might head into the city and do a bit of sight-seeing. Managed to take a photo of the twin towers!” Milligan said with a chuckle.

“We can have up to a week of leisure between races, so it’s not so bad. There’s a lot of travelling and time away from the family with long hours working at the circuit.

“Like on a Friday for instance, you’d start work at 7am and then the curfew could be at 1am in the morning and you’d work to that and then you go back to the hotel bed. Next morning, it’s back to the circuit. So some would say it’s a glamorous life, but if you looked at the working hours, it’s not as glamourous as some make it out to be.

“When you watch a race or qualifying, people get to see that short glimpse of the car going around. But you don’t see the 24 to 48 hours before where you average maybe six hours of sleep at night just to create that car you see on the television,” said Milligan.

Ideally, an F1 mechanic should be young and work as one only for a few years.

“Working in F1 could cause someone a lot of stress and people need to understand that it’s something that is going to put a lot of pressure on your life,” said Goodenough.

All said and done, has it been worth it working as F1 mechanics?

“Still here!” Milligan quickly quipped. “Everybody does it for a reason. We do it because we enjoy it and we get to travel the world,” he said with a smile.

In the 2018 Castrol Asia Pacific Cars Super Mechanic, Team Malaysia comprising Low Pai Khoon, Yim Shao Ze and Alvin Tan Yong Jun, was crowned regional champion. Apart from the accolade, they also had a chance to join the pit crew of Renault Sports Formula One Team at the recent F1 Grand Prix race in Singapore.

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