Project Pitlane is F1 at its very best

HONESTLY we weren’t sure whether to laugh or cry when we saw the story. Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko floated the idea of deliberately infecting his stable of drivers with COVID-19 now, while the world is on lock-down, describing it as the “ideal time” to contract the virus. Mr Marko’s thinking was somehow that it would better prepare his drivers – four F1 drivers and up to ten junior competitors – for competitive action once it resumed in a couple of months time. “Let’s put it this way, it has not been well received,” he dead-panned when asked about the idea.

Clearly the scheme was pretty bonkers – Dominic Cummings’ herd immunity on a smaller scale – but we do have to give Mr Marko credit for being so candid about it. It seems like he revealed his thinking unprompted in the course of an interview to discuss the wider situation.

Marko’s approach and thinking is indicative of a certain type of person that Formula One sometimes attracts. Driven to the point of literal distraction and unable to see the wood for the trees outside the confines of the paddock. It’s F1 at its most self-absorbed and selfish.

Just as well then that on the same day the Marko story broke, news also filtered through of the breakthrough by the Mercedes team in developing a breathing aid – a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure device – which they will hopefully soon be put into production for use in the healthcare system in the UK and presumably beyond. It’s important to point out that the device is not a ventilator nor a replacement for one, but it can be used as a step-down measure to take pressure off Intensive Care Units (ICUs).

Mercedes’ breakthrough – developed in conjunction with University College London – has already reached the practical trial stage of development, which is pretty remarkable in the biomedical sphere and shows the engineering prowess and capacity of the sport.

It shows F1 at its finest. Pretty much as soon as the scale of the current crisis became clear teams swung in behind the idea of using their skills for the greater good and not just to find a couple of a tenths of a second on track.

All the teams are doing their bit as part of what has been dubbed Project Pitlane. That the team who’ve won the championship for the last six seasons got their first with something that can be put into use is maybe no surprise, but it’s just the first of many projects to come to fruition. Fingers crossed many more do and soon.