• Maurice Hamilton's blog

Grand Prix Trust: Taking care of the carers

© Getty Images

Enlarge

You might think that a gathering of former F1 mechanics would be talking only of the past but a new mission announced this week for the Grand Prix Mechanics Trust is very much focussed on the future.

The trust was established 27 years ago by Jackie Stewart, along with the late Walter Hayes (Ford Motor Company) and Stewart's entrant, Ken Tyrrell. The incentive was a fear that a growing number of incidents in the pit lane (to be highlighted dramatically by the refuelling fire at Hockenheim in 1994) would lead to serious injuries and the discovery, particularly among smaller teams, of inadequate insurance or compensation.

The idea rapidly expanded to taking care of those who had fallen on hard times, Stewart meeting the financial need, as only he can, by tireless persuasion and campaigning among the teams and sponsors to assist those less well off than themselves. If nothing else, the trust and its support is a token of respect for those who put in long hours and hard graft.

More than 130 mechanics covering seven decades of Formula 1 attended lunch in the Williams Conference Centre on Tuesday. You could fill several books with the anecdotes and tales from eras when, in simple terms, mechanics improvised and made good rather than renewing and throwing away. It was much simpler then, a mechanic in a team of no more than 12 (including the two race drivers) having to turn his hand to anything from welding to driving the truck and making tea.

It is the evolution of factory and pit lane working practises that has prompted a change of name and outlook. The simpler title 'Grand Prix Trust' (and the female silhouette in the new logo) reflects a broader reach now that teams have expanded a hundred-fold in every direction imaginable.

It's true that 18 of the middle-aged to elderly attendees on Tuesday had received help in some form but the focus is now expanding from yesterday's men to include the young professionals joining the sport tomorrow. Regardless of age or gender, the need for support remains exactly as it was; it is now a matter of ensuring that the point does not get lost in the frenetically complex business of running a modern F1 team.

Speaking of new intakes, it was interesting to hear how much the profile has changed. With very few exceptions, everyone present viewed their work as a job for life; a double-edged sword in that the competitive pressure, endless hours, camaraderie and special appeal of going racing provided a buzz that no other occupation could match. And nine times out of ten, a mechanic would stay with the same team.

It's not like that now, as Jonathan Wheatley explained: "Only 10% per cent of the people employed at Milton Keynes will be what everyone present here would consider as 'lifers'," said Red Bull Racing's team manager and a trustee of the Grand Prix Trust. "It's the transient nature of society these days; people move on."

His views were shared by Neil Trundle, a stalwart of the McLaren race team in the 1980s and 1990s and now looking after McLaren's heritage cars. "Only those with passion will stay the course. Everyone in this room knows what I'm talking about because they share that passion. It's what drove us on."

Perhaps no one in that room exemplified the passion and staying power more than Roy Golding, who started with the Cooper team in 1948. Despite being in his Nineties, Golding remains as sharp as ever. And as loyal, particularly with his waspish recall of the competition between Cooper and the more fragile Lotus cars: "We used to say that if you want to race and live, you buy a Cooper. If you want to race and win, you buy a Lotus."

Different times indeed, as summed up when Sir Jackie Stewart paid an emotional and open tribute to his former F1 mechanics seated at the BRM and Tyrrell tables. "I wouldn't be standing here without you," said the triple World Champion. "You built strong cars and I never spilled a drop of blood in my 99 grands prix. What you all did is fantastic. I just want to say thank you."

The Grand Prix Trust gives other drivers and those dependent on the grafters at the coalface a perfect opportunity to do the same.

Maurice Hamilton writes for ESPN F1.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Feeds: Maurice Hamilton

• Email
• Feedback
• Print

Email