When Formula 1 starts on the circuit in two weeks' time in Austria, there will be a big challenge for the teams. With less men and more space between them, repairs still have to be done.

Long engine change

Now that the Formula 1 season has a calendar of eight races and it is not yet clear how many races will follow, it is important to be reliable as a team. Mistakes made by drivers or the team will be punished and will cost you relatively more points than in a longer season. Damage on its own, however, could already cause some problems.

For example, in an interview with Auto, Motor und Sport, Andy Green says that an engine change might take twice as long as it normally would. ''Normally you can do that with a couple of fast men in two to three hours, but now you just need five to six hours'', says the technical boss of Racing Point.

Drivers have been warned

The extra time spent by teams on repairs may also have consequences. If an engine breaks down in the first or third free practice, it could mean that respectively the second free practice and qualification could be forgotten. Crashes and crazy scenes of drivers are therefore undesirable.

''Reliability is the most important thing for this season and our riders should be aware of the fact that every little bit of damage now takes twice as much time to repair. Large amounts of damage can cost a driver and team just one session'', concludes Green.