Marshals are up to 500 meters from their original spot because of COVID-19

Door de coronamaatregelen op de Red Bull Ring tijdens de Grand Prix van Oostenrijk moeten niet alleen de teams zorgen dat ze genoeg afstand tussen hun werknemers bewaren, voor de marshalls langs de baan geldt hetzelfde.

Normally the marshals stand on a clump at one of the track posts along the track. These track posts are counterwords linked to an LED panel on which the various flags are digitally displayed. However, thanks to this digital system, the marshals can also operate at greater distances.

"In Austria, there will be 15-16 marshal sectors. So that means there will be 15-16 marshals controlling the panels. We need to make sure that this person is able to sit in one place, away from other marshals and away from other people working around the track, but still in a confident, comfortable location to be able to see everything that is happening within their part of the track. These marshals can now be up to 400-500m away from the flag panels."

That is what Luca De Agnelis, engineer at EM Motorsport, the company that delivers the panels to Formula 1, to Motorsport.com. In addition to the space created between the different marshals, they will all have to wear protection, such as masks and gloves.