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The race bays of Formula 1 teams at this time of year are normally buzzing with activity as staff inspect, check and ready cars between their return and departure from races. But amid the coronavirus pandemic, the world isn't normal. Races aren't happening, and F1 factory shutdowns mean that no work is being done on the currently dormant cars.
However, that is not to say F1's brilliant brains have been idling. For example, if you had walked through Red Bull's factory at Milton Keynes over recent weeks, the frenzy of activity still going on in a few key areas would have been just as intense as if the season was underway. It's just the focus has been on something totally different.
But where the cars would usually be, there were now ICU beds and prototype ventilators. The battle right now isn't about beating the stopwatch, it's about helping save lives. Technicians weren't analysing suspension components, buffing bodywork or tightening bolts; instead, they were applying F1-grade thinking to the real-world problems of helping to design and build products that will aid the medical response to the pandemic.
