Formula 1 is a global sport that is a real example of organising races with the utmost safety measures. The pinnacle of car racing hasn't seen any deaths in the last 10 years since Jules Bianchi’s unfortunate death in the 2014 F1 season. In 10 years, many scary incidents happened, like the Grosjeans Sakhir crash, Verstappen’s Silverstone crash, and Zhou Guanyu’s British GP crash. But none of it was a heartbreaking and sorrowful incident.
All credit should go to the FIA and the race Marshalls, who were the real heroes saving the lives of F1 drivers. The race marshals are the people who clear the damages and help the F1 organisers to continue the race in peace. For many years, their role in Formula 1 has been underappreciated, and now it is time to know about the real heroes, who are as important as the Formula 1 drivers to complete a race weekend.
Who are the race marshals?
These are the people who play a vital role in allowing Motorsport and are dressed in orange suits. They move damaged cars out of the track, clear the debris, and help the organisers successfully conduct the race with complete safety.
Key Roles in a Race Weekend
Marshals play many different roles over a Formula 1 weekend, like trackside, flag, pit lane, startline, paddock, and administrative duties.
Trackside Marshalls
The people we often see on television when there is a crash or an incident between drivers are the trackside marshals. They remove the damaged cars, Hazardous materials, Broken pieces, debris, Gravel, and leaked oil from the track and ensure the safety of the race. In races like Singapore, Azerbaijan, and Las Vegas Trackside Marshals work very hard as the vulnerability of seeing crashes is very high. They also help drivers out of their cars after a crash or big accident. These are the people who saved Romain Grosjean from burning inside.
Flag Marshalls
You will also see these marshals when they wave different flags during the race. When there is an accident, they will lift their flags and signal the drivers to slow down, indicating caution for the drivers. They also wave chequered flags, signalling the completion of the race.
Pit Marshals
These people take care of the pits when the drivers enter and exit them. They also check the speed when F1 drivers enter and exit the pit lane. Pit Marshalls also ensure safety inside the pits.
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Startline Marshal
They are the people who start the races by waving green flags and making sure all cars are perfectly lined up before the lights go out. They also wave the flag to signal the start of the race.
Paddock Marshal
These Marshals are very similar to Pit Marshals, but they take care of the cars properly lined up before going to the grid.
Administrative Marshal
They are the ones who carry out operations behind the scenes, directing other Marshalls. They operate inside the control room and guide the track marshals in doing their duties.
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Marshalls are very essential
Without the Marshals, we can't see any motorsport happening safely anywhere. Their job is to ensure safe racing, and without them, safety is not possible on the track. They are very passionate about Motorsport, and that is why most of them do it as a service and to be part of racing.
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