How Are F1 Cars Shipped Between Countries?
Formula One (F1) is one of the world’s most popular racing series, with races held in a number of European nations and across the globe. Because F1 cars cannot be driven on regular roads, you could be curious how F1 cars and their associated components, as well as tools, are transported between nations for road races.
Formula 1 cars are shipped between countries using a combination of road, air, and sea freight, depending on the distance between races and the available time for transportation.
Given the delicate and expensive nature of F1 vehicles, they aren’t carried just like ordinary cars – for example, on half-side carriers or a conventional cargo container. Rather, F1 vehicles are delivered in custom-made containers and customized carriages.
Every F1 racing team has its own specifically constructed trucks, constructed with a raised and coiled platform. The F1 vehicle is generally dismantled and housed in customized crates containing sensitive aerodynamic components.
The entire trailer is customized to guarantee the F1 car is not moved when being transported because damage might occur. Normally, extra replacement parts, instruments and supplies are placed into the truck to ensure that the team has everything required for the weekend race.
Generally, F1 cars are fully stripped down for the sea and air shipment — F1 vehicles for the ocean as well as air shipping. The engine and transmission, mirrors, suspension elements, aerodynamic elements in the front and back, and any other item which may be destroyed in shipment are removed.
Each of these parts is kept in its own foam box, which has been custom-made to accommodate it. During transport, the car’s chassis is generally protected with a custom-built protective layer. The separate boxes are then placed into an aeroplane or into a shipping container, where they are lashed down and secured to guarantee total security throughout transportation.
F1 cars are transported via air, land, or cargo ships
Because most F1 events are located in Europe and can be reached by simply driving from one nation to another, F1 vehicles are mainly carried in specialized trucks. But, air transport is utilized for rush shipments, and ocean transit is also used for F1 vehicles on occasion.
Transportation via road (trucking)
We asked a representative from Crusader Van Hire about this and he said, “F1 vehicles that are typically carried on huge, custom-built trucks. They’re put onto the truck with all of their necessary equipment, tools, plus supplies, and then driven to their European locations. For F1 competitors, this greatly streamlines logistics. In nations like Australia, though, this is not a feasible means of transport for international events.”
Formula 1 driving is done by an in-house team instead of an external firm, this is the cheapest as well as the simplest choice. Each team has a flood of vehicles and sure, Mercedes used trucks from Mercedes. Back in 2020, 315 trucks were reportedly utilized by F1, the FIA and also Pirelli. Those trucks carry anything and everything into the races of Europe. This comprises automobiles, IT equipment, equipment for mechanics, replacement parts, and motorhomes and team buildings.
Typically such trucks drive uninterrupted until they arrive at their destination.
To do this, vehicles may be given numerous drivers, as well as an RV, may accompany the van to enable the drivers to sleep while they are not behind the wheel. This guarantees that a new driver is always available to take over, ensuring that the van does not have to stop for lengthy periods of time.
These trucks transport whatever is required for a successful racing weekend, and they depart the circuit as soon as the items they’re transporting are prepped and ready to go. When the trucks arrive at the next racetrack, they wait for the unloading crew to offload their goods, and the procedure is repeated once the race is over.
Transportation by air
Air transport is extremely expensive, yet it is the quickest means to transfer F1 cars, components, and equipment both inside and across countries. Based on the locations of forthcoming races, most F1 competitors utilize a combination of trucking and air transport during the season.
The cost of flying equipment to a race is high since teams must hire cargo planes to transport everything. Despite the fact that teams split the price of the planes, it is still an expensive (and not particularly environmentally friendly) means of transportation. As a result, aircraft are only utilized to deliver equipment to races that cannot be reached within a few days by car. As a result, equipment will be flown to races outside of Europe, such as those in Australia and the US.
Formula 1 generally charters the planes in partnership with DHL, and the teams are therefore charged for their portion of the cargo capacity. At the next track, the equipment is dispatched in the order of requirement.
The panelling, IT equipment, as well as other items in the garage, generally get shipped first since the installation personnel has to make sure that the garage is functional. They accomplish this in a working atmosphere that allows the cars and some other mechanical devices, such as wheel weapons. In order for the first item to happen, mechanics and engineers have to reach a completely operating garage.
Sea shipping
The slowest but most economical means of moving F1 vehicles and components across continents is by sea. Vital parts and vehicles generally do not use ocean freight since it is considerably slower and less dependable than road and air delivery.
It is not an easy procedure to move F1 vehicles. The vehicles must not only be relocated – but a large number of electrical equipment, test equipment, replacement parts, and components, as well as instruments, have to be transported to prepare for each race day.
Shipping is a very cost-effective way of transporting F1 cars from one country to another. It also has the benefit of being a carbon-efficient method as compared to other methods like flying. However, this is a very slow method, therefore, the cars will need to be shipped earlier.
As the race season is starting, Formula 1 teams ship about three containers that are full of the equipment needed for the first ‘fly away’ races outside of Europe. Each container has around 200 tonnes of equipment.
The sets of equipment also rotate and are sent to other countries between fly away races in the season. For example, a container that was sent to Australia will be packed up after the race is complete and then sent to Canada and so on. After all the races are completed, the equipment, as well as the cars, are sent back to the headquarters that is located in Europe.
For the races, everything that is in the shipping containers is not that essential. This is because it includes equipment like tables, chairs, trolleys, hospitality items, exercise equipment, fan zone items, and so on.
Such items are less costly than the IT and complex mechanical equipment like cars that teams will use for racing.
After a Formula 1 race, how is everything packed up?
After a Formula 1 race, teams must quickly and efficiently pack up their equipment, cars, and infrastructure to transport them to the next race location or back to their factories. This process is a well-orchestrated logistics operation that involves the entire team and specialized personnel.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of how everything is packed up after a Formula 1 race:
- Immediate post-race procedures:
- Drivers return to the parc fermé area for scrutineering and media interviews.
- Teams cool down the cars and perform initial inspections.
- Garage pack-up:
- Once the cars are released from parc fermé, mechanics begin disassembling them, removing wings, suspension components, and other parts.
- The cars are then lifted onto their respective transporters or prepared for air freight.
- Simultaneously, other team members pack up garage equipment, including tools, computers, and spare parts, into designated crates and flight cases.
- Hospitality and motorhome pack-up:
- Hospitality staff pack up kitchen equipment, furniture, and branding elements from the team’s motorhome or hospitality suite.
- These items are loaded onto trucks for transportation to the next race or back to the factory.
- Packing and labeling:
- All equipment is carefully packed into specially designed crates, cases, and pallets.
- Each item is labeled with the team’s name, the contents, and the destination to ensure efficient handling and customs clearance.
- Loading onto transporters:
- Packed items are loaded onto team trucks or transporters, which carry the equipment to the next race venue if it’s a back-to-back race (e.g., within Europe) or to the airport for air freight.
- Air freight:
- For overseas races or when there are longer gaps between races, teams send their equipment via air freight.
- Formula 1 has a long-standing partnership with DHL, the official logistics partner, which handles the transportation of the teams’ equipment, as well as the F1 infrastructure, to and from races.
- Customs and documentation:
- Teams must ensure that all necessary customs documentation and paperwork are in order for their equipment to pass through border controls smoothly.
- DHL and other logistics partners assist with this process, ensuring that everything arrives at the next race venue on time.
- Unpacking and setup:
- Once the equipment arrives at the next race location, teams unpack their crates and set up their garages, hospitality units, and other infrastructure in preparation for the upcoming race weekend.
The process of packing up after a Formula 1 race is a picture of efficiency, coordination, and hard work by the teams and their logistics partners. This well-organized operation ensures that the F1 circus can move seamlessly from one race to another, allowing the teams to focus on their primary goal: achieving the best possible results on the track.
