Ferrari Sporting Director explains organisational issues of a F1 triple-header. Q&A with Laurent Mekies .

Never before, in the history of Formula 1, has the season ended with three races on consecutive weekends. With the championships decided, there is still a close battle for third place in the Constructors’ classification with four teams within 24 points of one another. Scuderia Ferrari picked up 27 in Turkey, thus closing the gap to third place, although the team is still sixth. We asked Sporting Director Laurent Mekies what is the mood in the team as it prepares for this final stint in the Middle East.

“It will be an unusual end to a very unusual season which was a very tough one for us. Our aim is to carry on making up ground in terms of our performance when compared to those teams we are fighting with this year and that has been on-going for the last five races now.”

From an organisational point of view, what problems does a triple-header throw up, especially one outside Europe?

“Our first priority is the health of the team, which is an area where you must never lower your guard. We have to ensure that everyone is in good shape given the strain of having already had 14 races in four months. I feel that the support of those working back in Maranello will be vital in helping those at the track. Every little detail that can help improve our performance will be important so as to finish this season on a high and to fine tune our working methods, making them more efficient for next year.”

How physically and mentally demanding has this season been for those working at the track?

“There’s no denying it’s been really tough. The situation created by the pandemic and the fact our performance was poor at the start of the season made life difficult. But everything we have been through has made us stronger, we have not lost our bearings, we never gave up and we always wanted to fight back and improve. I would praise the men and women in the race team for their resilience and the spirit they showed in such difficult times, as well as their families who played a vital role. I would also like to thank the fans who have always been there with us, mainly in spirit as, in most cases they were not allowed to attend the races.”