For a two-week period in August, almost all corners of Scuderia Ferrari’s Maranello team factory fall silent. Equipment stops working, offices are empty… this has become known as the ‘Shutdown’.
But what exactly is it? Well, Article 21.8 of the Sporting Regulations states that all Formula 1 teams must a two-week shutdown period in August (the only exception was 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic), during which all activities are restricted.
The concept has been part of Formula 1 for many years and was introduced for two reasons. The first is to save costs – the with 14 days of everything being closed should reduce the costs of participation in the sport. The second, even more important, is to give the hard-working, passionate members of Formula 1 teams the opportunity to have a break from work, head off on holiday and recharge their batteris, especially now that Formula 1 championships include more and more events, making the shutdown period a rare opportunity to relax, so team members are re-energised ahead of the crucial second parte of the year.
During these 14 days, any work related to enhancing the performance of the car is not allowed, including planning via emails or meetings. So, those who design, build and run the car, alongside those who control infrastructure developing the car and even suppliers, are affected by the shutdown regulations. The busy Design Office is absolutely empty in this period, while Test and Development, which is always buzzing with noise, is now so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.
However, thera are a few exceptions which are allowed during the Formula 1 summer shutdown:
- repairs to a car that was badly damaged during the race before the shutdown. The FIA has to give permission for this
- the possibility to assemble and use older cars, yet no production or maintenance on current elements of the car
- the possibility to use the wind tunnel for projects that are not related to Formula 1 or maintenance of the wind tunnel and other facilities
- CDF simulations for projects that are not related to Formula 1, or software upgrade
- marketing activities
Once the shutdown period is over, it will be back to work for Scuderia Ferrari and the rest of the Formula 1 teams, pushing as hard as ever to end the championship in the best way possible.
