Meet Dan from Australia, who has been a part of the crew organising and operating fan zones at F1 races world wide since 2017
Pictures supplied by Dan Pears
In a brand new collection of articles, we communicate to individuals who journey the world working in Formulation 1. We study how they acquired their job, what their position entails and what it’s wish to work and journey for as much as 9 months of the yr.
Dan Pears was solely 19 years previous and dwelling in Perth, Western Australia when he despatched in an internet software for an F1 position with a UK-based occasions firm. He had some related abilities and expertise, nevertheless it was nonetheless a leap of religion for each Dan and his new employer when he moved to the UK in 2017 to take up a place with Occasions Home.
Seven years later, Dan stays with the corporate as an Activation Supervisor, accountable for organising and operating simulators in fan zones at Formulation 1 races all world wide. Dan labored at each race apart from one final season, and has racked up a powerful tally of 66 F1 races labored, a quantity that will be a lot larger have been it not for the pandemic. He’s stepping again a little bit in 2024 with plans to ‘solely’ work at 14 races this season, giving him extra time to deal with rising his simulator enterprise in Australia.
How did you get the job?
I discovered the job itemizing on-line. I didn’t have precise work expertise related to simulators, however I’d been sim racing myself for years and I knew how they labored. I used to be really finding out for a Display screen and Media diploma on the time, which I by no means completed as a result of I used to be supplied the job. The catch was that I first needed to journey from Australia to the UK and efficiently full a one-week trial. I keep in mind being thrown in on the deep finish after I began, which regularly occurs with occasion work. You both sink or swim, and fortuitously I actually loved it and was not afraid to place within the lengthy hours which are typically required. It was a dangerous resolution to maneuver to the UK for this job, nevertheless it actually labored out, as a result of I’ve been working in F1 for seven seasons now.
The place are you based mostly?
I’m at present based mostly in Perth, Western Australia. The corporate I work for is from the UK, and I’ve lived in London on and off for the previous seven years. After I acquired the job, I used to be in a position to get British citizenship via my Dad’s facet of the household, which additionally helped. I used to be solely ever based mostly in London throughout the F1 season. I’ve all the time come residence for a couple of months throughout the low season, and I additionally spent an prolonged time frame again in Australia throughout the pandemic.
London was a superb base after I was touring to virtually all of the races, however I’ve determined to do much less races this yr. For the races I’ll be working at this yr, that are primarily within the Center East and Asia, Perth is definitely a fairly good base.
How does a typical race week search for you? Describe your position.
We usually land on Monday night or Tuesday morning and get straight into setting all the things up. It’s an enormous job to place collectively the fan zone. It may possibly take 2-3 days of laborious work to get all the things prepared.
We usually have a crew of about 6-10 folks organising the fan zone at every race. We additionally must arrange simulators in hospitality suites just like the Paddock Membership. Some races are greater and have a number of fan zones, so we will even have some native contractors serving to out. All of us assist one another out throughout the arrange and pack down.
When the fan zone is open we deal with our personal space. In my case, that’s operating the simulators. F1 have their very own staffing company, so we will even be allotted a specific amount of employees at every race to assist run the fan zone. We cut up these folks between our actions and practice them up on how all the things works. I run the simulators, however our crew can be accountable for pit cease challenges, present vehicles, F1 podium and different shows within the fan zone.
We’ve usually acquired 8-16 simulators arrange within the fan zone. We run common competitions and I’m typically on the microphone, working the group. Generally we now have F1, F2 and F3 drivers come and make an look. We additionally collect the followers with the quickest instances collectively for a sim race on Sunday, simply earlier than the precise race. The winner usually will get a Paddock tour as a prize.
And after the race finishes on Sunday, we begin to pack down. It takes us 1-2 days to pack up the fan zone and get all the things prepared for the subsequent race. We usually fly out on Monday night time or Tuesday after the race.
Do you ever get any free time on the observe or within the host metropolis?
On the observe, not a lot. The fan zone is quiet when the F1 vehicles are on the observe, so I generally get the possibility to observe the vehicles and take some pictures. Videography and images was only a passion of mine earlier than beginning to work in F1, however I’ve been in a position to make it a part of my job now as properly. My firm will ask me to take some pictures or make a video of the fanzone.
We additionally get a while off at night time and we will exit for dinner and have a couple of drinks. However there are exceptions. I keep in mind getting zero break day all weekend in Miami final yr, primarily as a result of the logistics of attending to and from the observe have been actually troublesome.
Do you ever get the possibility to remain a bit longer within the race vacation spot and be a vacationer?
Probably not. 90% of the time, we fly in, do our job after which fly out once more. Final yr, the one place the place I acquired to essentially be a vacationer for a couple of days was in Bologna [after the cancellation of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix]. We had already arrange the fan zone at Imola when the race was canceled as a result of native flooding. After packing all the things up, we had a couple of days to discover Bologna earlier than touring on to the Monaco Grand Prix.
What occurred to your job throughout covid?
We have been all arrange within the fan zone on the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne [March 2020] when the race weekend was canceled and the entire world began to close down. I used to be based mostly within the UK on the time and I used to be supposed to return there. However I knew the borders have been going to be closed, so I made a decision to remain in Australia. I acquired my colleagues to pack up my belongings within the UK and put them in storage. It was positively the fitting resolution, as a result of it took round 18 months earlier than we returned to the observe to run the fan zones.
You’ve labored in fan zones at each race on the calendar. The place are one of the best ones?
I actually like Melbourne and Silverstone, as a result of there’s all the time plenty of issues to do for the followers when they’re on the observe. Not many restrictions about the place you’ll be able to go, like at another circuits. Additionally they have live shows contained in the circuit. Silverstone particularly is sort of a music pageant, and plenty of followers are tenting subsequent to the observe. At another circuits, they’ve the live shows outdoors the circuit and everybody has to go away the circuit quickly after the race finishes.
What’s probably the most difficult facet of your job?
The fixed journey could be actually tiring, particularly when it includes long-haul flights, time zone modifications and jet lag. We additionally work actually lengthy hours on the observe – 12 hours a day minimal. The arrange and pack down can be actually bodily difficult. The fan zones are practically all the time outdoors and open to the weather, so we additionally must cope with every kind of climate. Again to again races are probably the most difficult, as we now have much less time to pack down and transfer all the things to the subsequent location. Which means working via the night time on Sunday after the race.
What are your favourite races?
It’s acquired to be my residence race, the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne. I don’t must journey far and Albert Park is a good circuit. Town is shut by and there’s all the time one thing to do or someplace to exit. I’m additionally extra relaxed working at my residence race.
I additionally love the Austrian Grand Prix for the surroundings. It’s simply beautiful. You’ll be able to see 90% of the observe from the grandstand seats on the prime of the hill [at the Red Bull Ring]. I solely labored the Monaco Grand Prix for the primary time final yr, however I additionally actually loved the overall craziness and events there on race weekend.
For nightlife, you’ll be able to go previous the USA Grand Prix in Austin. We all the time keep downtown, proper off sixth avenue. That race is an enormous occasion race for everybody working in F1. I additionally noticed Queen play at COTA final yr, which was superior. Budapest is one other spotlight. The climate is nice and town could be very inexpensive. It’s someplace I’d like to return to for a metropolis break after I’m not working. I’d additionally like to return to Japan as a vacationer.
What about your least favourite races?
Qatar final yr was actually difficult. The warmth and humidity have been brutal, after which on prime of that you just had some organizational points. The safety and the police on the observe have been very laborious to cope with as properly.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix final November was additionally a tricky race. Not solely was it a brand new occasion, however the logistics on the circuit have been actually laborious. Our crew had activations in several fan zones across the observe, and getting from one place to a different was actually time consuming and irritating. They didn’t have sufficient entry factors for workers working on the occasion. Having mentioned that, it was additionally a enjoyable race to work. As a result of the on-track motion was late at night time, we had some additional time throughout the day to see town .
I already talked about Miami, however the logistics of attending to and from the circuit can be troublesome at different races. The visitors in Mexico and Sao Paulo is de facto dangerous. France was once horrible for visitors administration, and Belgium just isn’t significantly better. There’s typically an absence of communication between the race organizers and the native police, and generally it might be good to have the ability to have the ability to reduce the road, provided that we’re there to work.
What are one of the best elements of your job?
I really feel very privileged to work in one of many world’s most prestigious sports activities. I get to journey the world, I get to fulfill and work with F1, F2 and F3 drivers, and I get to observe and generally {photograph} the vehicles on the observe.
Any recommendation for somebody who want to get a job in Formulation 1?
Do your analysis and put the work in. Determine what position you need and work in the direction of getting the fitting {qualifications} and expertise. Take a look at different types of motorsport for expertise. Search for job vacancies on-line, but in addition don’t be afraid to ship in your CV and apply anyway, even when there aren’t any present alternatives being marketed.
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