F1: Why are almost all Formula 1 cars made in the English countryside? “Setting up a team far away would be very expensive”

Eight of the 10 World Cup teams are based near Silverstone, 100 kilometers away. Tradition, the influence of Ecclestone and the economy of scale explain it.

A flock of sheep grazes and deer and foxes cross paths and everything is bucolic in this corner of the English countryside until, suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge industrial warehouse appears surrounded by hundreds of cars of engineers working in her. At the entrance, two confronting red bulls warn of what is happening: Red Bull Racing. The best Formula 1 car is made here, which is displayed at the entrance along with a multitude of trophies, and a tradition is perpetuated here. The team says it’s Austrian because the company that owns it is Austrian, Red Bull, but we’re in Milton Keynes, UK, and a huge Union Jack is waving outside the door. It is not an exception, it is a norm.

In just 100 kilometers around, with the Silverstone circuit as the epicenter, the headquarters of seven of the 10 World Cup teams are concentrated. The new Canadian-owned Aston Martin factory is attached to the English layout, you can walk there. The very German Mercedes team is in Brackley, a 15-minute drive away. The French Alpine, at Enstone, to the south, closer to Oxford. Haas in Banbury and Williams in Grove. Even Alpha Tauri, with headquarters in Switzerland, builds part of its components in the area. Only two teams, Ferrari and Alfa Romeo, are staying away, in Italy and Switzerland. Because?

Tradition and Ecclestone

“One reason is history. Before the Second World War there were races in Great Britain, Germany, Italy, France… but after that all the activity was concentrated here. The Silverstone circuit was not destroyed, which is why the first ever Grand Prix was held in 1950, and the surrounding facilities also remained standing. That helped, although they influenced more Bernie Ecclestone and Max Mosley. From the 70s, Formula 1 was an English competition, it grew here, run by Englishmen, and that is why many teams were born in the region. They were small and now they are huge. Steward GP, which is now Red Bull. Jordan, which is Aston Martin. Toleman, that’s Alpine. Today we are talking about a globalized sport, now no team has an English property, but for a long time it was an English sport, “he explains, in conversation with EL MUNDO, Chris Aylettpresident of the Motor Industry Association (MIA), which for years has promoted a catchy nickname for the area: the Motorsport Valley.

Here the Formula 1 teams directly employ some 1,500 workers, but everything that surrounds them -suppliers, services…- reaches 50,000 people. Even the universities in the area have focused on engineering related to racing motorsports up to over 80 degrees and specialized masters. Thus, young people in love with Formula 1 from all over the world come to this region to study, find a place in some of the teams and stay to live, sometimes forever. And that is the other great reason that explains the concentration of teams in the English countryside: the staff.

Economy of scale

“The entire industry has been built in this area. Outside it is much more difficult to attract engineers because most of us are already settled here, we have been installed for many years. The same goes for suppliers, materials and facilities. For example, here there are four wind tunnels within an hour’s drive and the teams rent them out to each other. Setting up a team outside of here would be very expensive and even with all the money in the world it would be difficult to set up an organization chart,” says the Spaniard. Jorge Belenguerresponsible for software from the Alpine team, which arrived in Formula 1 in 2015, to Lotus, and has lived in Oxford ever since.

The proximity of so many teams means that the relationship between rival engineers is very close, something that has caused problems -information leaks…-, but which is generally good for Formula 1. The Pirelli Cup, a soccer league in the that almost all the teams have participated since 2011, serves to improve the competitive atmosphere of the paddock, although there have also been some tangana. Last year, at the Moulton College facilities, McLaren won. This year, everything will be decided in September. What is certain is that the title will not leave Motorsport Valley now or ever. The World Cup is increasingly global and is especially interested in growing in the United States, but its factories, its suppliers and its engineers will continue in this corner of the English countryside among sheep, deer and foxes.