Formula 1 will use a FIA track & trace app in the paddock

New rule

Formula 1 has added a new rule to the protocols, which states that all participants and visitors to a race will have to use a track and trace app. This application is currently under development and is specifically tailored to the needs of the racing world, writes Autosport.com.

The application is developed specifically for the staff working in the teams, with everyone sitting very close together. The requirements in this context differ from what is 'usual' in combination with such apps used by governments in different countries. The application for Formula 1 and motor racing needs to be more advanced, says Adam Baker, who is responsible for safety on behalf of the FIA.

"One of the key areas in holding a successful event, and learning the hard lessons from Melbourne, is in having precise contact tracing, and then having a rapid testing capability so we can accurately determine people who may have been affected. Those people can then be quickly quarantined, and then they can be quickly tested, and released from quarantine if they're found to be negative."

"We reviewed what was available for contact tracing solutions and we quickly came to the conclusion that we would need to have something which was specifically designed for motorsport events. In particular, we wanted to have an adjustable sensitivity, which was not available in anything we had access to. We also wanted to have the ability to verify test results, before they were entered into the system, to prevent any type of misuse or accidents that could cause groups to be locked in or confined into quarantine when in fact they hadn't been in contact with anyone who was infected."

Whether the application will be available at the first race in Austria is not entirely clear, but the development is in full swing. So the introduction will not be long in coming.