Abu Dhabi Week finds out what it takes to be a Formula 1 marshal.
It’s still more than two months away, but for Miriam Hassad and Mohammed Mansour the Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix can’t come soon enough. On 11th November they will finally get to take their place as official FIA-accredited marshals, on the sidelines of the closing race of the 2010 Formula 1 series.
Recruited from the ranks of Etihad Airways’ Graduate Management Development Programme, both have already started their marshal training.
“We have months before we are allowed to call ourselves marshals,” says Miriam. “We have to give up our weekends for training, but I don’t mind, this is a chance of a lifetime.”
“There are so many reasons why I signed up,” says Mohammed. “It’s a great chance for me to meet new people who have similar interests, and meeting F1 champions is priceless! It also allows me to learn how large events are managed and operated.”
Around 600 recruits have signed up this year, and they will join forces with members of last year’s team and senior marshals from Bahrain, who will be conducting training sessions throughout the next two months.
Deputy Chief Marshal of the UAE, Abdulhamid Al Awadhi explains: “A volunteer needs to be committed, as they must attend all of the training sessions and events in the run up to the race itself. These marshals are going to be interacting with Formula 1 management, drivers and VIPs, so they need to be educated and able to give an excellent first impression of this country.
“We want to appear professional, but also transmit a strong sense of our community to visitors to the Grand Prix.”
Patriotic statements aside, speaking to Miriam and Mohammed, it’s painfully clear just how important their individual input into the race will be.
“I’ve signed up to be a flag marshal, which means I’ll be down on the track, ensuring the right flags are waved to inform the drivers about track conditions and crashes,” says Miriam. “This is a very important task.”
“I signed up for intervention,” says Mohammed. A position that is really better suited to male recruits as they are required to be on the scene in situations like crashes, to clear debris from the track.
“I can be close to the cars, and see how cars teams operate, but being a marshal it is forbidden to divert our focus. This could lead to severe problems in the race. Our role is crucial,” he says.
For Abdulhamid, this sense of responsibility in all recruits is vital, but so is a genuine passion for motorsport.
“The Grand Prix has seen motorsport come to life in the UAE. Now we have other events: drag racing, rally driving, touring races, etc. We have to build on our knowledge and educate a new generation of motorsport professionals. This will take time.
“People have a real passion for fast cars here in the UAE, but we need to harness that energy, and teach people that there’s more to motorsport than driving fast, there are a number of other career opportunities.
“This is why we launched the UAE Motorsport Marshal Club, earlier this year, which is part of the UAE Automobile & Touring Club. We have a five-year plan to be self-sufficient. Initially we need to invite foreign experts to teach us the correct processes, but eventually we want to be able to run the Grand Prix alone.
“We’re ready for this challenge. Last year was a great achievement for us, and for the UAE. These are experiences that our team will cherish forever.”
We ask the new recruits who they’ll be rooting for on the day, and their passion for the sport shines through.
“I’d love Schumacher to win, and I’m definitely going to be trying to get his autograph!” says Miriam.
“My favourite F1 drivers are Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa. If one of the Ferrari drivers wins, I’ll be happy,” says Mohammed.
