By F1 correspondent Michael Butterworth

BEIJING, Aug. 14 (Xinhua) -- Though the COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the global sporting calendar in 2020, many sports and events are now trying to return to some semblance of normalcy, and Formula 1 is no exception.

Initially set to start in March, the long-delayed 2020 F1 season finally began with the Austrian Grand Prix in July, and the sport's revised calendar contains many races in a short space of time, as F1 tries to make up for events lost to the pandemic.

To find out more about the challenges that the compressed 2020 F1 calendar poses, Xinhua spoke to Stephanie Travers and En De Liow, trackside fluid engineers for Petronas, official fuel and lubricants supplier to the all-conquering Mercedes team.

As they explain, by the time the drivers head out onto track on Friday morning for the first practice session of a race weekend, Travers and Liow have already been hard at work for several days.

"A typical race week for us starts on a Tuesday when we set up our trackside lab," says Travers. "We check all fluids from the cars and fuel rigs to ensure they are fit to hit the track."

"From Friday to Sunday, we run pre- and post-session analysis on the oils to track the evolution of the engine, alerting the team if there are signs of excessive wear."

"After the race on Sunday, we pack down the lab to be shipped to the next event. While it takes a whole morning to set up the lab, we typically have less than an hour to pack it down!"

The hurried nature of the 2020 season meant the first three rounds were held on consecutive weekends, with the first two both being staged at the Red Bull Ring in Austria - the first time that a circuit has hosted more than one race in a championship season.

But though there were murmurings in the paddock that the compressed calendar would place too much strain on team personnel, Travers plays down the intensity of the triple-header.

"Having back-to-back races at the same track cuts down on set-up and pack-down times, so they actually become a little easier for us. That said, being on the road for three straight weeks can be tiring. But we had a long break while the sport was in shutdown and it's great to be back in action again."

With the staging of the Austrian Grand Prix on July 5, Formula 1 became the first international sporting series to resume following a widespread shutdown as COVID-19 spread across the globe.

In order to ensure the health and safety of all participants, race weekends are currently held without spectators, and several other protocols have been implemented by the sport's FIA governing body, as Liow explains.

"We have to wear masks at all times and have COVID-19 swab tests every few days. We also cannot mix with other teams, so when the FIA asks for a sample, we set up the equipment and then move aside while the sample is taken."

"Similarly, we have set up drop-off points for our engine customer teams so we can exchange samples without needing to interact in person."

But while the format of this year's F1 season has been considerably altered, the formbook has remained largely the same as in recent years, with Mercedes having won four of the first five races and six-time champion Lewis Hamilton once again leading the drivers' standings.

Mercedes has also sought to make a statement against racism by painting this year's car in an all-black livery, marking a significant departure from its traditional silver paintwork.

With Hamilton being Formula 1's only black driver across its 70-year history, Travers herself also made a little piece of history when she was chosen to collect Mercedes' winning constructor's trophy at the Styrian Grand Prix, in the process becoming the first black woman to step on an F1 podium.

"It was such an honor to be asked to represent Mercedes and Petronas on the podium," Travers says. "I was speechless when I was asked and I didn't even have time to tell my family! It was such a momentous occasion and is something I will remember and treasure for a lifetime." Enditem

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