Praise the Lord and pass the engine oil - Formula One is back in Europe. It may please fans in other parts of the world to see races close up, and it may add to the cachet of the 'world' championship, but for teams being so far away from home is frankly a pain. When you add the recent volcanic ash cloud into the mix the logistics can start to look insurmountable.
Luckily the ash relented and there were three weeks between China and Spain. The two-wheel brigade of MotoGP weren't so lucky and had to postpone their trip to Japan.
Of course the F1 teams aren't hapless holidaymakers: large-scale logistics is one of the myriad of things a team has to master to be successful. Before the race, some British-based teams were rushing transit vans with parts over the English Channel to fly out of Paris before the flight ban spread.
Getting out of China was a tad trickier, although it helps if the team owner also owns an airline. Lotus's Tony Fernandes flew many of his team to Kuala Lumpur on one of his Air Asia fleet. The ash cloud did highlight the strains fly-away races put on teams, and how even small disruptions can cause big problems. Teams send freight containers full of equipment by sea to each far away race months before the race; but air travel remains key to the operation.
Cars, parts and personnel all fly. Although teams deal with a lot, the sport has an agreement with logistics giant DHL. It's not a small commitment either. A typical race can see five jumbo jets and 35 sea containers pressed into action. As well as cars and technical equipment, thousands of other items have to be taken, even the VIP tents and all that goes in them.
It's a lot simpler once the teams are into the European season. Each team has a small armada of articulated lorries to carry their stuff across the continent. They are much more in control and much more in their comfort zone.
