Using their pitstop knowledge, Williams Martini Racing have been assisting the neonatal unit at the University Hospital of Wales (UHW) to help the resuscitation of newborn babies.
The Grove-outfit were invited by UHW to the hospital last year to discuss how Formula 1 techniques and processes could be incorporated into their work. Members of the neonatal team visited the factory on 4 May to watch the team’s pitstops to see how they operate. An F1 pit crew, a team of nearly twenty, can change all four tyres in around two seconds by working together.
Based on these site visits, there have been changes implemented by the team to improve its resuscitation processes. In the delivery theatres they have copied the customised Williams’ floor plan to show the space that the team would work in. They are also in the early stages of F1 communications and analysis techniques, using hand signals rather than words and video analysis to analyse performance.
“When we were approached by the Neonatal team at the University Hospital of Wales last year to offer some advice we were delighted to assist,” said Claire Williams, Deputy Team Principal of Williams.
“Their work is vitally important and the pressure they work under is difficult to comprehend; it’s a matter of life and death every day of the week. If some of the advice we have passed on helps to save a young life then this would have been an extremely worthy endeavour.
“We are increasingly finding that Formula One know-how and technology can have benefit to other industries and this is a great example.”
