The engineer in the circus

Formula One is a team sport - at least if you ask Ossi Oikarinen of Toyota

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By Joanna Palmén
     
      Every now and then, people remember that Kimi Räikkönen is not the only Finn active in the Formula One world, and that we are also represented in the GP circus by an engineer named Ossi Oikarinen.
      These days Oikarinen's name comes up rather more often than it used to, as the 36-year-old from Lahti has moved on up during his nine years in the pit-lane to become the track engineer for Panasonic Toyota's Italian F1 driver Jarno Trulli.
      So, what does a "track engineer" do?
     
"A typical working day on a race weekend would go such that we prep the cars first thing in the morning, then we go through the day ahead with the driver, and have a technical meeting. Then we run some test laps. After that there's another meeting where we check out what we've achieved, then a second session on the track, and we go over the cars and the results one more time, and fix up the cars with the other engineers", explains Oikarinen.
      Sounds pretty simple from here. Testing and meetings.
      "In concrete terms, it is my job to head the team of engineers and mechanics around the car. When the car is out on the track my job is mostly about talking to people, and when there's no driving going on, I sit at a computer terminal and go through the results we've got."
     
The "talking to people" side of Oikarinen's work is made somewhat more challenging by the fact that all discussions are carried out via radio-telephones or walkie-talkies. In the morning the big headphones go on, complete with antennae, and they are worn throughout the day.
      This isn't quite as straightforward as it perhaps sounds. Oikarinen gives an airy assurance that you get used to it after a while - and in one sense it is easier that one doesn't have to give instructions to each person individually. But he doesn't like digital radios, as there is a lag in the sound - a similar effect to what one sometimes sees when a TV-journalist is doing a stand-up in some global hotspot, and he appears to hesitate for a few seconds before replying to the studio's questions.
      "It is difficult to talk to someone face-to-face when there is a lag in what you are hearing, or when you hear your own voice repeating at a delay", he sighs.
      Fortunately for Oikarinen, Toyota have abandoned their trials on digital equipment.
     
Ossi Oikarinen's work is one more reason for us Finns to boast of our Formula One smarts. But the fact of the matter is that it is the drivers who are the stars of the F1 circus, and the engineers are part of the grey mass.
      And it's so unfair.
      Because we know it is really all down to the cars. Isn't it? It makes precious little difference who you put behind the wheel, when it is practically impossible ever to overtake anyone on those tracks. It is the best car that wins.
      Isn't it hardly likely that someone like Jarno Trulli would get by without his crew of engineers? Could the guy even change a Toyota transmission?
      "Oh, I think he could, with the right advice", offers Oikarinen.
      Yeah, yeah, with an engineer helping over his shoulder.
      "It isn't his ability to do it that counts. He's just not used to doing that. Yes, it might take a bit of time, but he could handle it in the end."
     
Hmph. Oikarinen is being overly modest. He starts lecturing on the importance of the team.
      "You can't just put it down to the input of one person - Formula One is a team sport like any other. It's just like football, for instance. Your side can have one incredibly good player, but that is not going to win you the World Cup."
      Alright then, how about if Jarno Trulli and Ossi Oikarinen were to swap places and jobs? Which of them would come out on top? Going to driving school is a whole lot easier than getting an engineering degree, no?
      "Jarno would, I reckon. You need special talents for driving, and I just don't have them", declares Oikarinen.
     
Oikarinen admits that despite his lack of talent behind the wheel he enjoys go-karting as a hobby. When he is driving he understands exactly why he never became an F1 driver.
      "Every so often I go out and scare myself silly on the go-kart track. You don't need to do much more than try to drive 20 laps as fast as possible, and then it becomes pretty obvious that there are huge differences between my times and the ones those guys put up on the board."
      Mind you, Oikarinen does get to indulge his hobby on a pretty illustrious track. His workplace, the Toyota Motorsport GmbH factory, is located in Cologne in Germany. Not too far away is the Kerpen karting track, where Michael and Ralf Schumacher started their track careers. Ralf, by the way, is now a Toyota driver.
      Driving in the tyre-marks of giants hasn't helped Ossi Oikarinen get the go-kart around the track any faster, however.
      "No, even if they gave me the best set of wheels in the world, I still wouldn't win the World Championship title."
     
Helsingin Sanomat / First published in print in the Nyt weekly supplement of 11.8.2006
     
     
Note: Ossi Oikarinen was back in Helsinki for this interview as part of the Toyota team, which was here to give Helsinki residents their first glimpse of a Formula One car in action, driving around a circuit on the downtown streets near the main railway station. More than 40,000 people turned out to watch the short display - and to be deafened by the roar of the 740 bhp engine being taken up to 18,000 rpm.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Formula show draws more than 40,000 fans to downtown Helsinki (14.8.2006)

Links:
  Toyota F1 Team official site

JOANNA PALMÉN / Helsingin Sanomat
joanna.palmen@hs.fi