No. 19 - 10 Jahres Ausgabe, Lech & Zürs

And Patrick? Next to his work in the familyrun
business he is part of the management
team of the traditional hotel der klostertalerhof
and the à-la-carte restaurant das guat –
a place of culinary delights that serves the
perfect mixture of Austrian and modern international
cuisine.
Sport & Freizeit
L.L. A number of people working in Lech Zürs’ hotels and
restaurants used to work in Formula 1. Philipp, you worked
as an aerodynamics engineer for the Mercedes Formula 1
team for six years. What, in all those years, inspired you the
most and why did you end up returning to Zürs after all?
PH.B. I’ve always been passionate about the actual technical
side of things and, of course, the speed. Everything I did
in the area of Formula 1 was about prototypes. It wasn’t so
much about “Drive for Performance” where every detail
counts, and each member of staff works towards the win
and not because they enjoy it. Plus, there’s the team’s history.
The factory in Brackley changed hands several times in the
past and many members of staff came and went. So, when
you did run into someone who had been working there for
ten or maybe 20 years and you were able to exchange ideas
with that person that was unique and very exciting.
I was able to use so much experience from the past for
innovations. As someone who is into all things technical and
an engineer on top, I was always amazed by the fascination
that is Formula 1. It was a really intense time though, especially
the times on the racetrack. I don’t believe, however, that
my decision to come back stemmed from a desire for a less
stressful life. As long as the snow doesn’t abandon us, we
know from experience that the winter months will not leave
us a lot of downtime. And it was time to support my parents
and start taking over from them since they’ve been running
the family business for almost 40 years now. Aside from that
I always knew, even when I first started working in Formula
1, that I would only be doing this for a limited period of time
and that I would certainly come back home at some point.
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