LEADERSHIP to go for at least one pitstop during every race. Frequent tyre change is not feasible. Drivers lose their position in the pecking order and are required to over-take other cars when coming out of the pit after the tyre change. Facing the dirty and turbulent air of the cars racing ahead is another challenge. The Data Analytics team estimates an optimum number of tyres and suitable time considering the change over time( up to 30 seconds) against the difference in the speed due to the new tyres in place of the worn-out tyres and advises drivers to come to the pit for a tyre change.
The Grid and Pole Positions: Grid is a marked section of the track at the start where the cars line up according to their times in practice. Pole position is the front position occupied by the fastest car. During the qualifying race, all drivers take a few laps. Their lap with the least time is considered and the sequence is decided. One should aim at least for the second position in the grid since both cars on positions 1 and 2 start side by side. The second car is just 8 meters behind. These cars have even psychological advantages. The players at the rear have to demonstrate special overtaking skills and face the pollution of the cars in the front. Since 2014, the FIA has awarded a trophy to the driver who wins the most pole positions in a season. In 2020 Hamilton won the trophy( with securing pole position in 10 out of 23 races) and also won the championship. Max Verstappen won the trophy in 2021 with pole position in 10 races and also won the championship. But in 2019 Leclerc won it and the championship trophy went to Hamilton. In nutshell, pole position is important but not a must.
Qualifying Race: Grid and pole positions are determined by a qualifying race that is conducted the day before the actual F1 race, on the same track. The objective is to shortlist drivers for the main race and decide the grid and pole position based on the fastest lap of every driver. The lap with the least time is considered for every player. Qualifying is also a short-listing round. It is conducted in 3 rounds, Q1, Q2 and Q3. In the Q1 round, the top15 players are shortlisted based on their lap with the top speed. In the Q2 round, 10 players are selected, from the shortlisted 15 for the final race on the next day. It is also based on the top speed. Q3 decides the grid and pole positions. Players are free to choose tyres of any type but they have to start the main race, on day two, with a similar type of tyres they used during Q2.
Engines and engine changes: F1 engines are usually 1.6-litre V6 turbo and engineered to last for around 7 races. The engines are pushed to the maximum limit reducing their effective racing life. Each driver can change the engine thrice per season without being penalized. This covers practice and qualifying sessions as well. This means the engines usually last at least 2400 km or even double that. However, the leader, Mercedes observed an engine degradation of a few kilowatts after 1000 km at the end of the season in 2021. They changed Hamilton’ s engine even at the cost of the 5-position penalty.
“ Crafting the apt strategy is the key. Even successful champions and legends have to keep their ego aside and adapt to the collective wisdom of the team. They have to align their thoughts and actions to the strategy crafted by the team.”
Weather: Weather is a game-changer. Rains make tracks wet and the necessity of tyre change arises to drive the car in such wet conditions. Since the track is long, different rain conditions can prevail in different areas of the track making the situation even worse. The strategy must consider this element or else it can get disrupted.
Safety Car: When there is some accident requiring removal of the vehicle and cleaning-up debris, a safety car arrives on the track. All cars have to follow the safety car. Overtaking another racing car is not allowed during such time till the cleaning-up is done and the safety car goes away. Plus, every car must reduce the pace by 40 %. Such incidence of the accident is good for those racers who are lagging far behind. They can cover up the distance. But it hurts the leader who is leading the race because the challenger comes very near though he can’ t overtake. In wet situations probability of the arrival of a safety car is high hence weather plays important role in the F1 race. The strategy team has to contemplate this important VUCA factor that can disrupt or can even create opportunity in a hopeless situation.
Sprint Race: It is an F1 race only for 100 km but non-stop without any pit stop. There are only 2-3 sprint races in the F1 championship. Like cricket has a one-day format or 20-20 format that is quicker to finish and tests the spark of the players.
Players: There are 20 players in every race, two each from the 10 companies. Formula-1 is a team game, drivers are the only 2 players on the field, with the rest in the pit. Divers are fitted with head-sets. Their team is given all the monitoring and communication equipment.
Formula-1 Grand Prix and Learning Strategy Crafting
The year 2021 was probably the best season for Formula-1 fans. It was marked by the tough fight for championship between the 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton and the challenger, Max Verstappen. Just before the last race in Abu Dhabi, both, Lewis and Max had the same points, 369.5, the Abu Dhabi race was to decide the champion of the year. The one who could win at Abu Dhabi would walk away with the crown. My daughter, Supriya, is a crazy fan of Formula-1 and a staunch supporter of Max Verstappen. Initially, I was discounting it as a fad among the youngsters. But as I started watching it, purely out of her love and attempting to get into her world, I got introduced to the new book on strategy, leadership and management.
Management can’ t be a captive science of the corporate sector. It touches all fields like war, public administration, operation theatre, school, and even Formula-1 Grand Prix. Management science exchanges knowledge with many fields. Law, medicine, war, music orchestra and sports contributed a lot to the development of management. Management science is relatively late in its development compared to other branches of science and law. But enjoys the benefits of the‘ last
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