LEADERSHIP driver ’ s performance . The baseline strategy is refined in light of the live data . It is further refined after securing the pole position and finally honed online while the racing is on .
Strategy in F1 also has many elements because one has to deal with multiple hurdles and choices . There are limitless trade-offs involved . What is chosen is important however , what is left-out is equally important . Strategy crafting in F1 is identifying choices available and choosing them carefully in light of hurdles posed by variables discussed above .
Players : Choice making starts with the selection of the drivers and members of the team , well ahead of the season . Having celebrity players like Lewis and Max is an advantage but also a disadvantage because they are the object of envy and are focused on by competitors in their strategy crafting . Protecting such key players and empowering them to win the championship is the key element of the team strategy . It calls for making the teammate play the second fiddle . He has to support the main player by providing leveraging opportunities like toeing , overtaking , slip-stream , DRS , etc . In F1- 2021 Abu Dhabi , Lewis Hamilton had mounted a big lead of 10 seconds over Max Verstappen . Sergio Perez , Max ’ s partner held Lewis for a while and helped Max to reduce the lead by 3 to 4 seconds .
Pit-stop strategy : A good pit stop is a fundamental element in F1 ; one that may lead a team to the top of the podium . Teams have to arrive at the golden mean of the number of ‘ pit-stops ’ to be taken and tyres to be changed . The higher the number of pit stops better will be the tyre support system but about a half minute gets wasted for every pit stop . Part of this strategy is the decision of when is the right time for a car to have a pit stop , which tyres should be used and taking into consideration what the competitors might do . Releasing a car from the pits into a convoy of slower cars is typically avoided , as it will cost time ; and in F1 even milliseconds are precious . So , an F1 team needs to be able to plan and implement a flexible pit stop strategy . One strategy could be to start with medium tyres and take just 1 pit-stop for a tyre change in Lap 21 to 26 to change over to hard tyres and continue till the end . But remain open to play tactics if some incidence happens then either change tyres after 15 laps to reduce the pit time or change tyres a second time in case of the arrival of the safety cars after an accident .
Undercut Strategy : It is a strategic overtaking method . A driver is made to change tyres before his main competitor who is racing ahead of him . By pitting for fresh tyres first , a driver can make use of the extra grip immediately and quickly close the gap to the car ahead . Additionally , it puts pressure on a rival to change tyres and he does so within a couple of laps . Once he goes to the pit stop for changing tyres the driver can speed high . Tyres support this extra high speed since they are brand new and also got heated well in those couple of laps . Even when the competing driver returns post pit stop , he takes time to match the speed as his tyres are cold . Thus , the undercut strategy provides its pay-offs for 4 to 5 rounds . Max Verstappen used it in the French GP F1-2021 to gain an advantage over Lewis Hamilton .
Free Pit stop Strategy : Some teams smartly blend tactics with the undercut strategy or nullify the advantage gained by the competitor . It is called exploiting a ‘ free pit stop ’ or ‘ cheap pit stop ’. Forecasting is done about the likely arrival of the safety car based on the track , weather and the decision to change tyres is scheduled based on their position during the race vis a vis their main opponent . Tracks play a major role in causing accidents . Some tracks promote racing at high-speed drivers get tempted to compete on speed and smash each other calling for a safety car . Some tracks have many sharp twists and turns they also cause accidents .
Slipstream or Toe Strategy : Slipstreaming occurs when a car is behind another down a straight . The lead car produces circulation behind the car as it produces downforce , this generates an area of lower pressure behind the car . Slipstream is good for the car behind , as the cars don ’ t have to push as much to gain higher top speed . In the collaborative strategy , one player of the team leads and the other follows his car to get the benefit of the slipstream .
Engine Change strategy : Drivers change engines more frequently than expected change . They have to face a penalty of five positions in such a case but they sometimes go for it to gain an advantage in speed . Lewis Hamilton changed the engine against the penalty in the F1-2021 to keep pace with Max .
Strategy to score fastest car point : There is one bonus point available for the driver who records the fastest lap in the F1 race . However , he must also finish in the race in the top 10 to qualify for the point . This point is useful for the team and to the driver who is competing for the championship . Otherwise , it is considered a highly risky strategy that can create an accident , wear tyres much faster and put pressure on the engine too .
Best of the rest strategy : In this strategy the team realizes the challenges involved in winning the championship . They focus on getting on to the podium as number three rather than trying to fight with the leader or challenger . They do not craft their strategies to out-perform these top two teams but try to overpower all other teams and stand on to the podium as number three . It is also called podium strategy .
As a professor of Management , I always believed unless there is entertainment there is no learning . Formula-1 Grand Prix is a mega business too . It has a turnover of more than US $ 4 billion ; employs around 50,000 people in more than 30 countries ; and embodies cutting edge technology in the automotive industry . Managing F1 is like managing a Fortune-500 company . It supports many other businesses like video games , automobiles , auto components , entertainment and tourism , hospitality , etc . Hence , leadership , management and strategy lessons from F1 are useful in managing business organisations . ■
Prof . Dr . Ajit Patil was awarded ‘ Top Voice on LinkedIn - 2017 ’. He is a Management Writer ; Marketing , Business Development & Retailing Consultant . He conducts Management Development Programmes ; trains & coaches Sales & Marketing teams . He has been teaching MBA students in India & overseas for over 20 years . He can be reached at :
Ajitpatilmumbai @ yahoo . co . in .
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