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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