While the controversy over Sebastian Vettel’s victory in the Malaysian Grand Prix will continue to rage, from my perspective the race was notable for a series of pit stops errors which raised the spectre of safety being increasingly compromised.  With pit stop targets now 3 seconds or less, the pressure on pit crews has never been greater, mistakes are more frequent and accidents are becoming inevitable. Having said that, the first pit stop issue in Read More…

Sharing the stage in Toronto last week with former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve, I couldn’t help but think that our Q&A with the audience regarding the step-change in safety within Formula One could not be addressed to a more appropriate figure. Jacques’ father, the much revered Gilles Villeneuve, lost his life at the Belgian Grand Prix in 1982 and it should really have been that event which triggered the safety race in Formula One. Instead Read More…

Friday, Jan 18th, 2013; On a day when the world’s media reflects on the dark side of sports medicine and its creation of false idols, it’s apposite that Formula One will instead spend a little time remembering someone who used their medical expertise to such good effect in saving and prolonging the lives of our sport’s stars. Today’s memorial service for Professor Sid Watkins OBE in St Marylebone Parish Church, London, will be well attended Read More…

Last weekend saw Formula One return to the United States of America for the first time since 2007, thus continuing the sport’s quest for a sustained presence in the world’s largest economy.  The promoters of the race, held at the newly constructed Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, were hoping that their investment would start to pay pay off, for the previous nine venues to have hosted Formula One in the States have Read More…

On Sunday I did something I have never done before.  I watched the entire US Grand Prix from the cockpit of the winning car, Lewis Hamilton’s McLaren.  This was achieved by watching the UK’s Sky Sports F1 channel and using the multi-screen menu to select the on-board camera on Hamilton’s car and turning the commentary ‘off’.  From then on I only had Hamilton’s view of the race, the noise of his Mercedes engine and the Read More…

Today’s announcement that Lewis Hamilton has signed a three year agreement to drive for Mercedes has shocked and surprised many, not least the McLaren team which had been engaged in earnest talks with XIX Management until Wednesday.  In spite of weeks of intense speculation, confirmation that the 27 year old British star will depart the team which has nurtured his career for 15 years still surprised many industry insiders. Hamilton has driven for McLaren for Read More…

Pastor Maldonado’s front row qualifying performance, and a race drive which would certainly have netted him a top four finish, were among the highlights of the Singapore weekend.  The Venezuelan reminded everyone of his true ability. Maldonado has a strong talent; he proved that before reached Formula One by winning series including the GP2 title, and no one can forget his astonishing drive in Spain this year when he converted pole position into a dominant Read More…

Ma Qing Ha – China’s first F1 driver – will practice at the 2012 Italian Grand Prix Watching the London Games I found it easy to become both carried away on the wave of euphoria sweeping the country and slightly depressed at the shortcomings of my own sport.  For someone who has spent his career working in and around Formula One, two things really struck me. The first was the enormous appeal that the Oympic Read More…

As this most fickle of Formula One World Championship seasons reaches its mid-summer break, giving teams a much needed opportunity to refresh and reflect, the importance of consistency remains fundamental. The two men at the head of the championship have finished every race this season, Fernando Alonso scoring points every time and Mark Webber only missing out once when he finished 11th in Spain.  Alonso’s performance for Ferrari is remarkable, and his 40 point lead Read More…

This week I was asked to speak for a major manufacturing business on the topic of staff engagement.  Without question one of the most important qualities of leadership is to secure the buy-in of your staff, ensuring that communication is free-flowing and that the organisation doesn’t suffer from the problems created by having a disconnect between management and employees. Teams in Formula One use a variety of techniques to engage staff because, against the impression Read More…