Component 1: Evaluation report

 ASSIGNMENT 1: EVALUATIVE REPORT

Topic: Impact of ego clashes among teammates in Formula 1 due to “team orders”

Executive Summary

Formula 1 is an international racing sport that is regulated and sanctioned by a global organization called the FIA ​​(International Automobile Federation). The name "Formula" comes from a set of rules that participating cars and drivers must adhere to. All F1 teams have support staff who play a crucial role in the team's success. Every race consists of two drivers from each team out of ten, competing against each other. Millions of dollars are at stake in connection to the performance of the drivers, their cars, and the teams they are representing in every race. Due to such factors, the team orders a driver to let their teammate pass by mostly due to technical advantages the other driver’s car would possess to go faster or perform better than the latter. In such a competitive environment, teammates tend to develop rivalry going wheel to wheel in races, and opposing team orders which do not end well for them or the team as they could crash and lose quite a lot of points. This report evaluates the unnoticed consequences of such incidents that affect the employees due to the “team orders” passed by the team principles. 

Preface

I would like to thank my friend Roshni who introduced me to Formula 1 a few years ago and helped me think deeper about this glamorous sport. She and I used to converse regarding the rules and working of these races which immensely helped me write this report.

Content page

Sl. No	Title	Page
1	Introduction	2
2	Findings	2
3	Recommendation	3
4	Conclusion	3
5	Appendix	4

Introduction 

The purpose of a Formula 1 competition is to determine the winner of the race. In every Formula 1 team, there are about 300 to 1200 people employed to contribute towards the success of their respective teams in terms of car designing, manufacturing, engineering, developing, and other inconspicuous roles. An F1 driver cannot win races without a fast car that has an edge over all the other cars competing. Therefore, it is not the driver’s skill alone which helps a team to succeed but the hard work, determination, and dedication of the entire crew. Team orders are passed as a strategy to acquire the most points out of the two drivers on track. But there have been times when these orders have backfired causing a major setback in the progress of a team. When drivers get into ego clashes with their teammates on the track, they would be putting the entire crew’s efforts at stake. Such occurrences have taken place multiple times in the history of the sport but the most popular ones include, Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton’s (Mercedes AMG) crash in 2016 at the Spanish GP,  Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen’s (Redbull Racing) crash in 2018 at the Azerbaijan GP, Sebastian Vettel and Charles LeClerc’s (Scuderia Ferrari) crash in 2019 at the Brazillian GP. All of these incidents were a result of the power dynamics existing within the team and the preferential treatment one driver would get over another. These “team orders” are considered the only scheme of best performance and are morally unfair to the drivers as well as the crew. The obvious preferential treatment rekindles the element of rivalry in teammates causing them to act out on track leading to the crew being affected the most as collateral damage.

Findings

1. Investors of the team endured heavy losses.

2. Among many crashes were the teams of Mercedes AMG, Redbull Racing, and Scuderia Ferrari, who were involved in such accidents due to the “team orders” that were passed on.

3. The team principals had to answer his/her superiors, and eventually, they were questioned about the incident.

4. The engineers and developers had to manufacture new cars/car parts in a limited period and put it all together.

5. Drivers involved in the crash noticed differences in their social image and lost credibility as good drivers in F1.

6. The crew and other employees in the team received minimal incentives for all the hard work they put in for the race.

7. The families of the employees naturally suffered the consequences of minimum wage and a bleak future career if the team’s environment worsens.

8. It would be extremely gristly for the team to get to the position they were initially at, losing a huge amount of money.

9. The CEO of the team suffered financially and socially due to such “team orders” and internal hierarchy leading to these incidents.

10. Such crashes could also lead to other teams’ cars being damaged due to the leftover debris on the track leading to more collateral damage.

Recommendations

• I would recommend the teams treat every driver equally no matter the number of races they’ve won. It is important for drivers to feel like they’re a part of the team instead of representing themselves on track. Preferential treatment would only lead to insecurities, rivalry, and an unhealthy environment in a team which according to me is a sign of the team’s downfall. 

• I would also like to recommend removing the phrase “team orders” and inculcating “team suggestions”. Naturally, when a driver is in a competitive place, especially on the track, they are trained to be aggressive and try to dominate the race causing them to react negatively to the term “order” seeing it as a threat. Suggestions are a better way of communicating with the driver on track who would most likely consider them due to the lack of an authoritative connotation in the word “suggestion”. 

• I think the team's suggestion of letting the teammate overtake a driver is only fair under certain circumstances. For example, if the engineers are certain that the other car is performing comparatively well and would be able to score a lot more points if it wasn’t being held by the other driver, the team principal could suggest the driver of giving his teammate the way. 

• I think forcing a driver to give their teammate the space would only lead to worse situations as discussed before, so it is highly important to maintain good communication and trust between the drivers and their principles.

• Teammates must understand that at the end of the day they both represent the same team and they need to share a healthy relationship and mutual respect.

• I think all the members of the team must stay on the same page. 

• The team principal is responsible for the team’s functioning and they must remind the driver about all the employees in the team who are working towards creating the best car and they rely on the driver’s performance on the track.  

Conclusion

Formula One is a largely competing sport involving teams and investors from all over the world. It is often looked at as one of the most luxurious and extravagant sports in the world glorifying the drivers whereas the people who have put in the most effort into their success are seldom appreciated or even acknowledged. Needless to say, the aftermath of accidents like these on the lives of those employees is undetected by the public. 

Appendix

(Sebastian Vettel and Charles LeClerc’s (Scuderia Ferrari) crash in 2019 at the Brazillian GP)

(Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen’s (Redbull Racing) crash in 2018 at the Azerbaijan GP)

(Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton’s (Mercedes AMG) crash in 2016 at the Spanish GP)