Inside Formula 1: Business. Lifestyle. Power.
Inside Formula 1: Business. Lifestyle. Power.
The four faces of a Formula 1 conflict
At the end of June, the FIA introduced its regulation changes plans for the 2015 Formula 1 season. The new rules spanned a number of areas (e.g. no pre-season testing outside Europe), but the change that got the most attention…
A transitional phase
A transitional phase: Formula One, geography doesn’t have much of an impact on sponsorship. F1 truly is a global sport with common fan characteristics around the world. I’ll speak about that more in a moment. I also don’t believe…
Lead, follow or… become irrelevant
The Team Principal position seems to be out of fashion in Formula 1. McLaren has a Racing Director (Eric Boullier). Mercedes has two Executive Directors (Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe). Gone are the days when Il Commendatore Enzo Ferrari ruled…
The Germans
The overwhelming answer from most people if asked if motorsport has become more dangerous is a resounding “no”. The cars, the circuits, the helmets, the hazards and the medical facilities have all improved and the evolution of each of these…
RIP Kyalami?
On the 24th July 2014, the famous Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in South Africa will come under the hammer at an auction run by Johannesburg’s High Street Auction Company. No reserve has been placed on the sale. When I first…
Refining ideas of the past
Refining ideas of the past: a friend was intrigued with the words “splendidly boring” that I used in a recent communication and this led on to a conversation about the use of words in the highly regulated game of insurance.…
Women of motorsport
If there’s one question that’s guaranteed to stir up controversy amongst motor racing folk it’s that on-going poser as to whether or not a woman will ultimately win an F1 World Championship Grand Prix. Now before you even start hitting…
Formula 1 on the road
Formula 1 is the haute couture of automotive engineering. It is so alien to other aspects of car R&D that some fans claim F1 technology has more application in the aerospace industry than on the road. While this might be…
Characters out of the car
I was chatting earlier this week with some friends who work in professional football. With the start of the new F1 season so close, they asked me about my thoughts on the testing that had gone on in Bahrain. They’d…
When in Bahrain…
I’ve just returned from an interesting visit to Bahrain. As I mentioned in an earlier edition, my primary reason for my being there was to run a two-day sponsorship acquisition training programme for members of the Bahrain Olympic Committee. The…
Rain, scandal and the Monaco Grand Prix
Winning at Monaco is special. The track might not be a fan favourite with plenty of “Monaco fast trains” spoiling the spectacle in recent years, but the drivers feel a special pull towards the winner’s trophy at the Principality. Why?…
Reflection of the lifestyle
There is something about this word that makes me squirm slightly, but that is probably because I always instantly picture one of these pretentious glossy magazines extolling a life (surely) everyone has consisting of luxury yachts, private planes, exotic cars…
