F1 - Performing Beyond the Circuit: Lord Austin Lecture

Formula One technology is widely recognised as being cutting edge. In a lot of respects, this is true. However, there are many aspects of the business that are very basic, albeit carefully executed in a controlled way. Formula One teams, like most successful technology companies, are frugal with the deployment of their resources. The effort is very carefully focussed towards business objects, the most important of which is, by far, success on the track. A team will not embark upon a technology project unless it is likely to offer benefits in car performance, business economy, or reduced time scales. For that reason, and contrary to most popular beliefs, any technology benefits that transfer from a Formula One team to mainstream manufacturing are incidental to the primary aim of making the car more competitive. Or are they? And are they quite so obvious as you might first expect?

Christian Horner - Team Principal (Red Bull Racing) Christian Horner finished third in the British Championship in 1990 before winning a Formula Renault scholarship for 1991. "I remember winning a race at Pembrey circuit in Wales, beating Pedro de la Rosa into second place. From there I moved up to Formula 3, convinced I was going to be a grand prix driver." A move to F3000 was next and Horner set up his own squad, but, with a bare-bones team, he realised just how hard it was to both drive and manage. "So I decided to stop driving and focus on the Arden team," explains Horner, whose last race was at Nurburgring in 1998. Arden began to make its mark, with Bjorn Wirdheim taking the title in 2003 and in 2004 Tonio Liuzzi became champion with seven wins, while team-mate Robert Doornbos won at Spa. "I had achieved everything I could in F3000," concludes Horner. "It was time to move on and Formula One had always been my goal and so my discussions started with Red Bull". The rest, as they say, is history. Red Bull Racing scored an impressive 34 points in its first year in 2005, achieved its first ever podium in 2006 and ended this year's FIA Constructors' Championship in fifth place overall.