Why culture beats strategy in F1

Formula 1 team bosses are a heterogeneous bunch. The nature, style and impact of the role varies between outfits depending on the skillset of the individual holding the position and those around them. As a group, they are second only to the drivers in terms of public profile and although there have been cases where their visibility outstrips their effectiveness, they can have a profound impact - for better or worse - on the teams they lead.

To draw a footballing analogy, they are the managers: high-profile, conspicuous mouthpieces who can, rightly or wrongly, be blamed for all the goods and ills of their teams. Succeed and
 you are lauded, fail and there are calls for your head. Both are unrealistic extremes but, like the best football managers, the most effective team bosses can imbue their outfits with a culture, strategy and way of working that delivers success while simultaneously creating an environment that allows the excellence of the staff to shine through. But it can be difficult to distinguish cause and effect.

Take McLaren's 2019 revival. Andreas Seidl arrived as team principal at the start of May last year. A post hoc ergo propter hoc reading would conclude that his arrival led to the change of fortune and confirm he has the magic touch.


But, like new technical director James Key, Seidl took every opportunity to distance himself from the turnaround and credit significant changes made the previous year. He was right to do so. Seidl's impact is set to prove to be profoundly more important than simply elevating a fallen giant to the level of leading midfielder.

Under Seidl, McLaren has become a far more assured, confident organisation. That latter adjective might seem misplaced given over-confidence contributed to its previous malaise,
 but Seidl has brought a sure-footedness to the team. He has a clear understanding of what his job is, and what it takes to make a successful motorsport organisation. His success with Porsche in sportscars, where he led a big-budget operation to great heights in a hugely competitive era, proves that beyond doubt.

He arrived at McLaren determined to do things the right way, eschewing some of the more political shenanigans favoured by some who come 
into leadership roles and prioritise consolidating their own position at the expense of the greater good. There will be no short cuts, just a long, hard slog to get the front by doing things properly. The less accomplished might seek magic bullets and quick fixes. In short, Seidl gets it.

The long-term strategic decisions are the most encouraging: commissioning a new on-site windtunnel at Woking, green-lighting a next-generation simulator and signing a deal for Mercedes engines from 2021. These are long-lead-time projects that cannot confer an instant gain. The payoff is measured in years, not months, and that is what has restored credibility to McLaren's aspirations to re-establish itself as a major player.

Seidl has also had a clear impact on the here and now. Those on the shop floor respect the fact he is actively engaged with those doing the work rather than falling into the trap of many in leadership positions of creating a management silo where everything is politics and polemics. That influence has played a part in ensuring McLaren built on its solid start to last season and became stronger as the year progressed.

The restructuring is ongoing, the latest move being the promotion of Andrea Stella - another coherent, intelligent and effective operator - to racing director. Onwards and upwards is the motto for a team that must not treat fourth in the constructors' championship, or that one-off podium result at Interlagos last November, as a triumph. As Seidl himself says, it's important to let those who have been through the difficult times, or perhaps even joined the team since their slide from the glory days, enjoy these moments. But he won't let anyone forget these modest successes are only a waypoint on a far bigger journey.

In 2020, McLaren's objective is to do what Renault could not and build on its success. Since breaking into the top three is impossible for now unless one of the big teams drops the ball spectacularly, McLaren must not only hold onto fourth in the constructors' championship but do so more emphatically. That will be a result of closing the pace gap to the top three, improving reliability, eliminating costly pitstop errors - chipping away at every area.

There's also talk of a change in car concept, which at face value sounds risky but is a logical move aimed at unlocking greater performance and - more importantly - allowing the technical team to build understanding of the underlying science long since mastered by the top teams. While this falls under the remit of Key, it reflects the Seidl culture. If there's a reason, a long-term gain in taking a certain approach, it will be done. The old, over-confident McLaren would simply have continued mining the same vein long after it had given up most of its juice.

Seidl's public messaging is consistent, and by all accounts is the same internally. There are no guarantees McLaren will make its way back to the front under his stewardship, but the strategy is right, the decision-making logical and this once-great team does have the potential to haul its way to the front over the coming years. Just 12 months ago, that would have seemed a ludicrous thing to say. It says much about Seidl, and by extension those steering the company who appointed him and started the process of renewal.