Bad Impressions, Strange Posts, and Perverse Incentives!
Hi there! Welcome to Track Limits, a weekly F1 newsletter where we break down the biggest headlines and explore the questions, topics, and trends that fuel our curiosity. Nothing is off-topic and a little fun is always part of the mix!!
Good afternoon!! I don’t know about you, but I got a good dosage of amazing racing last weekend!! In addition to the regular F1 program, we had the first couple of F1 Academy races as well as the F2 sprint and feature race. I have to say, if you want pure wheel-to-wheel racing, the feeder series is where you need to be! It’s also a great opportunity to get a sense of F1’s talent pool. Well, at least I hope so.
If Ollie Bearman showed us anything this weekend, it is that it’s exciting to have young new drivers on the grid. Watching someone enjoy themselves, make their dreams come true, and be mesmerized by the novelty of everything around them is endearing and their thrill is contagious!
All in all, the big takeaway from the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix - aside from the fact that the RB20 is a rocket ship, McLaren looks to have some decent pace and Alpine continues to be a nightmare to drive - is that fans are longing for new faces and for the fun to be put back into the sport.
Once again, it was not the most thrilling weekend off-track! Several drivers and team principals made appearances in the F1 Academy paddock. The Visa Cash App RB drivers joined their team’s driver on the grid before the race, and Hamilton attended the final award ceremony of the weekend. On social media, teams and drivers also leveraged their platforms to promote the championship and encouraged fans to tune in to the races, which honestly exceeded my expectations when it comes to F1’s involvement!!
A noticeable absence during the season opener of F1 Academy were the two non-sport-related sponsors. Neither Tommy Hilfiger nor Charlotte Tilbury mentioned the race weekend or highlighted their drivers’ results on any of their social media channels. I can’t help but wonder what that’s about.
Someone who was also missing from the on-track action this weekend was Sainz! Initially reported to have food poisoning, he skipped Wednesday’s media day, but that turned out not to be the case. By Friday morning, he was diagnosed with appendicitis and underwent an appendectomy. The craziest part of this whole saga is that he drove on Thursday with a fever of around 39º, and just 24 hours after surgery, he was back in the paddock!
I know he’s an athlete with a pain tolerance likely higher than that of us mere mortals, but that can’t have been a smart move. I’m genuinely surprised he was allowed to leave the hospital, which makes me wonder if there was more to it than just wanting to “support the team”. And that side-by-side picture of him and his dad in the hospital is uncanny!!
Another big cheerleader of Ferrari this weekend was Bearman’s dad. I think we saw more of him during the race than Verstappen, which is not a good sign! Putting that aside, it was truly fascinating to see an 18-year-old step into the Ferrari car. This is a team that is highly polished in how they present themselves in the media, and their drivers typically aren’t the most emotive or outspoken on the grid. So, having this young driver speak candidly and express genuine emotions was a refreshing change!!
A group of drivers who have no problems in embrace their quirks and emotions are the McLaren and Williams drivers Last week on the Williams podcast, Albon boldly declared that Piastri was the worst padel player on the grid! Naturally, Piastri wasn’t happy about that, and after some playful back-and-forth on social media, they decided to take it to the court - at least, that’s what they claim! During their fan forum appearance, the four drivers agreed that this matter could only be settled on the court, and thus a Williams vs. McLaren padel match is happening!!
Speaking of games, Norris has officially become a PlayStation Playmaker. I had to look up what that means, and as far as I understand, it’s a network of “cultural tastemakers who inspire other gaming fans”. Given that Norris has his own e-sports team and is very vocal about his love for gaming, I can’t think of a better driver on the grid to partner with PlayStation. Well, Verstappen is by far the most avid gamer - just this weekend, he was SimRacing until 4 a.m. on Saturday! However, he’s already tied to a partnership deal with EA, PlayStation’s competitor.
Bad Impressions
As much as we would like to focus our attention on everything happening on track and the many interesting stories beyond it. One team’s internal power struggle continues to spill over into the public sphere.
There have been hints for a while now that all wasn’t well within the team, but this messy saga started when a female employee accused Christian Horner of inappropriate and controlling behavior. This prompted an internal investigation by the team’s parent company, which eventually dismissed the grievance and subsequently suspended the complainant.
Even though the public hardly knows any facts about what is going on - which in itself is a problem - it seems that this particular incident has touched a nerve, especially among women. This became very obvious when some drivers labeled the controversy surrounding the story as “noise” and a “distraction”.
WHY IT MATTERS:
We are all more than aware that this case was brought to the public’s attention as part of a bigger game that is being played. This, however, doesn’t take away from the fact that it has been a window into the values that make up the sport’s culture.
Something women have known intuitively for decades, but studies have shown to be true, is that there is a positive correlation between an organization’s culture and the occurrence of harassment - words or behavior that threaten, intimidate, or demean a person. Companies can have all the policies and prevention training programs they want, but if the culture isn’t aligned with people feeling respected, supported and safe, all those things will be ineffective.
As such, when a case of harassment in the workplace - no matter the type and regardless if it is alleged or proven - isn’t met with widespread condemnation from the major players in the industry, the impression it gives is that the sport may consider this type of behavior tolerable and maybe even acceptable. That’s why alarm bells went off for many fans and women working in the sport.
It’s not about the specific team, the individual, or even this particular case. It’s about the attitude toward a prevalent problem in the workplace - over one in five people worldwide have experienced harassment at work - that disproportionally impacts women, especially in male-dominated industries.
So, as much as this whole saga is about a team trying to figure out how to fill a power vacuum that was left behind after Dietrich Mateschitz passed away. There is no escaping that it has also shone a spotlight on the fact that the sport has a very long way to go when it comes to integrating the values of diversity, equity and inclusion into the culture, not just the policies.
Strange Posts?!
During the weekend a potential new track for the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix was presented. It’s located in the city of Qiddiya and let’s say the design is interesting!! It not only runs through the city’s multiple entertainment and hospitality venues, but it also features high-speed corners with elevation changes of over 108 meters (20 stories). The track is so outrageous that fans have coined it the Mario Kart track.
Despite the amazing renders and promotional videos, real concerns have been raised about the safety of the track. Especially as it’s set to replace the current Jeddah Corniche circuit on F1’s calendar, once it’s finished. This, however, didn’t stop several drivers and even media outlets from praising the track on social media, in what many fans believe to be ads.
THE CONTEXT:
Native advertising is content that looks and feels like something an individual or media outlet would publish but was paid for by an advertiser. Since it resembles organic content, this type of advertising has a legal requirement that publishers have to disclose it is an ad, to avoid misleading consumers. Failing to do so can result in fines and legal action.
None of the media outlets or drivers’ included this information in their posts. Usually, consumers are given a heads-up that the content in front of them is advertising through the use of the hashtag #ad. Assuming that these social media accounts are being managed by professionals, who are aware of the legal obligations associated with this type of content, we can only conclude they aren’t advertising.
This however raises a whole variety of questions! If they aren’t ads, why would these specific drivers feel compelled to post something about a track they aren’t racing anytime soon? Why does that content feel inauthentic to fans? How come these posts share similarities in terms of formatting and messaging?
What we know about the track is that it is part of a larger domestic infrastructure project called “Qiddiya - The capital of entertainment, sports and the arts”. It’s considered a core pillar in Saudi Arabia’s sports and entertainment strategy, one of the many ways the country is diversifying the economy away from its dependency on oil and gas exports.
As with most of these projects, it’s wholly owned by the country’s sovereign wealth fund - The Public Investment Fund - which has invested around $776 billion in numerous industries, including sports. Just in Formula One Saudi Arabia is one of, if not the biggest, single contributors with an estimated $505 million.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t provide us with any concrete information that would help explain the odd posts. Does that mean it’s an innocent coincidence and drivers are genuinely excited about the track? I honestly don’t know, but I can’t shake the feeling that there is more to this story than meets the eye.
A Perverse Incentive
Despite many applauding Haas for scoring its first point of the season, the way they achieved it not only aggravated competitors but it appeared to suggest that the FIA continues to be unable to fix the ongoing problem of illegal overtaking maneuvers.
Magnussen’s multiple 10-second penalties didn’t deter the driver from engaging in the unwanted behavior. It actually looked like it encouraged him to continue to do so. This begs the question if time penalties - for this specific infraction - are perverse incentives, as they seem to create more “bad behavior” and not less of it.
THE DETAILS:
Last season the default penalty for drivers overtaking off the track was five seconds. This had to be served at the next pitstop or it would be added to their race time if the driver wouldn’t return to the pits.
However, it became evident that five seconds was not enough to deter top teams from doing so as it’s a rather easy gap to create, especially when the car behind is slower. As such, starting this season stewards were given the additional option of a ten-second penalty for this infraction.
For teams at the front of the grid, this is enough to make them rethink not giving the position back to their competitor. But for the midfield, it simply became a new tool in their strategy arsenal.
On a regular weekend, the bottom five teams have no realistic chance of scoring points. This changes when there is a retirement or incidents in the top teams, as now a point-scoring position is up for grabs. When one point could mean the difference between receiving a couple of millions of dollars more in prize money at the end of the season, the stakes are very high.
As such, if a team is able to position one of its cars in a point-scoring position during one of these weekends, it can use the second car to block competitors from posing a threat to this car. Receiving a time penalty as a result of engaging in illegal maneuvers that enable them to do so, is a sacrifice teams are willing to make. Seeing that their baseline is already zero points. Something Haas illustrated perfectly last weekend when they used Magnussen’s feisty driving to create a pit window big enough to guarantee Hulkenberg scored a point.
Interestingly, and despite multiple teams calling the strategy unsportsmanlike, several drivers have already said that any team in that position will do the same. So what is the solution? How to discourage both top and bottom teams from engaging in off-track overtaking?
In this specific case, the regulations already have the solution. It clearly states that the driver should give the position back. If he doesn’t, stewards have the option to give him a drive-through penalty. Sure, it’s not a popular one, as it’s seen as too excessive, but it does take away the strategic advantage derived from having either pace or track position.
This week’s recommended content!!
🗞 READ
If you drive a car, you are already using F1 technology | F1 needs to double down on diversity if it wants to put the Horner saga behind it | The real scandal in Formula 1 is its attitude toward women | How Formula 1 Finally Made Inroads in America | Why do F1 drivers get weighed and how does scrutineering work? | Ollie Bearman’s gleeful Ferrari debut was a reminder of F1 at its best | Here’s Why Formula 1 Racing Is Growing In Popularity With Women | The Leclerc comparison that shows how good Bearman really was
🎧 LISTEN
Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc chat with Martin Brundle | Pitstop, F1 Strategist Ruth Buscombe | F1: Beyond the Grid, Laurent Meskies | Talking Bull, Adrian Newey on the new RB17
Photo Credits: F1 Academy, Qiddiya Media, Haas F1 Team