You are the team principal - what would you do?

teabagyokel

#dejavu
Valued Member
Lets play the "What would you do game?". Here's a few situations for you budding team principals out there.

  1. You have one set of updates. Do you give it to the reigning World Champion or his team-mate to make him feel good about himself?
  2. You are not sure on strategy. Do you put both cars on the same strategy or do you ensure that you win the race?
  3. You have one Top Class driver chasing down a massive deficit on the World Title. You let your cars race earlier in the season but it has since become abundantly clear who your fast driver is. Do you let his team-mate take 7 points out of his challenge?
  4. You have just messed up the strategy of your lead driver and Championship challenger. He is in the kind of form to charge back through the field and pass everyone, but his team-mate is next on track. Do you hold him up and cost him precious laps?
  5. Last year, your drivers, wheel-to-wheel crashed into each other when racing (and not for the first time). Do you want to risk a crash and Championship points, or should you ask them to maintain the gap?
Interesting to see the answers to this?
 
Lets play the "What would you do game?". Here's a few situations for you budding team principals out there.

  1. You have one set of updates. Do you give it to the reigning World Champion or his team-mate to make him feel good about himself?
  2. You are not sure on strategy. Do you put both cars on the same strategy or do you ensure that you win the race?
  3. You have one Top Class driver chasing down a massive deficit on the World Title. You let your cars race earlier in the season but it has since become abundantly clear who your fast driver is. Do you let his team-mate take 7 points out of his challenge?
  4. You have just messed up the strategy of your lead driver and Championship challenger. He is in the kind of form to charge back through the field and pass everyone, but his team-mate is first. Do you hold him up and cost him precious laps?
  5. Last year, your drivers, wheel-to-wheel crashed into each other when racing (and not for the first time). Do you want to risk a crash and Championship points, or should you ask them to maintain the gap?
Interesting to see the answers to this?

This is a thread I itself, and a very good one at that. Can we get this shifted to a new thread please Mr. Moderators?
 
1. I'd ask - "why have we only got one set of updates when we run 2 cars?" - who's running these updates? even a monkey can count to 2!

2. Neither - I tell my pit crew to keep going out and coming back in again whilst "shouting Slicks Slicks Slicks!". "Don't use KERS" and "Nigel Mansell's moustache" over the radio in an attempt to make my rivals make the wrong decision.

3. Yes - it will give me far more to read about on the internet

4. Yes - once again it'll keep people posting on the forums and off the streets commiting crimes. The Greater good.

5. No - I'd say feel free to fight with each other but if you can't do it fairly like them Mclaren guys then don't bother because if you take each other off then whoever I decide is at fault is being replaced by Sakon Yamamoto next week!
 
Hmmm interesting, lets see

1. You have one set of updates. Do you give it to the reigning World Champion or his team-mate to make him feel good about himself?

ans - If I was absolutely sure they were going to work then I would give them to my number one driver however, if it was more of a hit and hope update, then on to the number two they go for some evaluation work.

2. You are not sure on strategy. Do you put both cars on the same strategy or do you ensure that you win the race?

ans - I would like to think that Team Thunder Badger F1 would be sure of their strategy prior to the race starting however if we really were in pickle then we'd split the strategy to try and cover all options with the aim of my lead driver matching / covering the championship leader (if that wasn't us)

3. You have one Top Class driver chasing down a massive deficit on the World Title. You let your cars race earlier in the season but it has since become abundantly clear who your fast driver is. Do you let his team-mate take 7 points out of his challenge?

ans - Nope, it's out of the way, number 1 is faster than you.

4. You have just messed up the strategy of your lead driver and Championship challenger. He is in the kind of form to charge back through the field and pass everyone, but his team-mate is first. Do you hold him up and cost him precious laps?

ans - Hmmm, interesting one. So our number one is back through the field and number two is out in front. I guess it would depend on how far behind in the championship he was, how far into the race we were and a number of other things. My gut instinct with this one is to say un-lucky, the number 2 has this one.

5. Last year, your drivers, wheel-to-wheel crashed into each other when racing (and not for the first time). Do you want to risk a crash and Championship points, or should you ask them to maintain the gap?

ans - again gut instinct says go for it boys but in reality I'd more likely give them a chance and then at the appropriate moment it would be right-o boys you've had your fun. Hold station and bring 'em on home.
 
1. To the current WDC, providing he is leading the championship by a good margin and providing I don't have to take it off of his teammates car.

2. If pre-race, I consult the drivers on strategy choice being honest that I don't know the best way to go. Let them choose. If in mid-race, I wait for things to unfold until there is a higher degree of certainty or use the trailing driver as a test dummy.

3. If the championship hopes rest heavily on it, I employ orders. Its a balance and would have been determined before the race by way of appointing the leading driver as the challenger and the trailing driver as the support driver. I would only do this if the drivers fully understood the teams position in advance.

4. I make every effort to ensure that each has the best chance of maximising their opportunity in the race. If my lead driver catches the other I refer to point 3.

5. I give them a gentle remider and hope they have learnt thier lesson. After all, they got a big ticking off and a warning last time round.
 
1. Firstly, make sure you've made your displeasure with your team clear for only getting one set of updates ready- and toss a coin to decide.

2. Lead driver in the race gets first call- he's out there with him bum in the car!

3. Let them race- look at how it works at McLaren

4. I'm afraid so, it's tough luck that the strategy was messed up. If he thinks he can do better, take a few more decisions!

5. The attitude must always be the same- if you want to pass your team-mate, do it properly, after all he's only another competitor you have to beat... What? The driver behing is Sebastian Vettel! Hold station, hold station, do not attempt a pass!
 
1.) One give the devloping team a bollocking for not getting enough updates for two cars out in time, I would never work like that. The both drivers run the update in pratice sessions, Swapping them over in FP1 and 2. and unless there were huge performance gain between the two wait till the next gp, or when they were available for to two cars to use them(based on if there was only 1 they were proberly rush and under-prepeared in the first place).

2.) Split stratergy, and organize a plan to send 'hoax messages' through the radio to try dupe teams into making the wrong call and limiting any damage to the weaker stratergy.

3.) If it 'become abundantly clear who your fast driver is' means there is a big points differnce between the two. Then i would use team orders if lets say it was a simliar postion to Redbull hunting down Brawn in 09. Otherwsie if it was sort of obivious going for the title, was flogging a dead donkey then let em race.

4.) not 100% what you mean, but i would use that lead driver to 'back the pack' up if he could defend the lead and made sense todo so.

5.) Depends on why they previously happened, and what the outcome was (eg. Vettel-Webber mutinany or Hamilton-Button Harmony). If i did have concerns that my two drivers couldn't go toe-to-toe with each other, without crashing, for whatever reason. I actually would be looking for a new driver and removing the source of the problem.
 
Lets play the "What would you do game?". Here's a few situations for you budding team principals out there.

  1. You have one set of updates. Do you give it to the reigning World Champion or his team-mate to make him feel good about himself?
  2. You are not sure on strategy. Do you put both cars on the same strategy or do you ensure that you win the race?
  3. You have one Top Class driver chasing down a massive deficit on the World Title. You let your cars race earlier in the season but it has since become abundantly clear who your fast driver is. Do you let his team-mate take 7 points out of his challenge?
  4. You have just messed up the strategy of your lead driver and Championship challenger. He is in the kind of form to charge back through the field and pass everyone, but his team-mate is first. Do you hold him up and cost him precious laps?
  5. Last year, your drivers, wheel-to-wheel crashed into each other when racing (and not for the first time). Do you want to risk a crash and Championship points, or should you ask them to maintain the gap?
Interesting to see the answers to this?

1] I would ensure that Updates include Mechanical and Aerodynamic upgrades, and each driver gets the chance in FP to r&d each upgrade and by FP3 if the verdict is yes then both drivers run the full upgrade package.

2] I would on meeting during race week consult with the drivers and their teams(pit crew/techs/strategists etc) to discuss a possible Long strategy and Short Strategy, after Qualification again the team can then on consensus of all parties put such strategies into fruition. This way the drivers can figure out who and whether they can split the strategies and give the team a benchmark on when each driver needs to pit. All this data can be aquired in FP sessions by running race distance R&D.

3] If it is before the half way mark, yes,....if it is in the last part of the season...No.

4] It seems similar to #3????

5] I think team mate racing team mate has the potential for more harm than good, this is because of personal pride and team glory, that results in the kind of moves that would not normally be executed with the potential for disaster. If it is in the early part of the race, then they can race...If we are in the last 5 laps and you have the prize of a 1-2 or double podium finish why risk it for this silly notion called "let them race".
 
1.Tthey would go to the driver best placed to make an objective assessment, and make the best of the situation if they did not work, whichever driver that was.

2. You ensure that you do what you can to maximise points, regardless of the positions of the drivers. You go for the race win if you can with whichever driver.

3. You let the drivers race, especially if they are both high calibre drivers. I would be relatively confident that supporters of the team, and people who enjoy the entertainment it provides would understand.

4. see 3

5. Personally, I would allow them to go at it, but I would let them know that any repairs would not be covered by the team.

Simply put, as a team manager, your job is to get as many points for the team as possible, along with ensuring that sponsorship and merchanidse sales etc are as high as possible.

The WDC is also a chance for extra promotion, and should be lauded, but principles should not be left in the pits to do so.
 
Sorry, I'll rewrite 4, I mean the team-mate is the first to be passed. Some of you may have noticed that most of these refer to real life situations.
 
1. Well I'm going to be on the phone to my development team and send them back to primary school if they can't count to two and for making my job harder!

2. Well split stratergy, 1 of them must work! And of course bluffing which random radio messages but the pit board telling them to ignore them or have a code word.

3. Let them race depending on how early it is in the season, but the faster driver should be ahead

4. Nope get out the way asap

5. No I'll just sabotage there pit stop.
 
  1. You have one set of updates. Do you give it to the reigning World Champion or his team-mate to make him feel good about himself?

    I give it to the driver with better results so far, and who looks up for it that weekend.
  2. You are not sure on strategy. Do you put both cars on the same strategy or do you ensure that you win the race?

    Put both on same strategy. In for penny in for pound, fortune favours the brave, etc etc
  3. You have one Top Class driver chasing down a massive deficit on the World Title. You let your cars race earlier in the season but it has since become abundantly clear who your fast driver is. Do you let his team-mate take 7 points out of his challenge?

    No way, I would prepare his P45 in case his is a mad Aussie
  4. You have just messed up the strategy of your lead driver and Championship challenger. He is in the kind of form to charge back through the field and pass everyone, but his team-mate is next on track. Do you hold him up and cost him precious laps?

    Let him through, the other team mate should have done a better job all season and should be grateful that you will renew his contract
  5. Last year, your drivers, wheel-to-wheel crashed into each other when racing (and not for the first time). Do you want to risk a crash and Championship points, or should you ask them to maintain the gap?

    No two drivers are exactly equal, let them fight, as long as the weaker one is not a spiteful little shit and leaves his nose out etc, the faster one should have the measure mentally and physically to pass, if not then tough
 
I would always implement team orders if it is true for the second driver, but not for the first, that x>(25r)*0.75, where x is the driver's points deficit to the championship leader and r is the number of races remaining, unless r<3, in which case I would not use team orders.

So in answering the questions I've assumed this condition has not been met.

1. You have one set of updates. Do you give it to the reigning World Champion or his team-mate to make him feel good about himself?

Let each driver use it in one practice session. If one expresses a dislike for it give it to the other, otherwise give it to the one who set the fastest time with it on.

2. You are not sure on strategy. Do you put both cars on the same strategy or do you ensure that you win the race?

Obviously it depends a lot on the specific circumstances, but in general I would split strategies.

3. You have one Top Class driver chasing down a massive deficit on the World Title. You let your cars race earlier in the season but it has since become abundantly clear who your fast driver is. Do you let his team-mate take 7 points out of his challenge?

Yes. If the fast driver wants to pass he will need to overtake.

4. You have just messed up the strategy of your lead driver and Championship challenger. He is in the kind of form to charge back through the field and pass everyone, but his team-mate is next on track. Do you hold him up and cost him precious laps?

It's not his team-mate's fault I messed up the strategy. Let them race (as long as they are both championship contenders as above).

5. Last year, your drivers, wheel-to-wheel crashed into each other when racing (and not for the first time). Do you want to risk a crash and Championship points, or should you ask them to maintain the gap?


Let them race.
 
Just to really clarify, 4 is the situation many people have mentioned about McLaren from Germany 2008. Galahad has just made Nelsinho Piquet a race winner. LOL
 
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