Future of Business
To my mind, every Formula 1 fan has heard similar questions many times. Yes, perhaps that is how things are if you look at what is happening from the outside, but as soon as you become a participant, your view of the situation changes dramatically. In fact, when we delve into any area of life, which seems mundane to us at first, we see that everything is not so simple. In the end, such a multifaceted and, of course, a hard sport like Formula 1 deserves, from my standpoint, more than a superficial judgment.
In a place where teamwork and individuality are or should be the perfect complement to each other, where everyone expects absolute success, where the likelihood of error is high, if you handle the extreme stress, you can finish the two-hour race one second ahead of your opponent. Besides, at high speeds... That is sheer madness.
When I was an intern at a company and had to juggle work and study, I felt like I was in a constant race. It was a race against time and myself. It was a vigorous and extraordinary experience - getting ready in the morning and coming to work, going to school after the end of the work shift, attending evening classes, and, returning home, gaining the will and energy to spend the next day at the same pace. At the same time, every day, I traveled 300 km of the way, which on average took 4-5 hours.
This experience made me feel like a Formula 1 driver. A bus running 5 minutes late was like missing the most efficient turning point. Work that I could not finish on time increased the risk of not making it through the tour. The class which I was forced to skip threatened me with complete disqualification.
Those days passed, and my daily routine has changed since then. New responsibilities and new experiences emerged. But one fact remained: if you want to achieve or implement something, you need to enter the turn correctly. If you turn slowly, there is a danger of being late; if you turn quickly, you risk getting out of the race. For this reason, you need to enter the corner most optimally. Because there is another turn ahead. Having fortunately passed the first one, you need to enter the next, maintaining your pace and momentum. Just like a rally driver...
Before getting back to Formula 1, let us take a look at other sports...
What if you were a basketball player who missed 2-3 times in a row or failed to defend the basket? The solution to the problem would be simple; the coach would kick you out of the game, replacing you with another player.
If you were a footballer who performed badly you would be in reserve until the next match. The solution here is also quite plain.
Or, if you lose in an individual sport, you are the one to suffer.
Now let us pretend we are Formula 1 drivers...
Imagine thousands of people working together to design a car for you, saying, "Take it, drive it and be successful." The media and billions of viewers are watching you from above. Twenty people work together to change your four wheels in two seconds without forgetting to adjust the spread of the wings and clean your helmet. Team managers monitor your every step in the race, constantly updating their data and supplying you with water. Everyone, like a kind angel, helps you to the limit of their capabilities.
The only thing expected from you is to drive the car correctly at an average speed of 300 km/h.
Probably we can handle it; the preparations are complete, now everything seems so easy!
The race has started, everything is going well, but it is human to make mistakes - we do not cope with the control when entering a turn at 280 km/h. Lord, no. How could we have made such a mistake?
We hit the rubber railing, and that is the end of the race for us. Impact force 4-5 g, but fortunately, we are healthy. "You're okay", they say, "I'm okay, I'm fine." We apologize to the team because no one expected us to lose control of the car when entering a turn at a speed of 280 km/h!
When the race is over for us, it is also over for the team manager, the mechanics who changed the tires, and the fans who supported us. Are we the reason? In theory, yes, in practice, this is a moot point. In any case, we will look ahead. Now, perhaps, we will enter bends at a speed of 275 km / h.
That is a racing failure. I sense that the attractiveness of a sport in which abnormal things are considered to be quite normal is above all. Formula 1 is a place where everyone from the team to the pilot, from the mechanics to the engine manufacturer, tries their best, so to speak, to extract water from the stone.
We cannot attribute it to either team sports or purely individual sports. I think there is a little bit of everything. Everyone tries to do their job flawlessly. The result shows whether you are a good team or not. If the mechanic cannot change the tire correctly within the required time frame, if the pilot is unable to drive properly, if the leader does not manage his team well, or the boss does not invest in it enough, this will undermine all the efforts made.
Rest assured, this story seems rather familiar to all of us! Do you think it is possible to succeed in the absence of technicians who work in the field day and night, consultants who support their partners 24/7, service engineers, directors who manage to gather under one roof a department aimed at achieving the same goal? Or if the structure does not appreciate the effort? The answer is crystal clear: no.
Do you think that the activities/organization of Borusan Cat, where everyone forces themselves to give their best, complement each other like pieces of a puzzle, and where, as a result, success is determined by everyone individually, but all together, is very similar to the dynamics of this sport?
As I see it, every team that wins the season brings something new to the concept of pure success. This sport, which is at its peak and reflects a transformation of individual success into team success, definitely deserves to be watched, followed, and, most importantly, respected.
Doğukan Nezir
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Doğukan - Sales Consultant for Borusan Cat Marine Customer Support. Has been part of this family since his student days. In his free time, reads everything he can find, plays basketball and guitar. Interested in motorsport and follows Schumi-Hakkinen, with whom he has competed since childhood.