Shooting is an interesting sport; not only does it offer a lesson on how to stay calm under immense pressure, it can also teach you the significance of having a precise aim. Think of it, if you were told to throw a ball and aim at two targets at the same time, chances are that you may not hit even one of them. Naturally, focusing on two things at the same time can blur each of them, yet, that is precisely what all Formula One teams must do in the forthcoming season; the 2020 F1 season can be far more significant year for the constructors than it may appear to be.
The Big Challenge
A common theme from all the car launches from this season has been Team Principals constantly reiterating why this could be the defining year for all teams and rightfully so. In essence, 2020 is a year where teams are effectively fighting for two championships at the same time, with the stakes for the forthcoming one being much higher than what they usually are.
While teams have always focused on the current season and the next one while developing their cars, the landscape is slightly different this time out. Instead of being a marginal evolution of the regulations, 2021 will be a complete revolution; get it wrong, and you could find yourself at the tail for years. The vast differences in the design philosophy between the 2020 and the 2021 cars will make it a unique challenge for teams to deal with.
2020 Barcelona Pre-Season Test 1, Day 3 – LAT Images
How should teams manage such a scenario?
What do they do in this case then? If you cast your mind back to 2009, one of the years when there was a major technical regulations overhaul, you can find somewhat of a convoluted clue. On one hand, the likes of Ferrari and McLaren decided to keep the championship battle of the 2008 season as their primary focus while BMW and Honda (later converted to Brawn GP prior to the start of the 2009 season) went hammer and tongs towards the 2009 season. As we all know, Brawn GP ran away with the championship whereas Ferrari and McLaren were stuck in a rut for most of the season.
This does seem to suggest that teams should, ideally, pin all their focus on 2021, hoping for a Brawn-esque championship run. However, there’s more to it than just that. BMW, whose approach was similar to that of Brawn GP leading up to 2009 ended up getting their design completely wrong and they finished in a lowly sixth that year. Just as the Year 10 Economics textbook suggests, Specialisation potentially involves high rewards but at a very high risk too. Additionally, opting out of the development race for 2020 is much easier said than done; teams like Racing Point or McLaren cannot afford to finish lower down the order in 2020; the team has to please all its stakeholders and a no-show in the 2020 F1 Season with the excuse of focusing on 2021 may sound alright hypothetically but financially, it could have dire consequences.
The approach towards 2020
The challenge is even greater for the ailing Renault team; the board is seriously considering pulling out of the sport, the team hasn’t advanced as rapidly as expected and they could end up losing Daniel Ricciardo, their A-List driver. Convincing Ricciardo to stay will require a strong performance in 2020 but that could possibly compromise their efforts towards 2021. How do they go about things?
Depending on the way teams look at it, the 2020 F1 season can either be a big conundrum or an exciting challenge. The one thing that is certain is that the next couple of years could be pivotal for each and every team on the grid and those who can make the most of this opportunity are likely to reap big benefits in the coming few years.
Media Credits: Mercedes AMG F1 Team, Renault Sport F1 Team
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