Total Competition: Lessons in Strategy from Formula One

by Ross Brawn, Adam Parr

Overview

A compelling, comprehensive look at “the awe-inspiring career of a true motor racing great” and what it takes to get to the top in Formula One (Daily Express).

Across four decades, Ross Brawn was one of the most innovative and successful technical directors and then team principals in Formula One. Leading Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, Brawn, and Mercedes, he worked with drivers such as Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, and Lewis Hamilton to make them world champions. In 2017, he was appointed F1’s managing director, motor sports, by the sport’s new owners Liberty Media. Now, in this fascinating book written with Adam Parr, who was CEO and then chairman of Williams for five years, he looks back over his career and methods to assess how he did it, and where occasionally he got things wrong.

Total Competition is a definitive portrait of modern motorsport. In the book, Brawn and Parr explore the unique pressures of Formula One, their battles with Bernie Ecclestone, and the cutthroat world they inhabited, where coming second is never good enough. This book is a fascinating read not only for the millions of Formula One fans who want to understand how Brawn operates; it also provides many lessons in how to achieve your own goals in business and life.

“Frank, fearless and original . . . I hung on every word.” —Murray Walker

“This is a must-read.” —Autosport

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781471162374
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/13/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	353
Sales rank:	235,949
File size:	40 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Ross Brawn is the most successful technical director in Formula One history, having led Benetton, Ferrari, Honda, and Mercedes to world championship glory, and worked with some of the greatest names in the sport, including Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton. After retiring at the end of 2013, he returned in January 2017 as F1's managing director, motor sports. 

Table of Contents

Glossary of key names and terms ix

Some key moments in Formula One during the Brawn era xiii

Introduction 1

Part I

Ross Brawn's Career 23

Part II

Strategy in Formula One 83

Introduction 85

The Three Dimensions of Strategy 89

Total Competition 150

Strengths and Weaknesses 161

Human Nature 177

Intelligence 194

Operational Art 198

Rhythms and Routines 207

Personal Organization 216

People 226

Simplicity 233

Racing 237

Leadership 251

Part III

Observations 273

Observation 1 Strategy is a system. 275

Observation 2 Avoid unnecessary conflict. 276

Observation 3 Build trust consciously. 278

Observation 4 Know yourself and know the other. 279

Observation 5 Embrace humility. 280

Observation 6 Invest in people and culture. 281

Observation 7 Take the measure of time. 283

Observation 8 A complete process leads to a competitive product. 284

Observation 9 Develop and apply a set of rhythms and routines. 285

Observation 10 Just adopt!! 286

Observation 11 Define the line - and own it. 287

Observation 12 Strive for simplicity, manage complexity. 289

Observation 13 People innovate naturally. 290

Observation 14 There is a place for data - and intuition. 291

Observation 15 Strategy can be studied and applied. 291

Selected further reading 293

Acknowledgements 297

Picture credits 299

Index 301

Editorial Reviews

'A must-have insight into the awe-inspiriting career of a true motor racing great'

Daily Express

'The closest thing there is to a certificable genius'

Wall Street Journal

'Frank, fearless and original... I hung on every word'

Murray Walker

'This is a must-read'

Autosport