CaSe STUDY

A WINNING FORMULA
1 These days, sport is very much a business and business English is full of references to sport.
What are the parallels, if any, between the corporate and sporting worlds? Discuss with a partner.

2 Sir Jackie Stewart is a former Triple World Driver’s Champion and the founder and principal of
Stewart Grand Prix. How relevant are his comments about Formula 1 to your own line of business?
2
3 Moretti Racing is a recent entrant into the
world of Formula 1, but has quickly established
st a e itself as a serious competitor in the sport. At least,
a lmo us ar t it had. But at the end of its second season, disaster
’s o
T h ere k with ’ve g struck. Read the article below from Winning
. r u
ted wo d yo Formula magazine and answer the questions.
r ela that ily an
rk le
m wo peop e fam a How many examples of criticism and blame can
a e th
y te rk. Th rt of rt you find in the article?
t i r e l
o p a t e wa b How much confidence would you have in
n w e S
1 is e team hey’r c kie Moretti if asked to invest in his racing team?
ul a o n s. T J a
rm ncy yee p”. Sir
“Fo ende mplo ily u
m
dep just e at fa
o t t h
n ld
bui
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Moretti Racing: how it all went up in smoke for the new team on the track
Andy Martin reports from Abu Dhabi Hiring and firing
Enrico Moretti must be wondering how the stars of his F1 The team has certainly attracted plenty of publicity of late. Sparks
dream team have managed to go from heroes to zeroes in the flew last month when chief designer Jean-Luc Bertrand was
space of just 12 months. summarily dismissed and replaced with Moretti’s son Giancarlo in
A remarkable debut a move many in the team have called ‘pure nepotism’.
In its first season, the privately funded racing team of Then, with tension mounting between di Angelo and Moretti, the
Modena-based sports car manufacturer Automobili Moretti team started talks with Debora da Silva, the Harvard-educated
could seemingly do no wrong, coming a creditable fourth in the Brazilian supermodel and Indy 500 motor racing sensation, who
Drivers’ Championship and topping that with third place in the is bidding to be F1’s only female driver. ‘Debora’s driving skills are
Constructors’ behind Ferrari and McLaren. unquestionable’ admits Moretti’s technical director, Toivo Sukari,
‘but to imagine she could be competitive in F1 is crazy.’ Still, with
Spectacular failure
di Angelo out of the picture, da Silva may soon find herself out
But its second season ended in catastrophe yesterday at the Abu on the grid alongside Moretti Racing’s 20-year-old wunderkind,
Dhabi Grand Prix when their top driver Mario di Angelo’s car burst Roberto di Fiore.
into flames on exiting the pit lane. Di Angelo narrowly escaped
And, now, the latest news is that Moretti himself is stepping
fatal injury, but sustained serious burns. The accident has put him
down as team boss and on the lookout for his replacement.
out of racing for at least a year. If and when he does return, he
Firefighters only need apply!
vows it won’t be for Moretti, who finished second-to-last in both
championships this time round.
Technical problems
‘What happened at the Yas Marina circuit was entirely the fault
of the pit crew’ said di Angelo from his hospital bed. ‘They are
rushing pit stops and putting all our lives at risk in a desperate bid
to win races. But it’s the car that’s at fault.’
Mixed motives
Chief of R&D, Oskar Rathenau, has a different theory: ‘I wonder
if Enrico really cares about winning races at all. For him what
matters is getting publicity for the Moretti brand, and the more
drama, the more danger, the more fireworks, the better’.

4 Amidst a blaze of publicity, Moretti finally hired F1 veteran François Basset as team boss and
Debora da Silva as his new driver. But halfway through its third season Moretti Racing is still
struggling, in spite of a couple of good races, and team morale is at an all-time low. Read the team
member profiles on the following pages and decide what some of the interpersonal problems might be.

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 CASE STUDY

5 Turn to pages 4 and 5 and each read about different rumours surrounding the team (A–C).
Then compare notes.

6 As the major investors in Moretti Racing, it is up to you to decide what advice to give to the team and
what action you’d like the senior directors to take. Remember, it’s largely your money that is keeping the
team afloat, so you can exercise a good deal of influence! The agenda for your meeting is on page 5.

Enrico Moretti
Team Owner François Basset
60 years old, Italian Team Boss
Patriarchal chairman of Automobili Moretti, the family 62 years old, French
business started by his grandfather in 1917. Relies heavily 40 years’ experience in F1 as a driver, technical director and
on his managing director (a non-family member) to run the team boss. Never won a championship as a driver, but won
firm on a day-to-day basis. Has always wanted his own F1 the constructors’ title three times for previous teams and has
team, but lacked the funds until he received backing from managed two world champions. Has been described as ‘the
a small group of private financiers. great intellectual of the sport’.
Personality: charismatic, but moody; very much a Personality: quiet but firm leader; does not respond well to
hands-on leader and a great motivator; has now challenges to his authority; feels somewhat threatened by
reluctantly taken a backseat. Sonia and Oskar; a private man who dislikes media attention.

Sonia Cassidy Toivo Sukari

Commercial Director Technical Director
50 years old, American 45 years old, Finnish
‘A human dynamo’ is what the press calls the sport’s only Likes to roll up his sleeves and get on with it rather than
female senior executive. The deal maker on the team, she’s delegate. ‘One of the boys’, he has some slightly old-
largely responsible for obtaining the financial backing that fashioned views about women in the business. Does not get
allowed Moretti to enter F1. Obtained $50m in sponsorship in on well with Sonia or Debora, but tolerates Nilda, whose
Moretti’s first season, but finding it harder now the team has expertise he respects. Upset about the di Angelo accident.
slipped in the rankings. Thinks drivers are too young and inexperienced. Team
Personality: single-minded magician with the figures; with a no- currently ninth in the constructors’ championship.
nonsense style, has no time for ego battles at team meetings. Personality: slow, methodical perfectionist; loyal to Enrico.

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 CASE STUDY

Oskar Rathenau
Chief of R&D
48 years old, German
MIT-educated automotive engineering genius. Has been responsible
for many innovations in F1, not least the Moretti engine which did so
well in its first season. Serious friction between him and Toivo, who,
he claims, has ‘wilfully misinterpreted’ his engine designs. Still very
angry about the firing of Jean-Luc Bertrand.
Personality: energetic ideas man; prides himself on finding solutions
on schedule and within budget; mistrusts Enrico.

Debora da Silva
Giancarlo Moretti Driver
Chief Designer 27 years old, Brazilian
29 years old, Italian A media celebrity in North and South America with a
A talented designer for Automobili Moretti, who also spent highly paid modelling career and a degree in physics from
two years at Maserati, this is Giancarlo’s first venture into Harvard. Was not taken seriously on the American racing
F1. Is aware of the resentment caused by his appointment, scene until she won two Indianapolis 500 races last season.
but genuinely believes he can solve some of the problems Joined Moretti Racing this season for an undisclosed sum
with the layout of the Moretti car. Deeply admires François to launch her career in F1. Currently eighth in the drivers’
Basset. Eager to prove himself to the team. championship.
Personality: calm and conscientious; works hard to break Personality: focused; good with the media; easy going
away from the playboy image associated with his father. manner hides her inner determination.

Roberto di Fiore
Nilda Carrio Driver
Chief Aerodynamicist 26 years old, Italian
30 years old, Argentinian A racing prodigy who began his F1 career at the record-
Has had to put up with a lot of team politics at Moretti. Her breaking age of 18. Has yet to win his first championship
appointment two years ago was initially opposed by Toivo race, but stunned the world of motor sport by taking third
Sukari, who has now grudgingly come to rely on her. Would place last season in the Hungarian Grand Prix. Recent
like to work more closely with Oskar Rathenau on pushing performance has been affected by the departure of his
forward innovations. Regrets the loss of Jean-Luc Bertrand, racing partner and mentor, Mario di Angelo. Currently
but gets on very well with Giancarlo. eleventh in the driver’s championship.
Personality: an excellent communicator, able to connect with Personality: a risk-taker who tends to crash too often; visibly
people at all levels both within and outside the team. jealous of Debora’s celebrity.

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 CASE STUDY

CASE STUDY: A winning formula

Ex5
A
1 Sources claim that Sonia Cassidy apparently had her sights set on the team boss position,
in spite of her relative ignorance of the technical side of the business, and was furious when it
went to François. Feels Enrico owed her a shot at the top job. Too shrewd a businesswoman to
cause trouble, but will be looking for weaknesses in François’s management strategy. Rumour
reliability factor: 7/10.

2 Repeated complaints from female members of the team about Toivo and his generally sexist
attitudes. Nothing in writing yet, but how long can it be before there’s a formal harassment
charge? Rumour reliability factor: 9/10.

3 Mutterings in the team that Giancarlo and Debora have been getting a little ‘too close’
off the track. The paparazzi have so far not caught up with them, but they have been seen
frequenting nightclubs and bars together after races. Rumour reliability factor: 5/10.

4 Oskar may have been in talks with a rival team about a position as technical and R&D
director. This would be a step up for him and a way of finally parting company with Toivo. If it’s
true, the team in question is quite low in the rankings, but has some promising drivers and a lot
of money to spend. Rumour reliability factor: 7/10.

B
1 It’s no secret that Roberto is constantly being approached by other teams and he’s known
to be unhappy at Moretti at the moment. But the rumour is he’s been visiting Mario in hospital
and discussing plans to set up their own team with a mystery backer. Both Roberto and Mario
are signed up for just one more season with Moretti. Rumour reliability factor: 6/10.

2 François has faith in Debora and is keen to develop her role as Moretti’s top driver, but first
he wants her to prove her commitment to the sport by giving up the modelling jobs, the
photo shoots and the appearances in Hello! magazine to concentrate on F1. Rumour reliability
factor: 8/10.

3 Enrico is only going to give F1 one more season and if success still eludes the team, he’ll pull
out of the sport before paying off his backers’ investment. He has confidence in François, but
already misses the thrill of running the team himself. Rumour reliability factor: 6/10.

4 Toivo is about to go to the press with a story about how the di Angelo accident was in fact a
conspiracy to get the 35-year-old driver out of the team and clear the way for a more glamorous
and newsworthy replacement. Rumour reliability factor: 3/10.

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 CASE STUDY

C
1 Gordon Hayes, 33, a British ex-champion driver has shown an interest in joining the team if
the remuneration package is right. Toivo and Sonia support the recruitment of a more mature
and experienced driver. François and Enrico oppose it – François because he’d like to develop
his young drivers; Enrico because he’s happy with the publicity his current two drivers are
attracting in the media. Rumour reliability factor: 7/10.

2 In the German Grand Prix last week, Roberto deliberately refused to let Debora overtake
him on the final lap to take second place and move up to sixth place in the championship.
Assisting a teammate in this way is officially illegal in F1, so he had a legitimate excuse, but
in practice drivers usually follow the instructions of their team boss if it means advancing the
position of their fellow driver at no points cost to themselves. Rumour reliability factor: 9/10.

3 The rivalry between Toivo and Oskar finally exploded into a full-blown argument a week ago
with Oskar apparently yelling at the end of a technicians’ meeting: ‘That’s it, either you go or
I go!’ and storming out of the room. It was especially shocking as Oskar is normally so calm and
in control. The situation was made worse by Nilda and Giancarlo appearing to support Oskar.
Rumour reliability factor: 7/10.

4 Sonia suspects that Toivo has some sort of hold over François. She’s not sure what it is, but
whenever the two disagree at a meeting, François seems to back down, which is certainly not
in character, as he has no problem arguing to the bitter end with other members of the team –
with her, especially! Some say Toivo worked with François a long time ago, but neither of them
will talk about it. Rumour reliability factor: 4/10.

Ex6

Moretti Racing Investor’s Meeting AGENDA

In attendance:
Apologies for absence: Enrico Moretti

Items Points raised Action

1 Situation report on the season so far
Are we happy with current performance?
How safe is our investment?
2 Low morale: areas of conflict in the team
Have we got the right balance of skills and
team roles? Have we even got a team or just a
collection of high achieving individuals?
3 How to capitalize on the team’s strengths
Are we maximising the talents of the team
members?
4 Rumours currently circulating
How, if at all, do these affect our decisions?
5 Changes that could be implemented
Who (if anyone) do we want to hire, fire or
redeploy? Would training in team-building
help? Do we want to address the team
and/or talk to members individually?

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