Recently, curiosity led me to look at Google Scholar to learn how often “Performance at the Limit: Business Lessons from Formula 1 Motor Racing” (PATL), published by Cambridge University Press, has been referenced in other books and papers.
Between its initial release in 2005 and 2015, it garnered 33 citations. Following the publication of the third edition in 2016, that number increased by an additional 45 citations, bringing the total to 78 references.
Writing PATL, my co-authors and I were a complementary team – a business school professor of strategy with an expertise in motorsports; a former commercial director with two F1 teams; and me, with over two decades of experience working in and consulting to large international organizations.
The inspiration for the book stemmed from a unique seminar we designed and taught to lawyers at one of London’s prestigious Magic Circle law firms. One key goal was to develop their business acumen. Over two days I role-played being the Vice President of Strategy at Volkswagen, while the lawyers working in teams, stepped into the shoes of management consultants charged with advising on how to formulate VW’s entry into Formula 1 under the Audi brand. The seminar concluded with their presenting a recommendation for either buying an existing team, starting a team from scratch, or becoming an engine partner with an existing team.
We delivered the seminar 50 times to 1,200 lawyers over three years. Interestingly, given the basic premise, Audi is finally set to enter F1 as a works team in 2026, about twenty-five years later.
For the book, we interviewed key figures across all positions in Formula 1 and used their own words to illuminate the principles that drive high performance. After three editions of PATL we had interviewed over 100 individuals. We summarized our key findings into 12 lessons that are attributable to businesses in any industry, anywhere. In my speaking engagements I find, more than ever, they resonate with business leaders.
PATL has been translated into Japanese, Turkish, and Mandarin Chinese; and it inspired an 8-part BBC World television series, “Formula for Success.” Looking at the citations in Google Scholar, it is also rewarding to see that PATL has influenced other publications that have contributed to discussions on how organizations can achieve F1-inspired performance at the limit.
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