TECH TALK COLUMN: Swot analysis from Bahrain

The corporate world is filled with acronyms and buzzwords, so much so that people have taken to playing ‘Zoom Bingo’ with buzzwords during online meetings. My own working environment is somewhat less corporate, and so I haven’t had the joy of shouting ‘bingo!’ when someone on a call uses the words ‘align’, or ‘reach out to’. But I can see the appeal.

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At a certain stage, it was very en vogue for corporates to do a SWOT analysis, as a strategic planning exercise. I’m pretty sure it is still done today, but I don’t hear the term quite as often as in the past. Even so, there’s a lot to be said for the technique, which focusses on Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats to draw up a matrix that can guide business managers to help expand a business, steer clear of trouble, and identify problems early on.

FERRARI STRENGTH

Which brings us nicely to the first round of the 2022 Formula 1 Championship in Bahrain, where we saw the first Ferrari 1-2 finish since 2019. Clearly this performance would sort under the heading ‘strengths’ – certainly for Ferrari. The Scuderia had their wings clipped after an FIA investigation into its power unit of 2019 resulted in a technical regulation change, effectively halting the Italian outfit (and crucially also its customer engines) in its tracks.

Forza Ferrari wasn’t much of a force during 2020 or 2021, with the team announcing that it would focus on the development of the 2022 car, which heralded a massive change in specifications. Clearly, they got things exactly right, with Charles Leclerc putting the team on pole position, ahead of defending champion Max Verstappen. Carlos Sainz, in the second Ferrari, went third-fastest in quali, clearly showing that Leclerc’s time wasn’t a fluke by any means.

With that said, Verstappen was only 0.123 behind Leclerc in qualifying, and less than a heartbeat faster than Sainz (+0.006) so the Red Bulls were right on the pace. When it comes to the Strengths from this weekend, it was Ferrari and Red Bull that got it right from the start.

WEAKNESSES REVEALED

But then came the race, and with it a slew of Weaknesses were revealed. The biggest of these had to be the two Red Bulls, who gave up the ghost shortly before the chequered flag. First it was Verstappen who pulled into the pits; then Perez seemingly spun on the final lap, though the team made it clear that he was dealing with a problem, rather than making a mistake. Whatever the case, neither Red Bull scored a single point, and exposed a weakness in the new car – one that the team will scramble to fix, before this weekend’s second round in Saudi Arabia.

OPPORTUNITY

The demise of the Red Bulls brings us to the next heading in the SWOT analysis: Opportunity. For a while, it seemed as if Leclerc and Verstappen’s epic slug-fest would continue to the end of the race, but when the champion pulled into the pits, the Monegasque could take it somewhat easier up front. Shortly after, Perez’s problems gave Sainz the second step of the podium, and then there was Lewis.

The seven-time world champion made no bones about it, calling the podium he achieved a ‘long shot’ after the race. But sometimes, you need a bit of luck to create some opportunities – and then be there to make the most of them. The Merc was arguably the best-looking car on the circuit this weekend, if not in terms of handling, then certainly as far as the bodywork went. But it looked nowhere near good enough for a podium, until opportunity came knocking.

Talking of opportunity knocking: Kevin Magnussen’s performance this weekend was stellar. Remember, he was cast aside in favour of Nikita Mazepin (and the money he brought to the team) in 2021, but the Dane was offered a chance back into F1 after the Haas team severed ties with the Russian driver. And he certainly made the most of the opportunity! Seventh in qualifying and fifth in the race, netting the Haas team more points in one go than they earned in the last two years combined.

THREATS

When it comes to the final heading in the SWOT analysis, it becomes a bit trickier. Threats. I guess the world of F1 is full of threats, on various levels. On an individual level, each driver’s position in the team is constantly under threat – from teammates and outsiders alike. George Russell, for instance, clearly felt the pressure when he pushed too hard on the out-lap of his final qualifying run, locking up briefly at the start of his flying lap. He tumbled to 9th on the grid as a result, but managed to redeem himself somewhat with a fourth-place finish in the end.

But there are bigger threats than at the individual level: This year the teams have to stay within a reduced budget, which is aimed at closing the gap between the cash flush teams, such as Red Bull and Mercedes; and the less affluent outfits, such as Williams. The threat here is that the cutting edge of the sport may be dulled somewhat – not that the new cars show any indication of that happening any time soon.

And then there are threats that each team must deal with on its own: Red Bull’s reliability issues; Mercedes finding itself behind the curve with its development; smaller teams suddenly punching above their weight, like Haas and Alfa Romeo. Not to mention McLaren, who is suddenly so far back that they are hardly mentioned in any post-race analysis.

Thankfully the people who are least affected by this SWOT analysis are the fans, because there’s a lot to look forward to at next weekend’s second round. For the sake of some of the teams, we can only hope for miracles. But either way, it promises to be another exciting F1 weekend.

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Waldo van der Waal is a motoring journalist with nearly three decades of experience. He has worked as an F1 correspondent for various publications over the years, including WIEL and DRIVE magazines, in the late nineties. Since then, he has travelled the globe to follow some of the greatest motorsport events on the planet, including many F1 races and Le Mans. He has been closely associated with the Dakar Rally for the last ten years, worked with Fernando Alonso during his attempt at the race, and remains in touch with the wonderful world of Formula 1.