McLaren Reveals Their Title Contender

In a room packed with journalists and eager fans watching via online feed, Formula 1 team Vodafone McLaren Mercedes revealed their 2012 car Wednesday morning. Hosted at the McLaren Technology Center in Woking, England, drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton, along with team principal Martin Whitmarsh, pulled the cover back over the new MP4-27 and gave the public the first glimpse at the potential title contender for 2012.

 Jenson Button (left) and Lewis Hamilton (right), about to reveal the MP4-27

McLaren, one of the most successful Formula 1 teams in racing history, fought hard to challenge the Red Bull Racing team this past racing season. McLaren secured six grand prix victories during the 2011 F1 season and were on podium for 11 other victories, so you can bet they will continue to give it all they've got in 2012 for the coveted FIA World Constructors Championships.

With many months of development now complete, the MP4-27 aims to be the car to beat in 2012.  A complete redesign provides the car with a competitive edge and increased safety. Upgrades to the car's design include a much tighter rear-waist, providing additional aerodynamic efficiency which translates to increased speed. New safety regulations for 2012 necessitate a lower front nose for all cars, but unlike the rather funny looking 'platypus nose' on the Caterham CT-01, the McLaren nose carries a smooth curve with consistent appearance and emphasis on aero performance.

The Vodafone McLaren Mercedes MP4-27

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson ButtonOther major changes include a redesigned sidepod to address exhaust flow regulations and an updated cooling system. Though each of these changes means tenths of seconds on the track, this could be the competitive advantage McLaren needs to edge out the other teams and take back the championship title.

The 2012 season looks to be a promising one, and with Austin on the calendar in late November, all teams are closely watching our progress. In a Q&A session following the launch, motorsports journalist Dan Knutson asked Jenson about his outlook on Austin and the new USGP; Adam Cooper documented the discussion here at SpeedTV:

 “I'm really excited about heading back to the States,” said Button. “I've never been to Austin but I've heard great things about the city itself, and I've heard also great things about the circuit, the layout, and hopefully we can put on a great show when we get there.

“I remember racing in the States before in Indianapolis which was, you know, a good circuit, but I think the steps that Austin have taken to make sure this is a proper, pukka Formula 1 circuit I think we're gonna love it, you know. It's going to be a lot of fun. And hopefully we have the support of the American fans.”

In addition, Martin Whitmarsh, as he's done many, many, many times, echoed the strategic value in the American market, stressing the need for Formula 1 to be here, despite the struggles with solidifying Formula 1 in America in the past:

“I think all the teams believe it's very important and we've got to make a success of it this time. As we all know, our time in America has been spasmodic and unsuccessful. We have to treat it almost as a new market. But actually there's a huge interest in Formula 1 that is untapped in the States. We've got to work harder. What we have to accept is, America doesn't need Formula 1; we need it more than it needs us.

“So I think the onus has got to be on the teams, the promoter, all of us, to work – and the commercial rights holder – to work very hard to make sure that we educate we promote, we develop the interest, we reach out in America.

“So we've got to work harder than, perhaps, a new Grand Prix in Europe or Asia or South America, where, there is a ready interest and a ready uptake. We've got a real challenge. But it's important. It's important to our commercial partners. The States is still a rather big market for really any multinational company. There are only two world sports, soccer and Formula 1, and for us to be a great world sport, we've got to conquer the States.”

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Team Principal Martin WhitmarshWith the new MP4-27 in their arsenal, the McLaren team might really be the complete package in Formula One. McLaren is the only team with two FIA World Championship drivers, a seasoned management team, and arguably the most technically advanced facility and research program in Formula 1.

Though much of the Formula 1 field has yet to reveal their off-season homework, 2012 could be the perfect storm for McLaren, putting them in back on the leader board and potentially on the podium in Austin for the USGP. With under two months before the season begins, momentum is building for what looks to be a very exciting season.

Williams F1 Connects with UT Austin Community

UT Austin students and interested Austin citizens attend Matt Jones' lecture on Marketing in Formula 1 at The University of Texas at Austin on Jan. 19, 2012

Last Thursday, the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin welcomed Matt Jones, Head of Marketing Services for the Williams Formula One team. The presentation was part of the “EU-US Distinguished Business and Politics Lecture Series” at UT Austin. This series presents lectures relevant to business and political relationships between the United States and the European Union and aims to bring attention to our shared economic interests. The goal is to encourage discussion between the UT population, local business communities and the broader public.

Matt’s professional experience includes his six years in the British Army’s Royal Anglian Regiment, three years as a Sponsorship Manager in the Formula Three series, Account Manager at Arrows Grand Prix from 2000 to 2002 and Sponsorship Manager at Jordan Grand Prix (now Force India) from 2003 to 2005. Although not a lifetime motorsports fan, over the past decade he has acclimated to the non-stop travelling lifestyle and now embraces F1’s fast-paced and challenging business culture.

Matt’s lecture was comprehensive, informative and engaging; I always enjoy hearing the collective gasp in the audience when they learn about F1’s 1.88 billion annual viewers or how it is broadcast in 187 countries. After introducing Formula 1 as a sport to a full lecture hall, he switched gears to talk about the Williams F1 team and how marketing is a vital role in this sport.

Matt Jones, Head of Marketing Services for Williams F1, speaks at UT Austin on Jan. 19, 2012I admit, I knew very little about Williams F1 before Matt’s presentation: I knew that it was founded by Sir Frank Williams and Patrick Head, but didn’t realize the team has “only” been around since 1977 or that Williams has won 16 FIA Formula One World Championships to date. At their 20 acre headquarters in Grove, Oxfordshire (southeastern England), they employ about 500 staff, with a majority of the workforce comprised of engineers. Aside from operations, marketing, reception, design and electronics offices, the site also includes two wind tunnels, a race bay, museum, conference center, stores, research & development and machine shop, to name a few. As the image of a corporate powerhouse comes into focus, you realize they do much more than build cars and train drivers.

The presentation’s title, “Glamour and Grit: The Marketing of a Formula One Race Team,” properly captured Matt’s focus. An F1 team’s marketing group does not simply decide advertisements; they must simultaneously spin many plates. For Williams F1, Marketing Services manages partner and sponsorship accounts, event and paddock hospitality, the Williams F1 Conference Centre and brand and licensing. All strategy and execution of team sponsorships and partnering must pass a rigorous review to be cleared by Marketing Services. This process ensures continuity, aligns corporate objectives and values and matches Williams F1’s values to each partner’s commercial objectives.

Matt spoke in detail about current and past Williams F1 partners, including relationships with the Dutch staffing company Randstad, RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland), Budweiser and the insurance company Allianz. It was interesting to learn how varying sectors align their needs and values with the F1 world and what they gain from it as the result of an active partnership. Matt echoed the shared sentiment that all F1 teams realize the importance of an active US market to be a truly global sport.

The Williams Formula One team is the only company that is wholly independent and traded publicly on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (since March 2011). Williams F1 describes this independence to its advantage:

Williams F1 commercial partnerships must work harder to drive value back into its partners’ companies…it has no publicly funded automotive giant to bail it out should things go wrong. It exists solely to go racing. It is driven by a hunger to win. It is – unusually on the modern Formula 1 grid – purely about racing.

This independence and desire to win transcends to admirable team values: integrity, entrepreneurship, precision and accessibility. As you learn about Sir Frank Williams and the history of the Williams F1 team you begin to draw parallels between his character, work ethic and winning attitude. Williams F1’s partnership announcement with Michael Johnson Performance is the most recent example of aligning a winning attitude with a dedication to excellence. Matt also introduced us to the Williams Spark Program, which exemplifies how Williams F1 embraces energy efficiency, education and road safety. The Williams F1 website is quite comprehensive and serves as an ongoing, accessible resource.

Matt speaks with UT Austin students following his presentation. There was an active Q&A session and reception after Matt’s presentation. Based on the level of feedback from the audience, it was evident that Matt sparked an interest within F1 amateurs and led long-time F1 fans to a better understanding of how teams continue to evolve in today’s marketplace. Matt’s lecture at UT Austin’s EU-US Speaker Series proved to be a great opportunity to engage with varying communities as he offered valuable insight into how Austin’s November Formula 1 race has the potential to elevate Austin throughout the global business community.

Special thanks to Matt Jones of Williams F1, Dr. David Platt, Director, and Sabine Wimmer, Administrative Associate, of the Center for International Business Education and Research.

Trivia contest: Sir Williams first tried his hand at motor racing behind the wheel of what car?

Piecing It All Together: From the White Board to the Dirt Mound

Out of all the photos from last week’s site visit at Circuit of The Americas, only a few adequately capture the magnitude of the project. In fact, it takes 17 frames compiled together to create the following high-resolution panoramic photo. This is a panoramic photo taken from atop Turn 1, the most south-eastern point of the circuit, facing west. The far left of the photo is the south side of the property, and as you pan your view to the right, you are looking north.

Compiled from 17 photos, this panoramic shows the racetrack site from atop Turn 1.

We rode down the hill and made a pit stop in the temporary job site offices. Inside, we were greeted by grandstand seating options, restroom hardware and miscellaneous fixture options. Though it might seem trivial, selection of this hardware is a critical part of the project, and when done right, each doorhandle and light fixture intgrates seemlessly with the design. Just behind us, a detailed and colorful ten foot long rendering was tacked onto a white board, but it extended well past it. This was the first full size print out availible, so I also compiled numerous frames of it to deliver this high-res panoramic rendering, which mirrors the above panoramic shot from Turn 1.

Panoramic view from the top of Turn 1. Conceptual rendering from COTA, all rights reserved.

WOW! What a view! From this position, you can see the start/finish line, the pit and paddock building, and Turns 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 16, 17, 18, 19, & 20.  Very few tracks in the world offer this comprehensive of a view from a single location.  The seating from this vantage point will be highly coveted and possibly limited; but there will be numerous seating options throughout the circuit that provide multiple views of the track, versus a 5-second drive/fly-by.

The magnitude of this project is starting to sink in, rivaling the scale of an Olympic complex or a Walt Disney World theme park. As the Austin Commercial construction team works towards an August deadline, daily progress amounts to significant visual changes, and the reality of the project inches closer to (pardon the pun) the finish line.

In case you missed our first article of this update, Turn 1: Austin's Zenith, check out the gallery below.

Update

on 2012-01-20 23:07 by Kevin Olsen

If you're having trouble seeing the high-res photo, follow these steps:

1. Click on the photo from the article; it will open in a new window.
2. In the new window, right click on the image and choose "View image." This will shrink the image to fit on one page. Hover your mouse/cursor over various areas of the image and you will see a "+" magnifying glass.
3. Click once on the "+" magnifying glass to zoom in on the desired area, and then click again on the "-" magnifying glass to zoom out.
4. Repeat the zoom in and zoom out process on various areas of the image.

New Year, New Toys

As we await F1 Winter Testing to begin, we're working on other creative ways to keep you engaged.

Pinterest - the virtual pinboard

New on the social networking scene is Pinterest. It is a virtual pinboard: you find things that you are interested in or inspired by on the internet, and you "pin" online images and videos of the objects to your virtual bulletin boards. Like tumblr, other users can "re-pin" your objects to their boards if they share your interest. Broken down, it is another way to socially interact over shared interests on the web.

Between August and December 2011, Pinterest has grown from 1.2 million users to over 4 million.

The majority of Pinterest users appear to use it for style, design and cooking inspiration. Instead of creating 537 internet bookmarks for every gluten-free recipe that you find, you can "Pin" them to your self-titled "Gluten Free Pinboard" and have them in one spot.

What does this have to do with racing?

I created an Austin Grand Prix Pinterest account in December with the intent of organizing pictures and videos of motorsport and everything related - What books can I read about Formula 1? What movies are out there about historic motorsport moments? Who are the F1 drivers and teams? Instead of getting sucked into a black hole of F1 info, you can peruse our boards and if you're interested on knowing more about a specific topic, just "follow" that Pinterest board for updates.

What appeals to me the most about Pinterest is that you can find others who share your interests and discover related content that you may never have known about before.  To learn more about Pinterest, check out their website, read this beginner's guide from Mashable or the Wikipedia entry.  Other racing brands are jumping on the bandwagon, as SPEED TV announced their Pinterest account today.  As they say in the Pinterest world, Happy Pinning!

Here is a link to The Austin Grand Prix on Pinterest. I will be updating our "Pins" frequently so check back for new content weekly.

TIP: You must request an invitation to join Pinterest. If you need one, send me your email address at Pinterest {at} TheAustinGrandPrix.com

The Austin Grand Prix on Pinterest.com