The Key to Success?

The policy at Hendrick Motorsports of sharing everything among its teams is interesting to me, especially after seeing the struggle the McLaren team had between its two teams in this year's Formula One season.

According to the word that comes from the Hendrick camp, the four teams under its umbrella share everything from start to finish throughout a season. It appears there's room for interpretation among the teams where each one adapts the information gathered for its own structure and driver, but they all seem to be afforded access to what each team is working on and which things are working and not working for the organization.

And it's worked for them this season. Two of their four teams are the only ones left fighting for the championship this weekend at Homestead. And those two teams dominated the whole season. The other teams as well have held their own in the field.

This success bodes well for next season when the COT enters the competition full-time. Hendrick has certainly demonstrated a command over the new car. Could that be from the team's philosophy of building the best organization rather than the best individuals?

Not to say that Hendrick isn't full of superstars. In fact, it looks like they may have a powerhouse team of four superstars next season. But the key word there is team.

And seeing how McLaren handled a similar situation this year where its superstar drivers Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton battled the whole season for the Formula One championship makes me see a value in how Hendrick has chosen to structure its organization.

With McLaren, they had to release statements to the fact that one team wasn't getting favorable treatment over the other or being told to yield to one another. They had to make this assertion because it was being publicized that maybe they were playing favorites with their drivers.

In the end, the teams weren't asserting how happy the organization was to be where it was at and the drivers didn't seem to be happy for one another.

And in the end, neither driver ended with the title and the team is left with one superstar and a team to rebuild after Alonso decided to leave early apparently because of the way he felt out of place with the team.

Now I know it's a little like comparing apples to oranges, but it shows how one powerhouse team can be successful by working together, while another fell apart by not working together.
Posted: 11/13/2007 3:48:00 AM
Comments:
NASCAR has a history here too of inner-team anymosity, and it definately seems to affect the team success. Look at the first year of the chase. Roush puts all five drivers in because they were supposedly sharing everything. Now there seems to be a definite split with maybe Biffle and Kenseth sharing, but I get the feeling if Carl wants to know what Matt is doing he has to ask Jamie. Back in the first year of the chase Wallace and Newman had their own feud. Look how well they did. Look at Childress through the years. I think this is his fist line-up that has actually harmonized, and it's paying off. There was friction between Skinner and Dale. Harvack and Gorden practically came to blows.
The thing is, in F1 there usually is a preferred driver and an established pecking order, and a tradition of problems when there is not. Senna and Prost at McLaren are two that come to mind. To a lesser extent Truli and Alonso at Renault. Raikkonenn is the preferred driver, so is Button. At the big teams, it reall seems that 'there can be only one'.
Posted On: 11/15/2007 11:48:00 AM

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