Mehul Kapadia examines today’s global business at full speed. As we near the finish line for the 2014 season, Formula 1® racing extends its lead as the world’s most...
Celebrating 150 races in F1: Learnings from the past for the future
3 mins read
Mehul Kapadia reflects on the partnership between Tata Communications and Formula 1 ahead of this weekend's German Grand Prix.
Very few sports can boast a history as rich, vibrant and fascinating as Formula 1. From the early years to the F1 we know and love today, it’s probably fair to say that more things have changed than have stayed the same. The grainy, black and white footage of previous eras is in sharp contrast to today’s ultra-high definition multi-colour spectacle enjoyed by a global audience of around 1.3 billion people. Looking back on the birth of this sport, I often wonder what its pioneers would make of the global phenomenon that F1 has become today - I very much hope they’d approve. Often, it’s significant landmarks which encourage us to reflect on the past, and on 26th-28th July, the German Grand Prix race weekend will be Tata Communications’ 150th Grand Prix as the Official Connectivity Provider - and innovation partner - of F1. [caption id="" align="alignleft" width="366"]
We made it work because we were energised by our track record of past successes. We could look back at how we’d persevered to overcome tough situations, the team’s strength in depth, our expertise and our single-minded focus. Simply put: because we had triumphed over adversity before, we knew we could do it again. Driving us forward As the racing teams gear up for the German Grand Prix race weekend, it strikes me that it’s that same focus which motivates the very best drivers. The single-mindedness. The ambition. The attention to detail. The unwavering commitment to the sport they love. The fact that the best of the best don’t always have unlimited reserves of previous successes which they can call on but always have that extra 1% of drive for winning. [caption id="" align="alignright" width="400"]"Our team has never forgotten what we learned in those early days: for F1, failure is simply not an option."

We still face challenges, of course. When the drivers are doing battle on the track, our team might be huddled in our control centre in an underground carpark in Monaco to ensure that no matter what, global audiences are able to enjoy the action in true real-time and that the teams in the pits can communicate with their drivers on the track and engineers all around the world. Reflecting on the past to power the future When the teams pack the cars into the trucks for the final time at the end of this season, we will all take the opportunity to pause and reflect on another year gone by. Just like the teams, we will evaluate successes, failures and learnings to take into next season."Ultimately, we wanted to help deliver an incredible product, and all those races later, that ambition is still there like it was at race one."

We are all inspired by the drivers, teams and the sport itself, and we always look to them to maintain our ambition to achieve excellence, and the determination to do whatever it takes to get the job done. We are constantly energised and invigorated by knowing what’s gone before. So, as well as looking forward to this weekend in Germany we’ll also be looking back at how far we’ve come. Here’s to the next 150 races - we hope you enjoy them as much we’ve enjoyed the past 150! Read Mehul's previous blog on how new technology is making sports more accessible to fans. Tata Communications was the Official Connectivity Provider of Formula 1® between 2012 and 2019. Tata Communications was also the Official Managed Connectivity Supplier to Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, and Official Digital Transformation Partner to ROKiT Williams Racing until the end of the 2019 season."The difference today versus our first race is that now we are privileged to be able to benefit from 150 races of experience working with F1. That’s invaluable to help us meet future challenges head-on."
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