Formula 1™ is a very competitive sport and business. With the average team spending tens of millions, and the top teams spending hundreds of millions of dollars, each team is trying to get the most effective use of their money and resources.
The goal of the team is to win races and to win championships. F1 teams spend hundreds of hours designing, building, testing (when allowed) and perfecting each aspect of the car. What you and I see on the TV screen is the result of this teamwork. The effort culminates in two drivers from the team going out onto the track and using their knowledge of the car, their race craft and experience, to pursue F1 victory.
If you have ever seen the overhead shots of a F1 pit stop, you will see 16+ people (including three per wheel, one each for front and rear jacks, an extra man with engine start gear, and the lollipop man holding the driver in the pit) perform a highly orchestrated ballet of sorts. It is a very short ballet, usually less than four seconds, which allows the team to change all four tires and make slight wing adjustments (and in previous years, refuel the car.) This teamwork helps the driver get into and out of the pits ready to go back out onto the track and challenge for victory. Just take for example the Sahara Force India team who has actually won an award for speedy pit stops.
The pit crew is the most visible aspect of the modern F1 team, but there are many other team members back at the factory who are designing, building, manufacturing and testing parts that will end up in or on the car. There is also a huge logistical effort to get all of the cars, personnel and equipment to each race venue. All of this effort contributes to building and maintaining the team and the drive for success.
This past weekend at the Chinese Grand Prix we witnessed how that effort and drive paid off for Nico Rosberg, who after over 100 races scored his first F1 victory. His victory was a product of everyone’s efforts on the Mercedes team. Together the team achieved the necessary performance advantage to obtain and score that victory.
Much like the pit crew helps the Sahara Force India team drivers achieve success, the Internap NOC (Network Operations Center) and on-site data center staff help maintain the IT Infrastructure that drive our customers’ successes. Two NOCs, one here in Atlanta and one in Seattle, address customer issues, answering calls within 10 seconds. Certified engineers, not just ticket-takers, tackle the calls, and 95% of all inbound issues are addressed by the engineer that first takes the request. Meanwhile, on-site data center personnel are available for managed data center services and support 24/7 including remote hands requests, managed installations and more. Now that is teamwork!
Looking for a winning team with support you can count on? Find out more about Internap’s Stevie Award-winning customer support.
Image Credit: Sahara Force India Formula One Team
