Article: Prototyping in motorsports: exploring manufacturer-supplier collaboration in Formula One Journal: International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management (IJATM) 2024 Vol.24 No.5 pp.100 - 118 Abstract: Formula One is at the forefront of technological advances in the automotive and motorsport industries. The sport serves as a testing ground for cutting-edge technologies that often find their way into mainstream automotive applications. The development process is accompanied by pressure to innovate, regulatory constraints, and time and cost constraints. In this context, prototyping plays a special role in accelerating development success. This study explores the complex interplay between OEMs and suppliers and the dynamics in the prototyping process between OEMs and suppliers in the F1 supply chain using a case study approach based on archival data and an online survey. The aim is to learn from the unique interplay of requirements and pressure to succeed in order to optimise prototyping processes beyond F1. Using the 2022 season racing teams as an example, the complex supplier relationships and regulatory influences on development are explored. The factors that contribute to successful collaboration and those that hinder progress are highlighted. The results offer practical implications for OEMs and suppliers outside of Formula One on how to use the prototyping phase as a catalyst for successful product development. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Prototyping in motorsports: exploring manufacturer-supplier collaboration in Formula One

Authors: Laura Rehberg

Addresses: Institute of Entrepreneurship and Innovation Science, University of Stuttgart, 70174 Stuttgart, Germany

Abstract: Formula One is at the forefront of technological advances in the automotive and motorsport industries. The sport serves as a testing ground for cutting-edge technologies that often find their way into mainstream automotive applications. The development process is accompanied by pressure to innovate, regulatory constraints, and time and cost constraints. In this context, prototyping plays a special role in accelerating development success. This study explores the complex interplay between OEMs and suppliers and the dynamics in the prototyping process between OEMs and suppliers in the F1 supply chain using a case study approach based on archival data and an online survey. The aim is to learn from the unique interplay of requirements and pressure to succeed in order to optimise prototyping processes beyond F1. Using the 2022 season racing teams as an example, the complex supplier relationships and regulatory influences on development are explored. The factors that contribute to successful collaboration and those that hinder progress are highlighted. The results offer practical implications for OEMs and suppliers outside of Formula One on how to use the prototyping phase as a catalyst for successful product development.

Keywords: prototyping; collaboration; vertical relationships; product development.

DOI: 10.1504/IJATM.2024.142122

International Journal of Automotive Technology and Management, 2024 Vol.24 No.5, pp.100 - 118

Received: 31 Aug 2023
Accepted: 10 Jan 2024
Published online: 08 Oct 2024 *

Title: Prototyping in motorsports: exploring manufacturer-supplier collaboration in Formula One

Keep up-to-date