Ep 241 Interview Sessions with Rob Smedley | Democratising Motorsport

On episode 241 I welcome Rob Smedley, former F1 Engineer and CEO of The Smedley Group to the show.   Rob has 25 years of experience in the world of motorsport, having spent time at multiple F1 teams including Jordan, as a Race Engineer at Ferrari and as Head of Vehicle Performance at Williams before taking on the Director of Data systems at Formula 1 from 2019 to 2021.   Rob is the CEO of The Smedley Group, using F1 technology to solve complex problems, fast. They use it to engage fans, identify talent, and help their partners understand the optimum solutions. The group consists of Smedley Advanced Technology, Global Karting League and Insights Lab and clients include F1, AWS, Alpinestars, EY and More than Equal.   F1 is the world’s fastest-growing sport, but ordinary people remain spectators due to the huge costs of participation.  Rob and the team are working to increase access by lowering the cost to compete.   Global Karting League’s mission is to achieve mass participation in motorsport by radically reducing the barriers to entry.  It’s an affordable karting ecosystem with 3 pillars: Parity of performance through electric karts Talent ID identification through our proprietary software platform STEM education as an integral part of the customer journey   In this episode you will hear: 00:00 intro 08:00 to lead you need to be calm 13:00 Felipe baby, stay cool! 15:00 Silverstone with Dad 18:00 12 years with Scuderia Ferrari and the Tifosi 24:50 the emotional toll of Brazil 2008 29:55 data driven leadership and strategy 34:30 Ferrari (2022) not failed by insights but by human decision making 37:30 creating a [genuine] culture of innovation and a learning organisation 43:30 Global Karting League - democratising motorsport 48:15 STEM education through F1 52:10 a day at the track 54:40 how talent is identified in young kids 01:01:00 Rob’s Heartprint   Please do share this episode with a heart-centred leader you wish to inspire and encourage.   Those with ears, let them hear. Always love Ryan   Conn