Where Formula One can make an impact in cycling
Duncan Bradley, who will head up the Bahrain-merida partnership for Mclaren Applied Technologies, admits Team Sky are “streets ahead” of the other World Tour teams and it will take a while to close the gap. But he is confident there are still plenty of gains to be made, with Mclaren employing 600 people in all sorts of fields including data science, mechanical engineering, design, human performance, clinical R&D, weight-loss programmes and managing diseases. “That might sound a far cry from cycling,” Bradley says, “but actually a lot of those things are similar for an athlete; mindset, nutrition, recovery, cognition.”
Bradley says his team will probably focus on this area initially, working with manufacturer Merida to make the bike more efficient (below). This is a core strength of F1. The variables in cycling are so much greater, which is why bigger gains are likely to be found elsewhere.
F1 places a big emphasis on measuring richer, faster data in real time to predict outcomes and make strategic decisions, which could obviously help Vincenzo Nibali (right). This is an area in which Mclaren helped British Cycling in the build-up to London 2012, providing real-time data to the track centre. If you are measuring machines with richer, faster data why not humans? “Digital medicine is really exploding,” says Bradley. “Understanding our bodies and minds to get the maximum performance. We’re investing in products which will not just go in sport, but in other areas of wellness and care.” Bradley says the lessons learnt here will have applications outside of professional sport.
A potentially dangerous area, given recent controversies regarding the medicalisation of sport. Mclaren does a lot of work in clinical R&D, around patient care and managing lifestyles. Bradley admits it is “a fine line” but says he is confident Mclaren is entering “one of the most highly regulated sports” in the world. It might sound inconsequential but, as Sky have shown, perception is important. Sky’s “Death Star” bus, the way they dressed, the way they acted, made both their riders and their rivals feel they were No 1. Mclaren has nearly 100 people in its commercial and marketing division. It should help give Bahrain-merida’s brand a push.