Red Bull in a China Shop
First and most importantly, Max Verstappen is an absolute worthy champion. The driving performance and consistency he has displayed over the past two years are immutable in terms of skill and representation of what a Formula1 driver represents both on and off the track. The company he drives for, however, is a different story.
In no way will I ever demonize Red Bull as everyone in competition makes honest errors in judgment, especially in the heat of the moment. Where Red Bull differentiates itself from the competition is that all its errors have not been honest judgments. They have not been as transparent as they claim out of fear of Mercedes specifically. While they are very impressive politically, making sure to posture like they are not aware of every position of Lewis Hamilton and his proximity to them, it is clear in their interviews as a team pre- and post-race as well as qualifying bouts that their attitude is much more relaxed, fair, and reasonable than when they are competing with Mercedes. I preface this to explain that their approach to the 2022 cars was clever, but not intelligent. In life, we all have the genius-like capability to be clever by being creative in the wrong direction to suit our individual needs while justifying through the grey area of interpretation that we are within the lines of the rules. Making the distinction between ‘clever’ and ‘intelligent’ at a young age is paramount for a smooth life, as even the most clever individuals in the world have been exposed at some point. Sometimes it takes more time to uncover because of how sophisticated certain clever individuals can be, but the result remains the same. It always comes to light. Today the light shines and shines bright on Red Bull for bending the rules so much that it ended up breaking them.
In the upcoming weeks, we will see the predictable justifications, denials, and ignorance that most of us display when we are caught under the unflattering kind of spotlight. This traditional human behavior will play out masterfully in terms of performance in the media, especially in regards to the power, politics, and — most importantly for humans — invested interest of Red Bulls investors that go way deeper than the persons we see in the media. This is most important to note for one reason that goes beyond what we can see: the wrong side of ego. Ego is actually a very powerful and positive thing that each of us should not only have but protect because it is useful in this life to fulfill one’s purpose. Therefore I will not fault anyone for having something that we all have. What I will fault them for is when they act like they don’t have an ego and it’s not being affected by being under the wrong spotlight.
To further expound for those unfamiliar, floor flexibility (customization that affects an F1 car’s speed) has been put into question for “some teams” in Formula1 based on new technical directives provided by the governing body — the FIA. The main point of contention is the scale of flexibility allowed under the car. The rules are clear in black and white, but when creativity is added to anything the flexibility of interpretation becomes an art that allows perception to be the colorful rule of choice. It is clear that the Formula1 season will be taking a different, more fair and appropriate turn for the rest of the season versus the beginning of the season when all teams were in the process of “figuring it all out.” In complex situations like this, Behavioral RNA™️ is less of a factor because the factors at play are surrounded by money and deep envy. Money and envy are both tangible concepts that are rarely seen at the highest levels of business.
Do you know anyone in business so clever that they truly believe their unfair actions are intelligent?
