Welcome at RacingNews365

Become part of the largest racing community in the United Kingdom. Create your free account now!

  • Share your thoughts and opinions about F1
  • Win fantastic prizes
  • Get access to our premium content
  • Take advantage of more exclusive benefits
Sign in

Mercedes Formula E employing 'no blame’ culture like Formula 1 team

After a season that saw the Mercedes Formula E team hampered by reliability issues, a new approach should help them get back on track when the 2021 campaign begins in Saudi Arabia on February 26.

In an effort to eliminate operational errors that popped up in 2020, the Mercedes Formula E team will use the same 'no blame culture' that's proven to be a success for the Formula 1 outfit. Although Stoffel Vandoorne managed to finish second in the drivers' standings, teammate Nyck de Vries was plagued by reliability issues. Eliminating those errors is a top priority for the team, with Mercedes team principal Ian James revealing the 'no blame' culture will help staff deal with errors without fear of being rebuked. “We’ve got a robust process in place in terms of how we deal with faults, be they technical faults or operational errors, and how we then contain them," James told Motorsport.com. “We talk a lot within Mercedes-Benz Motorsport as a whole about this ‘no blame’ culture. “That’s crucially important because that gives people the opportunity to talk very honestly about what’s happened without the fear of reprisal. It enables us to get to the route of the problem and then make sure it doesn’t happen again. At the end of the day, we’re at the beginning of this journey still. “Would I continue to use the fact that we are new [as an excuse]? No, because our rookie year is now behind us. We cannot make errors twice, that’s clear. We’re still going to be learning but the operational excellence and the precision that’s required in Formula E is of paramount importance. “We’re confident the package we’ve got [for 2021] is strong. If we can eliminate those errors, then we’ll put ourselves in as good position. That’s really been the focus leading up to season seven.” The 2021 Formula E season is scheduled to begin with the Diryah ePrix in Saudi Arabia on February 26.

x