Abracadabra from the pit wall: 'The driver has to understand the strategy'

One of the most exciting yet most difficult positions within a Formula 1 team is that of strategy engineer. This man or woman is ultimately responsible for the team's strategy. If things go well, they are celebrated. If the race goes wrong because of a strategy, they are the butt of the joke.

At Aston Martin, Tom McCullough is the Team Performance Manager responsible for the strategy of Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll's cars. He himself calls it the hardest job there is in Formula 1 because you are constantly working to translate ever-changing data and circumstances into a strategy.

According to him, the most difficult thing for a strategist is to learn how to react during situations that turn out differently than originally expected. " It's all about situational awareness and we do a lot of training on this – being able to take a step back and look at what's actually happening," McCullough says on his employer's website. "You have to be agile; the best strategy teams are very agile. We'd all love to do the strategy after the race with the benefit of hindsight, but you can't do that. It's only live once. You have to decide in the moment. That's what makes this job so challenging."

Over the radio, the strategists talk to the other engineers and the drivers in code language: plan A, plan B, and so on. "You need to ensure your drivers understand the strategy," says the Briton, pointing out that conversations with the most diverse sections within the team take place continuously during a Grand Prix weekend. "So if you're pursuing a career in this area you need to be a confident, effective and efficient communicator," McCullough informs aspiring strategists in advance.