In this in-depth conversation, Mark Preston discusses his career at the forefront of motorsport and mobility innovation. He talks about his engineering roles at Arrows and McLaren. He also discusses founding Super Aguri F1, winning titles in Formula E, and pioneering autonomous vehicle technology at Oxa. The discussion explores leadership, strategy, marginal gains, AI, and building high-performance teams.

Conversation Highlights

In a wide-ranging discussion, Mark reflects on a career defined by pushing the boundaries of engineering, leadership, and innovation. His journey spans from the racetrack to autonomous technology. He began as a simulation and stress engineer in Australia. Later, he moved to the UK to pursue his Formula 1 dream. He eventually worked with Arrows and McLaren. A turning point came when he shifted from pure engineering to business leadership. He founded Super Aguri F1. He later achieved championship success in Formula E with DS Automobiles and now Lola & Yamaha. Throughout, the constant has been a deep commitment to learning, experimentation, and building high-performing teams.

Motorsport is an unparalleled arena for decision-making under pressure. Mark highlights that performance is tested every two weeks. Even small wins, like optimising pit stops or improving team communication, compound into success. Drawing from experience at McLaren, he emphasises the importance of institutional memory. He stresses the need for scientific rigour and structured processes over black art intuition. He also discusses how strategic clarity is critical in racing. Iteration is also vital. Scenario planning helps build resilient, innovative organisations across sectors.

Beyond motorsport, Mark shares insights from his leadership at Oxa. He is applying engineering knowledge to autonomous vehicles in ports and logistics. His focus remains on practical, scalable use cases — leveraging off-highway environments and deep software integration. AI and machine learning reshape both racing and autonomy. Mark combines technical depth with organizational clarity in his approach. He continually strives to stay on the “bleeding edge” where no one has the answers — yet.

Key Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction & career overview
• 04:15 – Lessons from McLaren & Arrows
• 10:30 – Leadership in high-pressure environments
• 17:45 – Marginal gains & small wins
• 27:20 – Transition to autonomous vehicles
• 38:10 – AI & machine learning in motorsport
• 47:00 – Scenario planning & strategy