Five World Championships. 30+ years at the highest levels of Formula One and Formula E. An F1 team built from scratch in 100 days. An MBA from the University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. The Motorsport MBA is where all of it comes together — a leadership framework forged under race-day pressure and refined through Oxford-level rigour.
Making Winning a Science
As a mechanical engineer who studied at Monash University and went on to roles with GM Holden, McLaren Formula One, and Arrows Grand Prix, I wanted to start my own F1 team — and so I did an MBA at The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School. The idea of a “Motorsport MBA” was born.
These aren’t analogies. They’re operating principles tested at 200mph, where the cost of ambiguity is measured in milliseconds and the margin between winning and losing is invisible to the naked eye.
Attending The University of Oxford’s Saïd Business School while founding Super Aguri F1
The Motorsport MBA draws on lessons from McLaren, Arrows and Super Aguri in Formula One, startups, and five World Championships in Formula E, and translates them into frameworks any organisation can apply. It has been presented to Saïd Business School and Oxford Brookes MBA students, as well as to senior leadership conferences for sponsors and corporates across Europe. As McLaren’s Ron Dennis said:
“When I came into motor racing so many things were a black art. But black art was a cloak for ‘we really don’t know’. It was intuitive engineering. I decided to make it a science. We will develop science to take away uncertainty to make winning a certainty.”
Ron Dennis, McLaren
The Seven Principles of Winning Engineering
Over 30 years in high-performance motorsport, I’ve identified seven repeatable patterns behind championship performance. These aren’t theories — they’re the operating system I’ve used to win at McLaren, build Super Aguri F1, dominate Formula E with DS Techeetah, and now lead Lola’s return to international racing.
01 — Make Everything a Science
Replace myth with measurement. Motorsport once hid behind “black arts” — the idea that some things couldn’t be explained. The only way to win consistently is to turn instinct into evidence. No superstition, no guessing. If the opposition is winning, assume they’ve systemised something you haven’t yet. Consistency comes from clarity, not magic.
02 — Winning Is a System, Not a Moment
Championships are built, not found. Our DS Techeetah seasons proved this: once you have the right building blocks — driver, powertrain, team cohesion, communication — performance becomes repeatable. Stable people, stable technical concepts, tight feedback cycles. We don’t chase miracles. We build mechanisms.
03 — Chase the Frontier
Go where the competition hasn’t entrenched yet. I picked simulation early in F1 when few were doing it. I jumped to Formula E when many dismissed it. I explored autonomy with StreetDrone before it was mainstream. In frontier fields, you aren’t competing with 40-year experts — you arrive at the same time as everyone else. Move toward the area where new knowledge gives you leverage.
04 — Curiosity as Competitive Advantage
Tools change. People change. Curiosity keeps you ahead. The need for something new, something hard, something uncertain — that’s not a distraction, it’s a performance engine. Curiosity drives faster learning, better questions, cross-disciplinary insights, and breakthroughs during resource constraints. If you stop learning, you start losing.
05 — Communication Is the Hidden Performance Variable
Engineering fails quietly; communication fails loudly. Two world-class drivers once crashed into each other because they weren’t on the same page about lap counts. Our championship year validated the principle of over-communication: tell me twice — I’d rather hear something twice than not at all. A team that communicates honestly performs honestly.
06 — Balance Specialists and Integrators
High-performance teams need both depth and synthesis. Specialists own the details. Integrators translate across domains. Leaders architect the system. I learned this moving from specialist roles in stress analysis, finite elements, and simulation to integrator roles as Technical Director and Team Principal. The glue matters as much as the gears.
07 — Racing as Laboratory
Motorsport isn’t just sport — it’s a fast-feedback R&D ecosystem. From Super Aguri to DS Techeetah to Lola’s current programmes, I use racing as a proving ground for electrification, a risk-reduction environment for emerging technologies, and a stress-test for organisational design. Every two weeks, you see whether your ideas beat the world’s best. Racing is a competition for engineers as much as for drivers.
The Winning Engineering Loop
The Seven Principles come together in a continuous cycle that drives championship performance:
Sense — Curiosity and frontier awareness surface new ideas.
Model — Make everything a science through simulation and analysis.
Build — Specialists execute while integrators align, bound by communication.
Test — Race, gather data, analyse feedback.
Refine — Iterate with stability, build culture, drive repeatability.
This loop is the methodology I’ve been running for 25 years — from the McLaren Technology Centre to the pit wall in Formula E, and now at Lola Cars.
What People Say
“Participants at the Oxford Healthcare Leadership Programme offered by the Saïd Business School have found Mark Preston’s insights of enormous value. His reflective and engaging style transforms the lessons learnt over a lifetime as a leader in elite motor racing into practical frameworks and advice applicable to any high performance environment.”
Eleanor Murray, Associate Dean for Executive Education, Saïd Business School, University of Oxford
“Mark gave us an inspired presentation on his career, business endeavours and challenges. We appreciated very much his honest and transparent insights on the managerial and leadership elements behind his successes. There are incredible learnings to take away as managers. I would highly recommend that other Divisions in TotalEnergies consider having Mark present to them.”
Kevin McLachlan, Senior VP Exploration, TotalEnergies
Format
The Motorsport MBA is available as a 45–90 minute keynote, a half-day or full-day leadership workshop, or as a multi-session executive education programme tailored to your organisation’s challenges. Mark works with event organisers and HR/L&D teams to design the format that best fits the audience and objectives.
Selected Past Delivery
Saïd Business School, University of Oxford · Oxford Brookes University MBA · TotalEnergies Senior Leadership · Oxford Healthcare Leadership Programme · Credit Suisse Paris Auto Show Investor Conference · FT Future of the Car Summit · Mines and Money London · Lisbon Mobi Summit · Future Powertrain Conference · Oxford Platinum Lectures
Book the Motorsport MBA
Get in touch to discuss how the Motorsport MBA can work for your team, conference, or leadership programme. You can also book via Champions Speakers Bureau or Great British Speakers.
Many of the Motorsport MBA themes are also available as standalone keynote presentations. For ongoing strategic engagement, explore Advisory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Motorsport MBA?
The Motorsport MBA is Mark Preston’s proprietary leadership framework built on the Seven Principles of Winning Engineering. It translates the disciplines of elite motorsport — systems thinking, high-pressure decision-making, competitive intelligence, and continuous improvement — into practical tools for business leaders. It draws on Mark’s 30+ years at the highest levels of Formula One and Formula E, combined with his Oxford MBA from Saïd Business School. It is delivered as keynote presentations, half-day and full-day workshops, and executive education programmes.
What are the Seven Principles of Winning Engineering?
The Seven Principles are the core intellectual framework of the Motorsport MBA: Make Everything a Science, Winning Is a System Not a Moment, Chase the Frontier, Curiosity as Competitive Advantage, Communication Is the Hidden Performance Variable, Balance Specialists and Integrators, and Racing as Laboratory. Each principle is drawn from specific championship-winning experiences across Formula One and Formula E, and each translates directly into actionable business leadership practices.
Who is the Motorsport MBA designed for?
The Motorsport MBA is designed for senior leaders, executive teams, MBA cohorts, and high-performance organisations who want to move beyond generic leadership theory. It is particularly valuable for companies navigating rapid change, competitive disruption, or the challenge of building high-performance cultures from scratch. Mark has delivered it to audiences in automotive, technology, energy, financial services, healthcare, defence, and sport.
How does motorsport experience translate into business leadership?
Motorsport is one of the highest-stakes operational environments on earth. Decisions made in seconds have consequences that are immediate and measurable. Teams must perform perfectly in public, under extreme pressure, with limited resources and intense competition. These are not metaphors for business — they are the same challenges, at a different speed. The Motorsport MBA framework extracts the mental models, processes, and cultural practices that enable consistent high performance in motorsport, and makes them directly applicable to any competitive organisation.
Can the Motorsport MBA be delivered as a workshop or keynote?
Yes. The Motorsport MBA is available in multiple formats: as a 45–90 minute keynote that introduces the framework and key concepts; as a half-day or full-day interactive workshop that goes deeper into each principle with exercises and team application; or as a multi-session executive education programme tailored to a specific organisation’s challenges. Mark works with event organisers and HR/L&D teams to design the format that best fits the audience and objectives.
What is Mark’s connection to Oxford Saïd Business School?
Mark completed his Executive MBA at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, one of the world’s leading business schools. The Oxford MBA experience — particularly its focus on strategy, systems thinking, and leadership in complex environments — directly informed the Motorsport MBA framework. Mark brings both the rigour of an Oxford education and the lived experience of leading championship-winning motorsport teams to every engagement.
How do I book Mark Preston for a speaking engagement?
You can book Mark directly via the contact form, through Champions Speakers Bureau, or via Great British Speakers. Mark’s team typically responds within 24–48 hours to discuss dates, topics, and formats.