Mark Preston of StreetDrone shared exciting advancements at the Cenex Expo. He detailed future plans in vehicle autonomy. These plans focus on industrial and logistics environments. The conversation centered on StreetDrone’s successful work at Nissan’s Sunderland plant. The company transitioned from their 5GCal project to a newly funded endeavor. This new project is focused on scaling and commercialisation.
Scaling Autonomy in Real-World Industrial Settings
Preston highlighted that StreetDrone is expanding its autonomous fleet from initial trials to four operational trucks within the Nissan facility. These trucks are tasked with moving goods throughout the site. The real innovation, according to Preston, lies in targeting environments like factories and ports. This includes upcoming deployments at the Port of Rotterdam. These environments have private roads and controlled speeds, which allow for faster, safer commercialization of autonomous technology.
From Proof of Concept to Commercialization
The proven success at Nissan opened doors for StreetDrone to secure new projects abroad. Preston emphasized that areas like industrial logistics and port operations are the most immediate opportunities. They are viable and revenue-generating in terms of autonomy. This places StreetDrone among the UK’s leading players in this space.
Collaborating for Scale and Future Growth
The interview concluded with Preston stressing the importance of partnerships, industry collaboration, and continued outreach. StreetDrone is engaging with potential customers at events like Cenex. They also connect with industry supply chain partners. By doing so, StreetDrone is positioning itself at the forefront of commercializing autonomous vehicle technology for logistics. They are also focusing on industrial use cases.
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.
To keep up with my latest work in motorsport, autonomous vehicles, and innovation, connect with me on LinkedIn or explore more projects at www.MarkAndrewPreston.com.
In a recent interview, Mark Preston, CEO of DS TECHEETAH Formula E team, shared insights into the world of electric Motorsport and the strategies driving its growing popularity. From its unique approach to fan engagement to its commitment to sustainability, Formula E is carving out a distinct identity in the racing world.
From Engineering Roots to Leading a Formula E Team
Preston’s journey in Motorsport began with a hands-on approach during his engineering degree. He started by manufacturing motor racing cars and working with Formula Fords. Encouraged to join F1, he moved to the UK and worked his way up at Arrows Grand Prix and McLaren before starting his own Formula 1 team with Aguri Suzuki and Honda. This diverse experience paved the way for his leadership role in Formula E.
Formula E: Racing Reimagined
Formula E distinguishes itself from Formula 1 in several key ways:
Electric Power: As the only fully electric racing sport, Formula E champions sustainability.
Urban Landscapes: Races occur on city centre street circuits, bringing the action to fans.
Sustainability Focus: Formula E is the first sport to be Net Zero since its beginning, offsetting all logistics and emissions.
Fan Engagement: Innovative features like Fan Boost and Attack Mode create an interactive and exciting experience for viewers.
Fan Engagement: Getting Closer to the Action
DS TECHEETAH employs several strategies to build and maintain fan engagement:
Behind-the-Scenes Access: Allowing increased filming in pit lanes and garages.
Fan Boost: Enabling fans to vote for their favourite driver and give them a temporary power boost.
Attack Mode: Introducing a gaming element with strategic power boosts.
Experimentation: Embracing new ideas to enhance the fan experience.
Focus on Experience: Creating excitement and helping fans understand the drivers’ and teams’ stress levels.
Social Media: Using platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to connect with fans on different levels.
Esports Partnerships: Collaborating with partners like Marley to engage fans through Esports.
Sustainability: A Core Value
Formula E’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its Net Zero status and efforts to reduce single-use plastics. This resonates with a younger audience that is increasingly conscious of environmental issues. The series also attracts sponsors who want to align with green initiatives and tell stories about electric vehicles and renewable energy.
Looking to the Future
Preston envisions a future where Formula E continues to lead the way in sustainable Motorsport. He highlights the importance of thinking five to ten years ahead to shape the future of electric car technology and fan experience. By experimenting with new formats and technologies, Formula E aims to remain at the forefront of innovation and continue to excite fans.
Mark Preston, currently the Motorsport Director at Lola Cars, shares his inspiring journey in the racing world. From his early days working with Formula Fords in Australia to leading teams in Formula 1 and Formula E. His passion for motorsport has been a constant throughout his career, driving him to innovate and adapt to new challenges. He discusses his latest venture, bringing Lola Cars back to motorsport after a decade, in collaboration with Yamaha, to compete in the next Formula E season. Preston highlights the excitement of this project, describing it as an opportunity to push the boundaries of electrified motorsport while forming a new team dynamic with engineers, drivers, and partners.
Throughout the interview, Preston emphasizes the importance of passion, perseverance, and collaboration in motorsport. He shares insights into the challenges of pioneering in Formula E, the benefits of electrification, and the technical evolution of racing. Mark also parallels motorsport and other industries, illustrating how marginal gains, teamwork, and innovative thinking can create impactful outcomes. With his eyes set on the upcoming Formula E season, Preston’s enthusiasm for driving progress, both on and off the track, underscores his commitment to advancing motorsport technology and fostering a culture of excellence.
The first race for Lola in over a decade at São Paulo Fórmula E
As you all well know, AI tools are moving forward at a great rate of knots, so its worth saying that this post is being created in Oct 2024, because this might be out of date in months if not weeks!
If you haven’t had a try of Google’s NotebookLM, its definitely worth experimenting with.
In this particular case, I’ve taken all the publicly available Podcast that I have appeared on (links on the site), and have uploaded them all into a “notebook”.
The transcriptions from YouTube videos were used as input for the NoteBook, along with direct transcriptions from the podcast. When direct transcriptions were not possible due to the podcast being aired on a different platform like Spotify.
🚀 Thrilled to share my journey in motorsport through the “How to Become an F1 Technical Director”interview. I reflected on my transition from a mechanical engineer in Australia. This journey led me to work with some of the top teams in Formula 1 and Formula E. It has been an incredible experience.
The key takeaways for anyone pursuing a motorsport career are important. 💡 Specialization matters—find what you’re passionate about and excel in it. 💡 Adaptability is crucial—the road is rarely straight, but you can navigate the twists and turns with the right mindset. 💡 Don’t be afraid to take risks. The opportunities that seem uncertain may shape your career the most.
I started my journey with Arrows Grand Prix. Then, I worked with McLaren Racing. Now, I am leading at Lola Cars. I’ve learned that persistence and passion are key ingredients to success. Excited to see what’s next as we gear up for another exciting Formula E season! ⚡
In 1976 I was 8 years old, living on a farm in Kiacatoo, outside Condobolin in central New South Wales, and… into trucks. For Christmas that year I was given my first LP: ’24 Great Truck Drivin’ Songs’. It even had CB Trucker Talk code words on the back to decode the “secret” trucker talk, and this led me to build myself a side band radio to listen to the truck drivers in the vicinity!
Being on a farm in the wheat country meant a lot of trucks and I would often be found sketching ‘18 wheelers’ (see CB code for a 5-axle truck) with chrome and spotlights adorning the cab and bull bars. We would often go to the Farm Days in local towns to check out equipment with my dad and uncle to see what new ideas were available and admire the shiny rigs and monster tractors that are common in the outback of Australia.
Each year in the harvesting season, when not in school, I would join my dad and grandfather on the trip to the grain silo in the centre of the town, about 30 miles away. We would carry around 10-15 tonnes of wheat in each load.
My dad remembers his favourite story of me being an earnest young man. He was driving the F600 with a dog trailer fully loaded with 13 tonnes of grain, from the farm to the wheat silo in Condobolin.
Pictured: My father with the multi-purpose F600 Ford with a 500 gallon tank with optional tipping tray and cattle pen
Given the angle of the truck on a crossroads, he asked me if there were any cars coming.
I replied: “No cars.” So he set off changing through the gears of the 8-speed gearbox with the fully loaded truck.
“But there is a truck”, I said literally
“£(%*£@£(£*£!@”, was the reply… But we made it to the silo and he learned to ask very literal questions from then on.
Fixing the Staines Truck
One school holiday my cousins and I decided to fix a truck to keep us busy. We found an old Comer truck pictured below, that my uncle had taken the crane off the back and onto a new truck chassis. The old Comer had stood around for many years and was not operational.
Over the next few days we would walk into my uncle’s shed and ask how things worked. After vacuuming out the spiders and ants we tried to start it with the keys that were in the ignition. No joy.
First question: How do engines start?
“You will need some fuel and a battery.”
“How does a battery work and why would this one be broken”, we pointed to the truck battery we had brought into the main workshop. “Be careful with the battery acid.”
After learning about the water in a lead acid battery and hooking it up for the night on a trickle charge we left to create makeshift seats out of bean bags and a chair for the driver!
Next, the fuel tank
Next was a fuel tank, as you can see in the picture, a 44 gallon drum, NOT strapped down to the chassis! We had to learn how to prime a fuel pump and then finally, bump start the truck with a tractor. Oh, and I think we also had to learn how to drive at the same time, as there were multiple jobs to be done!
Pictured: Mark in the driver’s seat with sisters and cousins
As we sped past the main shed, my uncle looked out and noticed that not only did we not have the fuel tank strapped down, but we also had an exhaust which did not have a muffler, and in the middle of Australia, that is how bushfires get started!
All good fun!
Pictured: Tractor used for bump starting our truck adventure
From driving to designing
After university, I started work designing dangerous goods trails for a company called Tieman in Melbourne. My first vehicle was a hydrogen peroxide tanker, my first experience at designing a Class A pressure vessel. The second one was a bitumen tanker. I really enjoyed that experience as I travelled around with some of the truck drivers understanding what they – as the customer – really needed and made updates to the design of the tanks accordingly.
Pictured: Tieman bitumen tanker
Little did I know that I would get back to trucks through a career in Formula E and Formula 1 and bring that technology to the autonomous trucking industry with StreetDrone. StreetDrone is pioneering the commercialisation of yard logistics in the trucking sector with our highly successful project at Nissan’s Sunderland plant where we work closely with Hitachi Vantec, Nokia, BP, and the North Eastern Automotive Alliance. I’ve come full circle, only now with technology that we couldn’t have imagined in the 70s, like teleoperation, electric powertrains and, of course, autonomy.
Move the Ball: Mark Preston, Pushing the Boundaries in Motorsports and Beyond.
Mark Preston’s illustrious career in motorsports is a testament to his passion, innovation, and leadership. From his early beginnings in Australia, where he developed a love for cars while working on a farm, to his groundbreaking achievements in Formula 1 with Arrows Grand Prix and McLaren, Preston has consistently pushed the boundaries of engineering and technology.
His entrepreneurial spirit led to the rapid establishment of the Super Aguri Formula 1 team, built from scratch in just 100 days. Transitioning to Formula E, Preston played a pivotal role in its inception, leading Team Aguri and DS TECHEETAH to multiple championships. Now, as the Motorsport Director at Lola Cars, he continues to drive innovation with a focus on sustainability, underscored by a new partnership with Yamaha for Formula E.
Mark Preston’s journey is a remarkable blend of technical expertise and visionary leadership, making him a significant figure in the evolution of motorsports.
If you want to understand how StreetDrone came to be, simply visit their office courtyard around the end of June every summer.
The StreetDrone Summer Party has become legendary in the tech industry in the UK. In this little corner of Oxford, you’ll find autonomous vehicles running nonchalantly up and down the road outside the StreetDrone HQ, showing off their very-much-here technology, while inside the courtyard is a treasure trove of workshops, coding spaces, simulation rigs and, of course, the office bar.
Around the office space, you’ll notice an intriguing blend of motorsport paraphernalia, carbon fibre tubs leaning casually against the wall and empty podium champagne bottles standing next to proud championship winners trophies.
But this isn’t quite a racing team – at least not in the traditional sense.
Mike Potts and Mark Preston are the co-founders of StreetDrone. Both have an appetite for adventure and entrepreneurship, starting their lifelong friendship after meeting in Australia as teenagers.
The first time we ever worked together was actually on a paper round when we were in our early teens
Mark Preston
Cycling the streets of Canterbury in Melbourne, the two dreamed of interesting ways to use technology, especially early stage home computers, to have a real impact on the world – from learning how to create 3D graphics on a BBC Micro to building a rudimental solar heating rig for Mark’s parents pool.
DIVERGENCE_
Mike returned to the UK in 1985, and after dropping out at his first attempt at university – in his own often-repeated words, “I would say I’m a failed, wannabe engineer at heart” – his second attempt, at Oxford Brookes University, became the catalyst for his fledgling business career to take off.
At the start of his final year of study he went to Lloyds Bank on Oxford high street, convincing the business manager to loan him £1000, which bought a “very second-hand” van, allowing him to do deliveries and assemblies of flat-pack furniture for the Futon Company, among others. This was a turning point for Mike, proving to himself he could make something from nothing and generate a good profit at the same time, all while completing his university degree.
Meanwhile in Australia, Mark attended the prestigious Monash University and, frustrated at its largely theoretical teachings, decided to additionally gain practical experience in the proven motorsport training ground of Formula Fords with Borland Racing Developments. Designing and manufacturing the successful Spectrum FF1600 machine, Mark also enjoyed spells with General Motors Holden, working with pioneering crash analysis simulations.
But it was his work with Tom Walkinshaw Racing’s Holden Special Vehicles outfit that led him to the UK and into Formula 1. When the organisation bought the Arrows Formula 1 Team, Mark followed to the UK in 1996.
STARS ALLIGNING_
Mike used his skills and experience gained from his delivery business to stand out when he applied for a role with Coca-Cola in 1998, earning the job and the company van that allowed him to regularly see best friend Mark in Oxford, sowing the seeds for StreetDrone’s future.
However, both had industries to transform and companies to lead before reaching autonomous vehicles.
INDIVIDUAL SUCCESSES_
Winning on Track
When Arrows folded in 2002, Mark moved to McLaren and linked up with the famous Adrian Newey, overseeing stress analysis, composite design, materials, and vehicle laboratories.
Then came a greater challenge, joining forces with Aguri Suzuki to create an F1 team in just 100 days, working as the Founder and Technical Director of the new team: the Super Aguri Honda F1 Team. This is now a story infamous among the employees of StreetDrone, told in hushed tones around the campfire.
While short-lived in F1, it was a partnership that was revived in 2013 when Mark headed up one of the first-ever Formula E Teams, Team Aguri, as one of only 10 founding Team Principals, in leading a motorsport revolution as it embraced e-mobility.
Mark would leave an incredible impact in Formula E, becoming the most successful Team Principal in the series as it evolved into DS-Techeetah, winning 3 Drivers’ and 2 Teams’ World Championships.
Speaking to Mark now, he’s incredibly humble about his achievements on-track and is clearly striving for the next level in performance, always. Optimisation is the game and Mark is pretty good at winning.
Transforming the World of Data
Mike would begin working with pioneering technologies, joining the fledgling Expedia in 2000 as just the seventh employee on the books in the UK.
Heavyweights Microsoft pushed Expedia forward, helping Mike put himself front and centre in the world of e-commerce, not only in the UK, but across Expedia’s fledgling European operations.
It was the perfect grounding for Mike to launch his second business, and in 2006, Elisa Interactive Group was formed, focussing on data analytics and the optimisation of ecommerce sites across the UK, Spain and Portugal.
After seven years, and clients ranging from Zara to Sky.com, Elisa Interactive was acquired by multinational media agency Havas and Mike became the Chief Data Officer of Havas’s operations in the UK.
CONVERGENCE_
Improving the Lives of People in Cities
Both feeling they needed new challenges, there was the burning desire to be at the vanguard of pioneering technology, and a global event helped them focus on their next move.
The Eyjafjallajökull volcano eruption, which covered much of Europe in ash clouds and grounded flights, led to Mike spending five days in Oxford with Mark, during which time they dreamed big.
All day they would analyse global technology companies, before unwinding in the local pub in the evening, laying the groundwork for what would later become their move into the autonomous technology sector.
In 2015, rising to the challenge of future transportation and mobility in Oxfordshire, Mike and Mark co-founded the MobOx Foundation. They teamed up with Oxford University, Oxford Brookes University, and the Oxfordshire County Council, providing the perfect opportunity for their shared knowledge of data, motorsport, automotive, and business to dovetail. This proved pivotal in the founding of StreetDrone one year later.
StreetDrone is Born
From there, the pair never looked back. In 2016, it was the turn of Oxbotica, an autonomous vehicle software company, who requested that Mike, Mark, and future StreetDrone Technical Director Ian Murphy proposed an autonomous-ready vehicle solution: a robotised Renault Twizy concept was built to be used as an autonomous software test platform for the road by Oxbotica.
While Oxbotica decided to not go with the Oxford based solution, other potential clients saw the genius in using the Twizy. The duo pushed forward, utilising their thick contacts book, they quickly sold their first vehicle to the successful Cambridge startup Wayve.
Mike’s extensive background in marketing, commercial, and entrepreneurship, combined with Mark’s engineering expertise and experience in building high-performance teams, provides a world-class leadership team. With dozens of potential customers and the makings of a growing business, the partners set up shop in 2017 with an office in Oxford to develop their technologies from the ground up.
GROWING_
Feet on the Ground, Shoot for the Stars
Fast forward six years and this growing team (now over 35 people) in Oxford is working to change the world using its autonomous solutions. From grassroots motorsport to the future of autonomous vehicles, Mike and Mark share an insatiable appetite for creating new technologies with real applications – and now it’s paying off.
Speak to Mike about the company he has built and it’s clear – he wants StreetDrone to be the best place in the world to work.
Just look around at the community from industry that gathers at their Summer Party every year. As the team moves from success to success (with over 30 autonomous vehicles in the wild and recently completing the first autonomous deliveries at Nissan’s car plant in Sunderland), the founders manage to revel in that sweet-spot of startups: growing at a fast pace and retaining a sense of fun, empathy, and excitement for adventure.
From a paper round in Australia, to scaling both digital and four-wheeled worlds of data and motorsport, to transforming the communities of Oxfordshire and now deploying real near-term autonomy, Mike and Mark have built something remarkable together.
Lola to enter all-electric ABB FIA Formula E World Championship with technical partner Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. in an agreement to develop and supply high-performance electric powertrains.
The partnership is the first project in the motorsport brand’s bid to re-establish itself as a leading motorsport design and engineering group
Lola will be focusing on sustainable motorsport in three key areas: electrification, hydrogen and sustainable fuels and materials.
Lola Cars has announced today that it is returning to global motorsport in a multi-year technical partnership with Yamaha Motor Company and will enter the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from Season 11.
The iconic, globally renowned motorsport brand, which has more than 500 championship wins, is working with Yamaha to develop and supply a powertrain to compete in the world’s first all-electric, single seater race series. With track racing deep in the DNA of both Lola Cars and Yamaha, this new technology partnership not only provides an opportunity to join the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship as it moves to the GEN3 Evo platform for the 2024/25 season but also creates opportunities across global motorsport and in the broader zero emissions transportation space.
Mark Preston, Motorsport Director, Lola Cars Ltd “We are thrilled to confirm our entry in Formula E. For us, this is more than just an opportunity to return Lola to the track, it’s also a fantastic platform for technological development.
“Lola Cars has a decorated history of success in chassis and aerodynamic design. This project will allow us to create a unique electrified platform with a software focus at its core to provide a basis for Lola’s wider plans in defining the future of motorsport technology.”
Mark Preston – Motorsport Director – Lola Cars
The partnership is the first of several major projects planned to re-establish the British company as an industry leader in sustainable engineering and motorsport, strategically focusing on three areas of electrification, hydrogen and sustainable fuels and materials.
Till Bechtolsheimer, Chairman, Lola Cars Ltd “We are incredibly excited to be partnering with the Yamaha Motor Company as we enter the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship. To be selected by one of the most innovative OEMs in the world to partner on a project of this significance is a testament to the caliber of the team that we have been building at Lola.
“The focus of this project is squarely around technological development in which Lola is fully invested. We see the highly efficient 350 kW electric powertrain that underpins the manufacturer’s perimeter in Formula E, as a cornerstone technology with exciting applications across many forms of topflight international motorsport in the coming years.”
Heiji Maruyama, Managing Executive Officer and Director, Yamaha Motor co., ltd.“Yamaha Motor Company is accelerating the research and development of various technologies that contribute to sustainability. As the technical partner, we hope to acquire more advanced energy management technologies through the highest level of electric racing in Formula E. We also share Lola’s new philosophy of sustainable motorsport and we are very pleased and honored to form this partnership with them.”
Since acquiring Lola Cars in 2022, Bechtolsheimer and his team have been developing their program from a new global headquarters in Silverstone, UK, building on the legacy of the most successful manufacturer of customer race cars of all time.
Founded by Eric Broadly in 1958, Lola Cars has designed and produced nearly 5000 race cars spanning 400 different model types, gaining unparalleled success in motorsport championships around the world, including IndyCar, Le Mans, Formula 1, Can-Am, Formula 3000, Formula 5000, A1GP, Formula Ford and Touring Cars.
This partnership continues Lola Cars’ longstanding prominence in Japan. Lola Cars has a long history of involvement in Japanese motorsport, primarily in what is now known as the Japanese Super Formula Championship, winning 13 Championships in two decades from 1987 when it was known as the All Japan F3000. Lola has also notably partnered with Japanese manufacturers to create iconic vehicles across multiple racing disciplines including Formula 1, IndyCar and Le Mans.
Founded in 1958, Lola Cars is the most successful manufacturer of customer race cars of all time and has more than 500 championship wins globally. It is working to become an industry leader in sustainable engineering and motorsport, focusing on three areas of electrification, hydrogen and sustainable fuels and materials. Lola Cars will be competing in the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship from Season 11.
