When Tradition and Innovation Collide: The Case of Formula 1 World Championship

Tradition and innovation are often seen in potential tension. In this chapter, the authors investigate how organizations can manage this tension by adopting hybrid strategies, blending the preservation of tradition and the drive to innovation. As outlined by many researchers for different industries such as opera, food, and film-making, tradition can be a source for innovation and innovation can strengthen the reproduction of tradition. The authors explore these dynamics in the field of Motorsport, looking at the evolution of Formula 1 World Championship from 1950 to 2024. In particular, the authors observe how racetracks, the arena where the history of races took place, have changed to respond to the need of innovation driven by safety and, increasingly, business and marketing goals. Evidence from the evolution of Formula 1 circuits reveal how Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and the Formula 1 organizers, lately Formula One Group belonging to Liberty Media, have adopted hybrid strategies that changed, sometimes drastically, the racetracks without canceling the traces of the heroic past, which Formula 1 owes its enduring success to.