Debrief to Improve: Lessons from the Red Arrows and Formula 1
Why Debriefing Is Crucial for High-Performance Teams
In Formula 1, every millisecond counts. As the season progresses, each team is relentlessly analysing its on-track performance, meticulously debriefing every session to find more speed, improve reliability, and optimise strategy. This isn't just a post-race review; it's a fundamental part of their high-performance culture.
The process of debriefing is a powerful tool for learning and improvement, a practice that transcends the racetrack and holds immense value for businesses of all kinds.
The concept of a structured debrief isn't unique to motorsport. Years ago, a former commander of the Red Arrows, the iconic aerobatic display team of Britain’s Royal Air Force, described their own rigorous debriefing process. After every training flight and public display, the team would come together with a clear goal: to improve performance, ensure safety, and maximise learning. This approach, where every member is encouraged to contribute their perspective, is a cornerstone of elite performance.
Whether you're in a boardroom or a cockpit, the core principles are the same.
How to Implement an Effective Debriefing Process in Your Business
Adopting a debriefing culture can transform your team's performance, but it requires a structured approach. Just like an F1 team, you need a clear framework to get the most out of every session.
Debrief to Improve: Lessons from the Red Arrows and Formula 1
A Blueprint for High-Performance Teams
The Formula 1 season is in full swing, and at this stage, every team is carefully analysing their on-track performance in pursuit of more speed, better reliability and optimum strategy. That means meticulously debriefing every session.
Years ago, I attended a talk by a former commander of the Red Arrows, the iconic aerobatic display team of Britain’s Royal Air Force. He described their structured debriefing process after every training flight and public display. The aim? To improve performance, ensure safety and maximise learning.
I learned that:
Every flight is filmed from multiple camera angles, including cockpit footage. The team watches together, analysing formation, spacing, timing and synchronicity in detail.
Debriefs are rank-free. Despite being a military unit, anyone can speak up – leader, junior pilot or ground crew. This creates psychological safety and keeps the focus on the manoeuvre, not the person.
Pilots call out their own mistakes before anyone else does. It builds personal accountability and a shared commitment to growth.
Errors are treated as opportunities. The team embraces a mindset of continuous improvement through marginal gains.
When an error is identified, the team will do a root cause analysis. This enables deeper examination of the particular error, not just the first layer of the “onion.” After a properly run debrief, each team member leaves with lessons learned for next time.
This approach resonated deeply – it mirrors the post-session debriefs that happen in every Formula 1 team.
No Blame, Just Better
After each session on track, drivers and engineers meet to review TV footage, data and performance. They are joined over intercom with the team in the race support rooms back at the factories, connecting remote experts into the discussion.
A debrief usually starts with the engineers’ insights: what the data revealed, any setup changes made and any reliability concerns. The driver then gives their perspective – what felt good, what didn’t and what could be improved. They may also reflect on how the team could better support them.
There is no blame or finger-pointing, just a calm and neutral assessment of where the team is and what needs to be done to improve. Then on the Monday after the race, the whole team back at the factory is invited to a debrief, enabling everyone to understand what work needs to be done.
Both the Red Arrows and F1 teams know that what happens after the session - the humble, structured feedback in the debrief - is where gains can be made.
Culture of Continuous Learning
Having learned from these high-stakes, high-performance environments, this is an approach we can take in our own projects and when working with teams. At Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team we used an Agile-inspired debrief framework:
What went well?
What didn’t go well?
What can we improve for next time? (Even Better If…)
What makes a debrief truly effective is not just the structure, but the tone. At Mercedes, one of the unwritten ground rules was to “assume positive intent.” That means approaching the conversation from a place of curiosity, not criticism. It invites candour, rather than defensiveness. If someone tried something new that didn’t work, the conversation isn’t about blame - it’s about learning. “What did we learn from trying that approach?” becomes a more powerful question than “Why did that go wrong?”
Pausing to recognise what went well, honestly and openly acknowledge what didn’t go as well as expected, and consider what the team could do differently to achieve a better outcome.
It’s all part of a continuous learning loop:
Plan
Execute
Debrief
Refine
Repeat
This approach fosters what psychologists call a growth mindset. It creates space for experimentation, learning and shared accountability. And it sets the conditions for people to take the kinds of risks that lead to innovation - whether in the cockpit, the boardroom or a project planning session.
Small Habits, Big Impact
A few other small practices can go a long way in strengthening a team’s debriefing culture:
Make it routine: Debriefs shouldn’t be reserved for when things go wrong. Regularly debriefing after both successes and failures keeps the learning loop alive. Some of the richest insights come from unpacking what worked well and why.
Start with self-reflection: Invite team members to reflect individually before group discussion. A simple prompt: “What am I most proud of?” or “What would I do differently?” - can help people tune in before they speak up.
Capture and share learnings: Document the key points and action items from debriefs and make them accessible to the wider team. Over time, this builds a living knowledge base that strengthens collective memory and performance.
Keep it human: Debriefs don’t have to be formal or long-winded. Sometimes, a 15-minute check-in with a few thoughtful questions is all it takes. It’s about the habit, not the format.
Lead the Way
In my experience, leaders who model this kind of reflective practice - by admitting their own missteps and showing a willingness to learn - create the psychological safety that elevates team performance. They signal that excellence isn’t about perfection; it’s about improvement. And that success isn’t only about outcomes; it’s about how well a team learns and grows together.
As well as engineering and technical project debriefs, this formula was also applied to other functions, such as marketing, event and communication. In fact, some of the most powerful debriefs happen outside of the obvious high-performance areas. What separates the good teams from the great ones is the discipline to formalise these moments of reflection - however small - and make them part of the culture.
Whether it’s a leadership town hall, a project or an event, there’s always value in taking a moment afterwards to ask: How can we make this even better next time? Rewind the footage in your mind. Replay the key moments. Invite others to do the same. Ask what worked, what didn’t, and what could be even better. We don’t need a jet aircraft or a race car to benefit from a debrief – we just need the mindset.
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