The Psychology of Elite Motorsports- Life and Death- Pressures
How do you reach the pinnacle of motorsport? Luck? Talent? Or is it brains? Once you’re at the top what can cause the drop to the bottom?
In truth, there are many components that make up an elite Formula One driver.
Relentless hard work from a young age allows these men to reach the heights that they do. Many people have the capabilities to drive a car but only 20 reach F1 level every year. These drivers reach speeds of up to 223mph and can accelerate from 0-100km/h in approximately 2.6 seconds. It is very obvious that not all of us would be able to control a car at these speeds and we certainly wouldn’t be able to manoeuvre a car with such downforce around tight corners and keep them on track!
Clearly, these athletes need to have impeccable reflexes and skill to be able to focus on not only their drive but also those around them. It requires long hours of practice to learn and interpret the sensations that F1 driving produces. The mental strength to deal with the stressors of driving at this level is high and there are many things that can impact this.
“If someone wants to be better at sport, there has to be a science behind their progress. It’s like developing a racing car: it has to be calculated, with tests to analyse how to make it better. A human being is the same. F1 has physical demands – but it is also a mind game.” –Mika Häkkinen, double World Champion.
The drivers need to ensure they are at a level of maximum concentration and focus over the course of the whole race as well as the lead up to them. This is why mental coaching is (FINALLY) starting to make its way into the motorsports world. People are beginning to realise that the physicality and psychology of these drivers is essential for success.
During a race, the drivers have to put up with many challenges. These challenges can be overtaking, keeping cool at “Light’s Out”, maintaining control following a mistake, and much, much more. They must ensure they are in the right headspace at all times to maintain their safety and the safety of those around them. If they are not “in the zone” then there can be extreme consequences.
These drivers are the best at what they do and because of this, they put their lives on the line to prove they can become World Champion. It is ESSENTIAL that their psychology is on point at all times throughout the season. But when pressures and distractions creep in, does this impact drivers’ performances?
There have been many instances recently where driver’s performances have cracked under pressure. It is proven that stress, in the right amount, helps you to focus and perform at your optimum level. Conversely, an overload of pressure, resulting in stress, can cause performance anxiety which cannot allow you to perform relaxed, confident, or focussed.
An example of pressure impacting a driver’s ability is Pierre Gasly, a driver who races with extreme determination when driving for serious positions. However, when Gasly was driving for a position in Red Bull it seemed as though his focus weakened. In 2019 Pierre Gasly was under the watchful eye of the media as he navigated his way through his first season with Red Bull. The French driver became the focal point of much criticism, race after race, Gasly was criticised for his lack of pace in comparison to his teammate at the time, Max Verstappen, this constant pressure looming over him is something that anyone’s mental state would be affected by. As the season progressed and the stress mounted Gasly tried to prevent the inevitable seat swap waiting for him but as stated by Red Bull team principle, Christian Horner, Pierre’s downfall at the team was due to his obsession with the statistics of everything rather than the racing, ultimately knocking his confidence within himself. The Frenchman was replaced after the summer break in 2019 by rookie Alex Albon. While Alex Albon still managed to put in some great performances under extreme social pressure the same happened to the Thai driver who will be replaced by Sergio Perez for the 2021 season. (To read more about Red Bull seat swaps you can read our blog Musical Chairs, shameless promo hehe)
Two-time Formula One World Champion, Mika Häkkinen explained at the IMD Orchestrating Winning Performance program in 2017 how the pressures of F1 can affect a driver and how he coped with it. Pressure starts from a young age, with Hakkinen stating he had to handle up to 200 races a year in karting where you have to drive your optimal to progress further. The “Flying Finn” advised that “you need to understand yourself” stating that he never let himself be anything less than a winner. “The pressure was enormous” with a huge team to win for and the unavoidable presence of the media, he needed to find something to control the pressure looming over his head. He would only focus on the start of the race and nothing else “Go back over the procedure in your mind. Pay attention to one thing and do it well”.
The brain is a Formula One driver’s most important asset, it takes impeccable training to get their reflexes and focus up to the standard to reach elite motorsports level. Maintaining that level is what separates those who survive in the sport and those who don’t. While the fear of life or death is an extreme pressure when racing, the pressure of not being good enough is what can make them fall down.
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Sach & Soph
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