The World vs Racing Drivers: Building Character to Command Respect

Welcome to a free edition of Terence Dove on Racing drivers. This week I go on one about the team radio at the Hungagrian GP, and how it can be a major heads up for racing drivers. The audio goes into more detail, so give that a listen.

Winding up drivers mid race - What’s that all about? Original image by Alan Dove

I can't really believe what I was hearing during the F1 race at the weekend. The radio comms between teams and drivers left me gobsmacked.

What We Witnessed During the Hungarian GP

Let's talk about what happened. You had Lando Norris at McLaren being lectured about team meetings while he's trying to drive a Formula 1 car. Then there's Red Bull, with the engineer making snarky comments to Max Verstappen, knowing full well it would wind him up.

It's absurd. These drivers are at a massive disadvantage in a verbal dispute, trying to push their cars to the absolute limit or figuring out how to preserve them. And here are the teams, consulting and plotting, then starting debates and arguments with the drivers mid-race. It's not just unprofessional - it's potentially dangerous.

Everyone in racing knows you don't mess with a driver's head when they're in the car, or even right after they've stepped out. You give them time to cool down. Remember when James Hunt clocked that marshal in Monaco? He immediately regretted it, but in that moment, he was still in racing driver mode. He was an animal. Expecting drivers to be reasonable under those circumstances is madness.

The Root of the Problem - Be Grateful, or Else!

So why does this happen? I reckon there's this undercurrent in motorsport - and in life, really - where people expect drivers to be eternally grateful for their "privilege". There's this idea that drivers should always show tremendous respect for the people who've "put them there".

You could see this play out in how McLaren was talking to Norris. It was like they were saying, "You need us. Don't you dare imagine yourself to be some great hero without us." They were trying to elevate their own position by reminding Norris of his dependence on the team. But they still expect him to drive like a hero when it suits them.

It's similar with Red Bull. They were trying to dominate Verstappen with authority, talking about what's childish and what isn't. It's all about trying to guilt-trip drivers about how lucky they are, leveraging this idea of "we're all in this together" to control them. But they still want Verstappen to be the ruthless competitor who'll do whatever it takes to win on track.

This dynamic isn't just in F1 - it trickles down to all levels of motorsport. If you're a driver who's not young and you're paying for it yourself, you've probably run your own business. You can relate to people not understanding what it takes to get where you are. It's not a position of privilege - usually, it's a position where you've worked bloody hard. But people tend to point and say, "That's not fair. That person's got money. I haven't."

The crux of the issue is this: there's always an underlying power struggle. People queue up to say, "Do you realize how lucky you are? It's because of us that you're in this position." And there's always this implicit threat: "Therefore, you really ought to toe the line occasionally. Otherwise, we'll get together and bring you down."

Subordinate Team Player or Lone Wolf Monster - They Can’t Have Both

Teams are stuck in a paradox of their own making. They want drivers to be subordinate team players, following orders and putting the team first. But simultaneously, they need them to be monsters on track - these lone wolf characters who will fight for their own victory, often in direct conflict with a team mate!

Team managers will often make comments about ‘….that killer instinct’ that a driver lacks, in order to be a champion, but they want that to be under their control, as if we are talking about a trained animal that attacks on command.

For drivers, this creates an impossible environment. You're expected to be this fierce competitor on track, but a humble, grateful team player off it. It's a tightrope walk that has to lead to the kind of painfully embarrassing situations we saw playing out on the team radios - making the teams look so deficient and weak, that I could barely stand to hear them make such fools of themselves.

The real problem is that many drivers haven't used their racing experience to prepare for this. They haven't developed the character to handle these situations, because they have been through a managed process, usually under the control of racing teams or some kind of management.

I can't imagine stuff like this happening to someone like Stirling Moss or Jim Clark, who were individuals in the world before they became drivers. They were different animals altogether - they had the strength of character to command respect both on and off the track, which they had to earn.

That's why it's so crucial for drivers to start building themselves up early. You need to become the kind of force of nature that people naturally want to align with, rather than try to control. It's about developing a character so strong that no one would even think of coming at you with that HR department spiel or snarky comments. The key is to start now, long before you reach the top levels of the sport.

Building Yourself into a Racing Force of Nature

So, how do you, as a driver, work in this world without getting scuppered by this nonsense? How do you avoid getting into these scenarios where you're being manipulated, guilt-tripped and subordinated into the role of a fearsome but obedient attack dog?

The key is to start building yourself up now, from the very beginning. You need to become the kind of force of nature that people naturally want to align with. Here's how:

1. Take Control of Your Own Development

Don't put yourself in a position where you're carried through your career. Do everything you can do yourself. Get involved in everything with the kart. Don't sit back and let people decide your setup without your strong input.

It's so tempting to just chill and look at your phone while everyone works on your kart, like some spoiled prince. But if you're doing that as a young driver, you're already going down the wrong path.

2. Really focus on your weaknesses.

Understand and analyse your weaknesses. Racing constantly brings any weaknesses you have to the surface. If you get into the process of finding them yourself, fixing them and then on to the next one, someone trying to use them against you becomes laughable.

3. Understand Your Own Value in Detail

I don't mean just telling yourself you're brilliant. Really look at yourself in detail. If you're a fast driver, know all about why. If you can get sponsors, know how you do it and why it makes you valuable. Put a number on it. Understand what's good about yourself as a driver and a human. If you're a great character, a great communicator, if you know how to bring people into your universe - that's your value.

When you know what you are worth, nobody can threaten you with taking away resources. Such threats become meaningless, and maybe even a provocative challenge to be relished.

4. Work Hard on Your Craft

Don't take shortcuts and work hard on every aspect of driving. That means becoming an expert on your kart, the full range of driving technique, data, fitness, sponsorship, psychology (your own and everyone else). Leave no gaps in your armoury.

5. Find Your Own Sponsors Who Need You

Look for sponsors where you bring them value, either commercial value or you make them feel good. If you land a sponsor, treat them right, deliver value and build your ability to bring more sponsors. Don’t land a sponsor and think you landed in the promised land and let it all slide. If you do that, then you just sold out and you’ll become dependant.

6. Become a Charismatic Leader

Be magnanimous. Become a big personality so everyone around you is on your mission. They become faithful. They trust you, they're behind you every step of the way because they believe you're the right kind of person. Charisma comes from doing everything you know you can, building yourself. You feel so great, it radiates off you.

7. Own Yourself

Start now with small things. Build yourself, work on everything you can. Don't leave anything up to other people. Do everything - the fast driving, the training, the sponsorship stuff, every single aspect of your driving. Hammer away at it, not so that you can be picked up and rescued and noticed, but because those are the right things to do to become a great driver.

Get Ahead of the Game

If you start doing all this now, it builds and builds. You'll become the kind of big personality that when the big dogs come for you - when they want to do a deal with you or they want you to race for them - you'll be ready. They're not going to dominate you. You'll be the biggest dog in the yard.

This isn't just for young drivers starting out. This stuff applies no matter what stage you're at in your life. Racing gives you the opportunity to dedicate yourself to something, to understand the world more and direct yourself. It helps you build yourself so that people don't come at you with nonsense. They don't even try it.

It's a bit like the martial arts philosophy - if you know how to fight and you're well-trained, you rarely get into fights. People sense it and back off. That's the kind of presence you want to develop as a racing driver.

Key Takeaways:

1. Recognize the underlying dynamic: There's an undercurrent in motorsport where people expect drivers to show constant gratitude for their position. This can lead to attempts to control drivers through guilt or leveraging team loyalty.

2. Understand the paradox: Teams want subordinate team players off-track, but fierce lone wolves on-track. This contradiction leads to conflict.

3. Build your character early: Start developing a strong personality that commands respect from the earliest stages of your career.

4. Take control of your development: Don't be carried through your career. Get involved in every aspect, from kart setup to sponsorship.

5. Know your value: Understand in detail what makes you valuable as a driver and a person. This makes you harder to undermine.

6. Work on weaknesses: Identify and hammer away at your weak points. This closes avenues for others to exploit.

7. Become a charismatic leader: Be magnanimous and inspire loyalty. Make people want to align with you naturally.

8. Own yourself: Develop a strong sense of self that can't be rattled by outside forces or attempts at manipulation.

By focusing on these areas, you're working towards becoming the kind of driver that people respect and want to work with, rather than try to control.

Thanks for reading!

Terence