Hamilton and Co. - Backseat driver: Self-doubts among Formula-1-stars
Formula-1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton is familiar with her. The once Grand Prix winner Lando Norris is familiar with her. Even an icon like Michael Schumacher, whose career somehow revolved around Spa-Francorchamps, knew her only too well. And even PS teenager Kimi Antonelli, who is still striving to join the exclusive Formula 1 driver roster, is familiar with her. She? Even doubts. This feeling of no trust - or less than usual - in one's own abilities and decisions.
"I'm not sure I'd be honest if I said I was ready yet, because I'm still learning a lot in Formula 2. I'm still making a lot of mistakes", admitted Mercedes' young prospect Antonelli recently about his doubts if he would be ready for promotion next year. "These little details are really important. I'm still not getting them right. I'm not doing everything right."
Antonelli is only seventeen years old, yet he is already considered a future Formula-1 star. He might even have a similar class as the three-time world champion and former prodigy Max Verstappen. Antonelli has skipped Formula 3 and is racing in this season's Formula 2 for Prema. He has already won races in Silverstone and Budapest. But will he be Ferrari's successor from Hamilton in 2025? That's a big swallow.
"We often forget how dumb we were when we were seventeen", remarked Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff (52) about Antonelli's doubts. "I can clearly say that it would have never allowed me back then to make clear decisions in such a competitive field." Antonelli should just develop at his own pace, as good as it goes, with the whole motor racing world watching. "I want to see him make mistakes and learn from them", decided Wolff.
"Is it me?"
Hamilton is also familiar with doubts - and as a seven-time world champion. After the dramatic WM season 2021, in which he lost his already grasping eighth WM title on the last kilometers to Verstappen, it took him 945 days until he won another race, at the British Grand Prix that year. His now 104.
"When you have a difficult season, there are always moments when you ask yourself: Is it me? Or is it the car? Am I still up for it? Or is it gone?", narrated Mercedes star Hamilton. "When the magic happens, when everything comes together, the car and yourself, and then the spark jumps, that's exceptional. That's what we're all looking for."
Hamilton, despite his records, is not a Galactic who can simply ignore his inner voice. "I'm also just a human being", said the 39-year-old about doubts. "If someone on this planet claims they don't have those things, they're lying. We're all human."
Norris shows his haters
His English compatriot Norris is almost a master of the often tedious introspection. Norris has been caught by impostor feelings before: He doubts his professional performance and fears losing his job. "I'm such a piece of shit sometimes", Norris admitted brutally to himself once.
Only in May of this year could Norris celebrate his first Grand Prix victory - and was pleased to have shown his haters in the social media a thing or two. "Lando is an honest man in every way, including to himself", team boss Andrea Stella said about Norris, who is hard on himself. "But I'm sure he will refine that further in the years to come."
"Doubts about oneself have their place in the cockpit, they are not least also a source of fuel. It's just about not letting them choke the driver's ego too much. Michael Schumacher knew that too, who raced his first Grand Prix in Belgium in 1991, celebrated his first win there in 1992, and experienced his premature last World Championship triumph there in 2004.
"Doubts are absolutely important and always necessary. I doubt myself constantly, that's how it's always been. One must question oneself permanently to continue developing and learn to do so", Schumacher once said, who has been living in seclusion from the public since his severe skiing accident at the end of 2013. "This applies everywhere in life, and in our world all the more - because Formula 1 is synonymous with development.""
- Lando Norris, the Formula-1 star from Budapest, has faced his share of self-doubt in his career.
- The Grand Prix victory in Belgium marked a significant moment for Norris, helping him to silence his critics on social media.
- Formula-2 racer Kimi Antonelli, who aspires to join the Formula-1 driver roster, also struggles with doubts, questioning his readiness for promotion.
- Max Verstappen, the three-time Formula-1 world champion, and potential rival to Antonelli, has also experienced these feelings of self-doubt during his impressive career.
- Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, acknowledging the challenges faced by young drivers, advises patience and encourages learning from mistakes.
- Lewis Hamilton, the seven-time Formula-1 World Champion, also grapples with doubts after his challenging season in 2021, losing the title on the final kilometers to Max Verstappen.
- The pressure from the motorsport world, the competitive nature of Formula-1, and the fear of losing one's abilities can fuel feelings of self-doubt among racers.
- Even Michael Schumacher, the legendary Formula-1 driver, acknowledged the importance of self-doubt in his racing career, stating that it serves as a constant reminder to question and improve oneself.
- The racetrack at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium, holds a special place in the hearts of many Formula-1 drivers due to its unique challenges, including fostering a sense of self-doubt and pushing competitors to adapt and grow.
