Finding Inspiration From Other Drivers

You’ve got your first kart and you’re eager to get out on track. Once you sit down and start up the engine you feel like a real racing driver. There’s always one driver that we admire, idolize, and strive to be like, and that is a good thing.

However, just you shouldn’t overlook other drivers just because you have a favourite. No driver is perfect at everything in motorsport, even at Formula 1 level. Each driver has flaws and weaknesses, and it might be difficult to spot these in your favouritedriver. Today we’ll help you to figure out how to find inspiration from other drivers, whether it’s Formula 1, IndyCar, V8 Supercars or any other motorsport series on the planet!

Driving Styles
Different driving styles is a massive factor that sets drivers apart. Whether you prefer the smooth style of Jenson Button or the aggression of Max Verstappen, you’ll always lean towards one or the other.

All different driving styles can be admired. After all, that is what makes a racing driver special. However, you shouldn’t go out in your kart and try to replicate your favouritedriver’s driving style. A driving style is unique to each driver, which is exactly what makes it to special.

Your driving style is determined by how you feel comfortable with the vehicle. For example, some drivers prefer more oversteer, whereas others prefer a more stable car. At the end of the day, your unique driving style is what will make you fast, and you shouldn’t try to copy other drivers.

However, what you can do is take inspiration from other drivers and apply what works for them to your driving style. For example, if you have a smoother driving style, do some research on drivers that have the same driving style as you. See what has worked for them in the past and apply it to your own career. Jenson Button for example, was one of the smoothest drivers in Formula1, he always preferred a lot of understeer, and he was great at making his tyreslast longer than all the other drivers. That is your starting point, and from there

Racecraft
Racecraftis one of the most important attributes that a racing driver has. Perfecting your racecraftmostly comes with experience and being comfortable in your car or kart. The more time you spend on track the better your racecraftwill be because you get a better feel for your vehicle.

However, you can always keep a close eye on some of the drivers that have great racecraftand learn from them. Formula 1 is good place to find some tips on improving your racecraftbecause of how important it is in the series and how experienced the drivers are.

However, other great series to keep an eye on are Formula 2 and formula3. These are the rising stars that are on their way to formula1, and you want to be replicating what they do. Watching them race will help you to improve your own racecraftbecause they are all in equal cars unlike in Formula 1. It can give you a good idea of what you can improve, and you can always learn from their skillset and adapt it to your own driving. It’s one of the reasons why drivers are becoming better with each generation, they can watch other drivers and learn how to replicate their skills.

Marketing
Marketing is arguably the most important aspect of a racing driver’s career. Whether you like it or not, marketing is key when it comes to modern motorsport. You need to be comfortable in front of a camera and you need to be able to speak to other people.

The key is being marketable to get sponsors. Because of the crazy amounts of money that drivers need to spend just to get on track, you can’t go into the world of motorsport without sponsors. Having a sponsor is what will make or break your career as a racing driver. Even if you’re extremely talented, you won’t get to Formula 1 if you don’t have the budget for it.

Luckily you can take inspiration from the current generation of Formula 1 drivers. Drivers like Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo and LandoNorris are some of the most marketable drivers in the sport. They have extremely likeable characters, and they are comfortable in front of the cameras. You don’t need to blatantly copy what they do but do some research and see what you can take from them and apply to your own career. A good idea is to scan through their social media pages or watch some videos where they are interacting with other people or interacting with the media. You’ll normally find their ‘best and funniest’ moments to be the most popular. This is what makes them so marketable.

Getting in the Zone
Before a race or qualifying session your mental state is really important. If you’re nervous or unfocused it could cost you and you might have a bad performance. Every driver has their own unique way of getting into the zone.

It’s important to find your own way to get into your zone, but you can always see what other drivers do and what works best for them. For example, Sebastian Vettel would sit quietly in his car with his eyes closed visualisingthe perfect lap. Daniel Ricciardo on the other hand would listen to music and do warm up exercises. LandoNorris would try and speak to other people to keep his mind distracted and to remain calm.

You’ll never know what works for you until you try it. Pay attention to what the best drivers do and try it out for yourself. If it doesn’t work for you then try something else. Eventually you will find that perfect warm up routine that will work for you and get you into the zone.

Conclusion
It’s important to take inspiration from other drivers. You might be a great driver, but you can always learn more. What better place to learn than from the best drivers in the world? Take inspiration from any driver that you admire, but don’t overlook other drivers just because you don’t like them. It’s important to be honest and admit that there is a quality about a driver that you admire even if you don’t like them. Use that to perfect your own career.