Hey everyone, Happy Monday!
I recently spoke to Ashwin (@iamashwinks) through twitter, heâs a really cool guy whoâs into designing (and heâs up for freelancing, hit him up) who was awesome enough to help me out with writing this issue. Thanks, Ashwin. So here we go!
A lot of my previous issues have been from people in Tech, Business & Startup world and though I try to keep it diverse, I keep coming back to sports and F1 is the latest addition to sports I love! (Thanks Drive to Survive) And when you talk about F1, you canât not talk about the 7-time world champion, Lewis Hamilton. Though many people think that his profound success is mostly due to his car (currently at Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team), the other current F1 drivers say, itâs really difficult to beat him even if they are provided with the same car.
1 STORY FROM HIM
Hamiltonâs debut season
Hamilton was on the podium for his first nine consecutive races and won his seventh. The Italian media took to calling him âIl Fenomenoâ - the phenomenon. At McLaren (his then team), the tension was rising.
As the man who had ended Schumacherâs domination of F1 with Ferrari, Alonso (his team-mate at McLaren) had established himself as the sportâs leading driver. Although it wasnât in his contract, the Spaniard felt his status demanded he be McLarenâs team leader and designated championship contender. Hamilton had other ideas.
At the first race of the season, Alonso qualified second and Hamilton fourth, but at the start, Hamilton pulled a move that set the tone for what was to come. He passed his team-mate around the outside of the first corner and ran confidently ahead of him for two-thirds of the race.
In the end, Alonso finished second behind Ferrariâs Kimi Raikkonen, with Hamilton third, but the âkidâ had left a huge impression. And it just kept growing.
âHe turned out to be the best rookie there has ever been,â says Paddy Lowe, then McLarenâs technical director. âBecause actually, more remarkable almost than seven championships and the most wins, his first half-season is just the most extraordinary in history.â
Hamilton first led the championship after the fourth race of the season, taking it away from Alonso at the Spaniardâs home Grand Prix. The problems that led to the team unraveling began at the next race in Monaco.
Alonso dominated the race from pole, building a sizeable lead over Hamilton. After both drivers had made their final pit stops, Alonso backed off to cruise to the end. Both had been told to be wary of overheating rear brake calipers.
But Hamilton closed up to his team-mate and started pressuring him. With a one-two in the bag and no prospect of Hamilton passing Alonso, the team ordered Hamilton to slow down. He refused, and after the race made a point of revealing his disgruntlement to the world.
âIt started to go wrong there,â Whitmarsh says. âLewis should have on that occasion heeded the instructions of the team not to take excessive risk.
âBut in fairness to him, he hadnât had a win at that stage and he was hungry to have one.
âIf he had been the subservient instruction-obeyer, he wouldnât be the Lewis Hamilton whoâs won seven world championships, would he?â
2 QUOTES FROM HIM
âEveryone has complicated lives, but the more you can simplify it and make it work for you, the better it is going to be.â
âI canât control what theyâre (the other drivers) doing. And thereâs no point worrying or thinking about what they may or may not be doing. All I can do is try to focus inwards and try to focus on being the best that I can be. âWhat is my potential? How can I be more positive? How can I have more energy? How can I be healthy? How can I be a better person to be around? How can I be a better person to work with?ââ
3 LEARNINGS FOR YOU
1. Learn how to manage both success and failure
Lewis is an extremist, so heâs either hated or loved. I think itâs down to when he first got to Formula One, not always knowing what he was saying, saying things that mean one thing but people were taking the other way, and then people donât forget that.
Lewis on his bad days: âI always remind myself if Iâm having a down day because of a bad race: itâs not just me. That feeling Iâm having is shared by my family, the team and my fans. When we win they feel the joy as well. Thatâs why I say we win and lose together, and I definitely couldnât do it without them.â
2. Donât compare yourself to others, or worry about whatâs out of your control
âI donât think about the other drivers. I hope theyâre all well. Iâve been in touch with a couple of them. And, you know, weâre all in the same boat, generally. But I donât think of them in terms of inspiration, in terms of motivation or anything like that.â
It is natural for us to compare ourselves with other people. Rather than look at ourselves, we look at people who have what we want. This is what social media has amplified after you only see the highlight reel of otherâs lives. But the only person you can compare yourself with, your only competition, is yourself. (Sounds clichĂ© but important enough to reminded once in a while) You canât be anyone else, so why bother? But youâll always win at being yourself. So focus on that.
Self-reflection is a superpower. The ability to look at yourself and understand why you think or live the way you do is more potent than anything money could buy.
3. Do your talking on the track
Lewis has faced various issues from other people who troubled him, but whenever he wanted to take on that guy/girl he used to say himself, âDo your talking on the trackâ. In fact, heâs the only black driver on the grid/track which also tells the problems he has faced among other white people.
So, instead of having that negative energy and emotion that you experience from other people handle you, harness them inside and do your talking in your work.
Sources & Extra stuff to read, listen or watch
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/extra/c1nx5lutpg/The-real-Lewis-Hamilton-story
Lewis Hamilton â an interview with Graham Bensinger:Â https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW5qT4HIAd1bjCJi9FzIWKT9eINQGS0hk
Top 10 Moments of Lewis Hamilton Brilliance:Â
Self-Belief, Positive Mindsets, Growing Through Success and Failure | Lewis Hamilton:Â
Lewis Hamilton | Together We Rise · #WhatsYourDrive · EP05:Â
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