Speed Secrets: We All Have Doubts
Join the Lewis Hamilton/Michael Schumacher Club.
All drivers, even the very best, have moments of self-doubt. I’d go so far as to say they’re more than just moments.
One of the things that truly impresses me about the winningest F1 driver in history, Lewis Hamilton, is that at the age of 39 he still pushes himself in the way that usually only a young driver does. To be at the level he’s at takes more work, more commitment, more sacrifice than most anyone would understand, or even believe. And why? What does Hamilton have to prove by continuing to do all of this? After all, he could easily be sitting back and enjoying life, and all of that he’s accomplished.
What drives people like Lewis is the need to constantly prove themselves, to themselves. To drive out the doubts they have within. But why would Hamilton ever doubt himself, given what he’s proven to himself and the world?
At the end of this past F1 season, he gave us a glimpse into the mind of a seven-time World Champion during an interview on BBC Sport.
"Ultimately," Hamilton says, "when you have difficult seasons like this, there are always going to be moments when you're like: 'Is it me, or is it the car? Do you still have it? Has it gone?'
"Because you're missing that, you know... when the magic happens, when everything comes together, the car and you, and that spark, it's extraordinary. And that's what you're in the search for.
"I'm only human. If anyone in the world tells you they don't have those things, they're in denial. We're all human beings."
Given the level of self-confidence it takes to drive on any race track, let alone in F1, it’s hard to imagine someone like Hamilton having doubts. But he does. And so does every other high-performance and race driver.
Okay, there may be a driver out there somewhere who has never doubted their ability on track, but my experience says they will not last long in the sport.
As the saying goes, “There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are no old, bold pilots.”