Before the Miami Grand Prix, Alain Prost reflected on the pressure that drivers face throughout a season and how he managed it.
“Auto racing is obviously played out on the track. The reflexes and natural talent of the drivers are essential. But auto racing also takes place in the mind. Psychology is a crucial element. It was in my time, but social media has made it even more cardinal to a driver’s success. Now, everything is shown, everything is lived, everything is known. Many drivers succumb to this trend of sharing. I think by doing this, they impose a tremendous pressure on themselves. Others choose discretion, which I believe is wise. The new Championship leader, Oscar Piastri (McLaren-Mercedes), hardly communicates. We don’t know much about his life off the tracks. Naturally reserved, the Australian disappears between races and frees himself from this pressure.
Norris wins the sprint race ahead of Piastri
His teammate Lando Norris, on the other hand, is constantly on social media. We see him in nightclubs. And moreover, when he is on the tracks, he admits his weaknesses. The more you show, the more you weaken yourself. Lando is a driver I respect enormously, but if I had to give him advice, it would be to keep quiet and not weaken himself in this way. The consequences are huge, and not just among his fellow drivers.
“All this pressure is hard to bear”
There’s the image he broadcasts to the team. It’s more important than one might think, because it influences the impressions of the mechanics or engineers, who are key elements. And then, there are the media who today influence, them, on social media. If you listen to them today, Lando Norris has no chance, Lewis Hamilton has lost his level. Because, precisely, Lewis, too, shares a lot. His great strength has always been to acknowledge his mistakes but by doing so publicly, he weakens his image and perhaps even his confidence. People say he’s finished, but we saw with his sprint victory in Shanghai that he’s not!
You’ll never hear Max Verstappen talk about one of his mistakes. You won’t see anything about his life either. Oscar Piastri does the same. One does it through his upbringing, the other by nature. Oscar, whom I knew in the promotional formulas when we recruited him for Renault, was already like this. Quiet, without showing his emotions, but I can tell you he’s not as cold as people say. He just doesn’t show his emotions, that’s all. He’s shy. I hope for Lando that he will learn to be more discreet like his teammate and keep quiet to suffer less. Let’s not forget he’s still young and all this pressure is hard to bear, for him as well as for others.”
