Podcast: The High Performance
Published Date:
Mon, 28 Nov 2022 01:00:14 GMT
Duration:
1:26:42
Explicit:
False
Guests:
MP3 Audio:
Please note that the summary is generated based on the transcript and may not capture all the nuances or details discussed in the podcast episode.
George Russell is a British racing driver, currently competing in Formula 1 for Mercedes. In this conversation, George reveals why he gave up formal education at 14 to pursue racing; he shares how he first made contact with Toto Wolff and he speaks about the dangerous crash he was in and the impact it has had on him.
An advocate of surrounding yourself with positivity, making hard choices and creating opportunities, there is a lot to learn from George’s attitude which can be taken into all areas of life.
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**High-Performance Mindset and Journey to Formula One with George Russell**
**1. The Essence of High Performance:**
- High performance is about working hard and recognizing the contributions of every individual in a team.
**2. Learning from Mistakes and Recognizing Opportunities:**
- George Russell learned from his brother's experiences in motorsports, observing the pitfalls of distractions and missed opportunities.
- He realized that sacrifices and hard work are essential for achieving success in a competitive field.
**3. Surrounding Yourself with Positive Influences:**
- Russell emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with positive people who bring positivity and value to life.
- He avoids individuals who drain energy and detract from his goals.
**4. Making Tough Choices and Creating Opportunities:**
- Russell made the bold decision to leave formal education at age 14 to pursue racing, recognizing the need for focus and dedication.
- He proactively reached out to Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes Formula One, with an email expressing his aspirations, which led to an eventual opportunity.
**5. Dealing with Pressure and Expectations:**
- Russell acknowledges the pressure that comes with being a Formula One driver, with constant scrutiny and high expectations.
- He manages pressure by setting realistic goals and celebrating small achievements, viewing them as stepping stones to larger successes.
**6. The Importance of Self-Belief and Determination:**
- Russell believes in his abilities and remains determined to succeed, even when faced with setbacks and challenges.
- He emphasizes the need for self-belief and the willingness to pursue one's dreams, regardless of obstacles.
**7. Navigating the Journey to Success:**
- Russell highlights that there is no one-size-fits-all path to success, and individuals need to find their own unique journey.
- He encourages others to follow their own passions and goals, regardless of societal norms or expectations.
**8. The Value of Hard Work and Dedication:**
- Russell emphasizes the significance of hard work and dedication, viewing them as essential ingredients for achieving success.
- He believes that consistent effort and commitment are crucial for overcoming challenges and reaching one's full potential.
**9. Dealing with Negativity and Criticism:**
- Russell acknowledges that negativity and criticism are part of the journey, especially in a competitive environment.
- He advises others to focus on their own goals and aspirations, rather than dwelling on negativity or seeking validation from others.
**10. The Power of Positive Relationships:**
- Russell values positive relationships with friends, family, and teammates, recognizing their contributions to his success.
- He believes that surrounding oneself with supportive and encouraging individuals is essential for maintaining a healthy mindset and achieving goals.
**11. Embracing Challenges and Learning from Setbacks:**
- Russell views challenges and setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning, rather than as obstacles.
- He believes that embracing challenges and learning from mistakes is crucial for personal and professional development.
**12. The Importance of Taking Calculated Risks:**
- Russell emphasizes the need for taking calculated risks and stepping outside one's comfort zone to achieve success.
- He encourages others to embrace calculated risks and pursue opportunities that align with their goals and aspirations.
Certainly! Here is a detailed summary of the podcast episode transcript you provided, organized into clear sections and addressing all the key points:
**Introduction of George Russell**
- George Russell, a British racing driver, currently competes in Formula 1 for Mercedes.
- In this conversation, George reveals why he gave up formal education at 14 to pursue racing.
- He shares how he first made contact with Toto Wolff and speaks about a dangerous crash he was in and its impact on him.
**The Journey at Williams**
- George's first season in Formula One was with Williams, a team on the brink of bankruptcy.
- The team's focus was on survival rather than competition, and they were often lapped by other cars.
- Despite the difficult situation, George saw it as an opportunity to learn and explore without the spotlight on him.
**Racing Without Pressure**
- George realized that he could take risks and experiment without the pressure of expectations.
- He saw this as a chance to build a toolbox of experience for the future.
- He celebrated small achievements, such as being half a second away from 18th on the grid, as relative successes.
**Learning from Setbacks**
- George believes that success is relative and that readjusting expectations is important.
- He learned to find his own successes and celebrate them, even if they were small.
- He views every opportunity, whether good or bad, as a chance to develop and grow as a driver.
**The Importance of Micro Targets**
- George sets micro targets to stay focused on the present moment and avoid overwhelming himself with long-term goals.
- He believes that achieving small goals every day will eventually lead to the overall goal of becoming a world champion.
**Finding Happiness Beyond Winning**
- George realized that winning is not the only source of happiness and fulfillment in life.
- He believes that true happiness comes from finding balance between professional success and personal well-being.
- He emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with positive influences and creating opportunities.
**The Decision to Leave School**
- George left school at 14 to pursue racing, which had its pros and cons.
- He missed out on the social life and peer experiences of his age group.
- However, he was surrounded by experienced individuals who taught him valuable life lessons.
**The Race That Changed Everything**
- George got the opportunity to qualify in the Mercedes, finishing second behind Valtteri Bottas.
- He processed the fact that not winning was not a failure and focused on being happy regardless of the outcome.
- On race day, he had the mindset of treating it like any other race, which helped him stay calm and focused.
- He made a bold move at the start, overtaking Valtteri, but later suffered a puncture.
- Despite the setback, he fought back through the field and overtook Valtteri again, showcasing his determination.
**The Conversation with Toto Wolff**
- Toto Wolff made it clear to George that if he performed well, he would be in the Mercedes.
- George had always believed he would be in the Mercedes and was motivated to prove himself.
- However, a three-year contract with Williams, which was struggling financially, made the situation challenging.
**The Crash with Valtteri Bottas**
- George's collision with Valtteri Bottas during the race was a difficult moment.
- He had to weigh the opportunity to score points for Williams against the risk of crashing into a Mercedes driver.
- He ultimately went for it, but the crash was a scary experience.
**Conclusion**
The podcast episode highlights George Russell's journey as a Formula One driver, his unique experiences, and the lessons he learned along the way. It emphasizes the importance of setting micro targets, finding happiness beyond winning, and embracing challenges as opportunities for growth.
## Summary of "George Russell: From Go-Karting to Mercedes" Podcast Episode ##
### Introduction
- George Russell, a British racing driver, shares his journey from giving up formal education at 14 to pursue racing to becoming a Mercedes driver.
- He emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with positivity, making tough choices, creating opportunities, and learning from both successes and failures.
### Leaving Formal Education for Racing
- Russell's decision to leave school at 14 was driven by his passion for racing.
- He acknowledged that it was a risky choice, but he believed in his talent and determination.
### Initial Contact with Toto Wolff
- Russell first reached out to Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, through a mutual friend.
- He sent Wolff a video of his racing, and Wolff was impressed enough to invite Russell to a meeting.
### The Crash with Valtteri Bottas
- Russell's relationship with Wolff was strained after a crash with Valtteri Bottas during a race.
- The incident resulted in significant damage to the Mercedes car, costing the team 1.5 million dollars.
- Russell admits to being angry with Bottas initially but later realized that he needed to take responsibility for his role in the crash.
- He apologized to Bottas and his team, and they were able to move forward from the incident.
### Parallels between Russell's Father and Toto Wolff
- Russell sees similarities between his father and Toto Wolff in terms of their demanding and supportive approach to his racing career.
- Both men pushed Russell to succeed and were tough on him when necessary.
- Russell believes that this upbringing made him stronger and more resilient.
### Balancing Love and Success
- Russell acknowledges that it can be challenging to balance personal relationships with the demands of a racing career.
- He strives to strike a balance between pursuing success and providing love and support to his loved ones.
- He believes that having a strong support system is crucial for long-term success.
### Learning from Failures
- Russell emphasizes the importance of learning from failures and setbacks.
- He believes that success is easily celebrated but often doesn't offer valuable lessons.
- Failures, on the other hand, provide opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Russell finds more motivation in avoiding failures than in achieving success.
### Racing to Win vs. Racing Not to Lose
- Russell believes that the ultimate goal is to race to win, but progress often requires taking risks and learning from mistakes.
- He acknowledges that this approach can lead to more failures, but he sees it as a necessary part of the learning process.
- Russell believes that the speed of the Mercedes car this season has been beneficial in fostering unity and collaboration within the team.
### Lessons Learned from Lewis Hamilton
- Russell highlights the unique qualities of Lewis Hamilton, his teammate at Mercedes.
- He admires Hamilton's ability to achieve success while pursuing various off-track projects and activities.
- Russell believes that there is no one-size-fits-all path to success and that drivers need to find their own unique journeys.
### Meeting Tennis Legends Federer and Murray
- Russell recently spent time with tennis legends Roger Federer and Andy Murray.
- He was impressed by their humility and grounded nature despite their immense success.
- Russell believes that it's important to maintain a sense of perspective and to have a life outside of racing.
### Grounding Influences in Russell's Life
- Russell's sister and manager, Harry, play significant roles in his life and career.
- They have been with him since the early days of his racing journey and provide constant support and guidance.
- Russell appreciates their presence and the stability they bring to his life.
### Enjoying the Journey
- Russell acknowledges the high stakes and intense pressure in Formula One.
- However, he emphasizes the importance of finding moments of enjoyment and fun amidst the seriousness of the sport.
- He believes that maintaining a positive attitude and appreciating the journey are essential for long-term success.
### Non-Negotiables for Russell
- Russell outlines three non-negotiables for those who want to be part of his world:
1. Accepting his dedication to racing.
2. Being a kind and humble person.
3. Avoiding arrogance and maintaining a sense of perspective.
### Biggest Weakness and Greatest Strength
- Russell identifies his tendency to blame others in the heat of the moment as his biggest weakness.
- He recognizes the importance of self-reflection and taking responsibility for his actions.
- His greatest strength, according to Russell, is his ability to adapt to dynamic situations.
- He believes that the constantly changing nature of Formula One requires drivers to be flexible and adaptable.
### Hidden Cost of Russell's Lifestyle
- Russell acknowledges the sacrifices made by himself and those around him due to his racing career.
- He recognizes the emotional toll that success and failure can take on his loved ones.
- Russell believes that carrying the weight of these emotions is a hidden cost of his lifestyle.
### Mental Health Challenges in Racing
- Russell emphasizes the significant mental health challenges that drivers face in Formula One.
- He mentions the pressures from the public, social media, the team, and oneself.
- Russell believes that the public perception and social media scrutiny are particularly challenging aspects of the sport.
### Conclusion
- George Russell's journey from a young karting driver to a Mercedes Formula One driver is a testament to his determination, resilience, and unwavering passion for racing.
- He emphasizes the importance of surrounding oneself with positivity, making tough choices, creating opportunities, and learning from both successes and failures.
- Russell also highlights the mental health challenges faced by drivers in Formula One and the need for support and understanding.
Sure, here is a summary of the podcast episode:
**Title:** The High Performance Podcast: George Russell
**Summary:**
In this episode of The High Performance Podcast, host Jake Humphrey talks to Formula One driver George Russell. Russell discusses his journey to Formula One, the importance of surrounding yourself with positivity, making hard choices, and creating opportunities.
Russell began karting at the age of 7 and quickly rose through the ranks, winning multiple championships. He made his Formula One debut in 2019 with Williams and has since become one of the most promising young drivers in the sport. In 2022, he joined Mercedes, one of the most successful teams in Formula One history.
Russell is a strong advocate for surrounding yourself with positivity. He believes that having a positive mindset is essential for success in any area of life. He also emphasizes the importance of making hard choices and creating opportunities. He says that it is important to be willing to take risks and step outside of your comfort zone in order to achieve your goals.
Russell is also a strong believer in the power of teamwork. He says that it is important to have a strong support system of people who believe in you and are willing to help you achieve your goals. He also emphasizes the importance of being humble, curious, and empathetic. He says that it is important to be willing to learn from others and to be open to new experiences.
**Key Points:**
* Surround yourself with positivity.
* Make hard choices and create opportunities.
* Be humble, curious, and empathetic.
* Have a strong support system of people who believe in you.
* Be willing to learn from others and be open to new experiences.
**Overall Message:**
The overall message of the podcast episode is that success is possible for anyone who is willing to work hard, surround themselves with positivity, and make hard choices. Russell's story is an inspiration to anyone who is looking to achieve their goals in life.
**Controversies or Particularly Insightful Moments:**
One particularly insightful moment in the podcast episode is when Russell talks about the importance of learning from your mistakes. He says that it is important to be willing to admit when you have made a mistake and to learn from it so that you can avoid making the same mistake in the future.
Another insightful moment is when Russell talks about the importance of having a strong support system. He says that it is important to have people in your life who believe in you and are willing to help you achieve your goals. He also emphasizes the importance of being humble, curious, and empathetic. He says that it is important to be willing to learn from others and to be open to new experiences.
**Conclusion:**
The High Performance Podcast: George Russell is an inspiring and informative conversation with one of the most promising young drivers in Formula One. Russell's story is a reminder that success is possible for anyone who is willing to work hard, surround themselves with positivity, and make hard choices.
[00:00.000 -> 00:06.240] Hi there, I'm Jay Comfrey and you're listening to High Performance. Don't forget we're coming
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[00:20.600 -> 00:28.800] all there. We just help unlock it by turning the lived experiences of the planet's highest performers into your life lessons. So right now allow myself
[00:28.800 -> 00:33.520] and Professor Damian Hughes to speak to one of the greatest sports stars on the
[00:33.520 -> 00:40.640] planet so that he can be your teacher. Today this awaits you.
[00:40.640 -> 00:50.120] I'd never crashed at that speed before doing doing 330kmh, DRS open, got on a wet patch, the
[00:50.120 -> 00:55.880] car just spun. I'm going sideways down the track, carbon fibre flying everywhere, I can't
[00:55.880 -> 01:00.040] see to my right because you're kind of locked in the cockpit, I don't know what I'm going
[01:00.040 -> 01:06.880] to hit and I'm sort of racing for impact. You have to find your own successes.
[01:06.960 -> 01:11.920] You know, I would celebrate when I was only half a second away from 18th from the
[01:11.920 -> 01:16.240] grid rather than being a second away, because that was relative success.
[01:16.480 -> 01:18.200] And for me, that was kind of like a pole position.
[01:19.000 -> 01:21.360] There is no one path to success.
[01:21.400 -> 01:24.960] I think you need to find your own path, your own journey.
[01:26.760 -> 01:33.520] to success. I think you need to find your own path, your own journey. You need to have that self-belief that even if somebody is going down a certain path, you need to follow your own course
[01:33.520 -> 01:38.120] and you need to do what is best for you. I can't tell you what a cool episode this is,
[01:38.120 -> 01:44.440] man. This is the truth behind Mercedes Formula One driver, George Russell. I think that we all
[01:44.440 -> 01:48.400] have an opinion, right, of people who compete at the very top level and I think all too
[01:48.400 -> 01:52.500] often in the modern world we have an opinion that it's easy because look at
[01:52.500 -> 01:55.660] what is in front of us all the time, perfection. Whether it is seeing George
[01:55.660 -> 01:59.940] Russell beat Lewis Hamilton as he did this season in the same car which is an
[01:59.940 -> 02:03.820] amazing achievement or maybe it's going on to Instagram and seeing people do
[02:03.820 -> 02:07.840] crazy things that just make them look remarkable or whether it's going on to Instagram and seeing people do crazy things that just make them look remarkable, or whether it's going on
[02:07.840 -> 02:11.320] Facebook and seeing that your friends have shared the latest success in their
[02:11.320 -> 02:16.560] lives. We're constantly faced with perfection, we're faced with people doing
[02:16.560 -> 02:19.840] amazing things, we're faced with success everywhere we turn in the modern world,
[02:19.840 -> 02:24.800] people can't wait to tell us about it. So sometimes we have to stop and realize
[02:24.800 -> 02:25.760] that the journey to get
[02:25.760 -> 02:30.400] there has been anything but successful. And you're going to hear from George here about taking huge
[02:30.400 -> 02:35.760] leaps of faith. You're going to hear from George about really dark times when he thought that
[02:35.760 -> 02:39.440] maybe his dream of being a Formula One driver wasn't going to happen. You're going to hear why
[02:39.440 -> 02:43.920] he's learned to say no, which gives him more chance to say yes. You'll hear his opinion on friends,
[02:43.920 -> 02:49.360] on teammates. You'll hear him talk about those huge moments in Formula 1 from almost winning his first race a
[02:49.360 -> 02:53.600] couple of seasons ago, to that moment that he clashed on track with Valtteri Bottas,
[02:53.600 -> 02:58.240] whose seat he was trying to take in the Mercedes team. It's the most remarkable chat.
[02:58.240 -> 03:03.120] One thing to tell you, we recorded this about a month ago at a gorgeous hotel just outside London,
[03:03.680 -> 03:09.520] but it was before George won his first race in Formula 1. So, on behalf of everyone on the High Performance Podcast,
[03:09.520 -> 03:15.120] George, huge congratulations on being a Formula 1 race winner. But let's now get the story
[03:15.120 -> 03:22.480] behind the guy. This is the truth about how George Russell has ended up as a Formula 1 race winner
[03:23.040 -> 03:30.600] on the High Performance Podcast.
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[06:14.960 -> 06:16.800] Well, George, thank you very much for joining us.
[06:16.800 -> 06:17.360] Thank you.
[06:17.360 -> 06:21.760] Let's start as we always do. What is your version of high performance?
[06:21.760 -> 06:26.000] High performance is working hard. I think it's as simple as
[06:26.000 -> 06:32.480] that. The life we live is all about high performance between, you know, the athlete, the driver
[06:32.480 -> 06:38.680] in the car, the machine, the car itself, the engine, the tyres, and absolutely everything.
[06:38.680 -> 06:43.520] And everyone within that organisation's got to be performing at the top level. So I guess
[06:43.520 -> 06:48.120] that's it. So let's talk then about where this understanding of hard work came from. So
[06:48.120 -> 06:52.440] like let's just go backwards a few years before Formula One, your brother raced
[06:52.440 -> 06:57.960] in go-karts and is that sort of where the passion came from but then
[06:57.960 -> 07:00.680] the question is where did the understanding of the hard work and the
[07:00.680 -> 07:03.000] determination and and all of that come from?
[07:03.000 -> 07:08.160] Yeah I think having my brother who's 11 years older than me, going through his journey,
[07:08.160 -> 07:14.320] he started karting when he was 11 or 12 years old, which in our world is probably five years
[07:14.320 -> 07:15.320] too late.
[07:15.320 -> 07:16.560] So he was a bit behind the curve.
[07:16.560 -> 07:20.960] He was an incredibly talented go-kart driver.
[07:20.960 -> 07:24.440] He won British championships, he won world championships, but unfortunately for him,
[07:24.440 -> 07:31.040] they were probably five years too late and he missed that opportunity to go into single-seaters and get an
[07:31.040 -> 07:38.640] opportunity into Formula One. But seeing what he and my father went through, also probably seeing
[07:38.640 -> 07:43.120] where, you know he wouldn't mind me saying this, where they sort of fell short on the mistakes
[07:43.120 -> 07:50.240] he probably made on his journey, I was so fortunate that my family, my parents, and even my brother
[07:50.240 -> 07:55.720] sort of mentored me and helped me through my journey, helped me to avoid some of these
[07:55.720 -> 08:00.160] mistakes and recognize how hard you need to work with sacrifices, you need to put in.
[08:00.160 -> 08:03.600] And what were those mistakes?
[08:03.600 -> 08:06.840] I don't want to talk anything bad about my brother
[08:06.840 -> 08:13.040] here but I don't think he'll mind me saying that when he went to university and when you're
[08:13.040 -> 08:18.360] surrounded by some people who maybe aren't the best influence, drinking, partying, probably
[08:18.360 -> 08:23.240] doing things that a top athlete shouldn't be. But doing things that a university student
[08:23.240 -> 08:30.740] does. That's the point, there's no criticism there. No, absolutely. And I think this is where I probably recognised
[08:30.740 -> 08:37.840] when he was 21, 22, 23 and I was sort of on my journey, started being competitive as a
[08:37.840 -> 08:44.160] 9, 10, 11 year old, seeing that it's not an easy world we live in. If you do want to reach
[08:44.160 -> 08:45.000] the top,
[08:45.000 -> 08:45.840] you've got to give everything.
[08:45.840 -> 08:49.760] And unfortunately, you just can't go down every single path.
[08:49.760 -> 08:51.800] You know, you can't go out at the weekends,
[08:51.800 -> 08:53.320] partying and drinking and having fun
[08:53.320 -> 08:55.320] as a normal sort of teenager,
[08:55.320 -> 08:57.760] if you want to be able to perform on the racetrack
[08:57.760 -> 08:59.040] at the following weekend.
[08:59.040 -> 09:03.640] Well, so those sacrifices that you saw were being made,
[09:03.640 -> 09:05.160] were you learning them at quite an easy
[09:05.160 -> 09:09.800] age when it was easy to to make those sacrifices? Yeah I think so, I mean I left
[09:09.800 -> 09:17.000] school when I was 14 and as I was sort of growing up 15, 16 or 17 I had a few
[09:17.000 -> 09:22.200] mixed feelings about that you know I was pursuing my dream and I felt so
[09:22.200 -> 09:26.720] fortunate and grateful that I was getting that opportunity to race.
[09:26.720 -> 09:32.080] I felt like I was missing a bit of a social life and I saw the friends who I had at school
[09:32.080 -> 09:38.080] then having what you would define as fun and enjoying themselves.
[09:38.080 -> 09:47.220] But I look back now and I feel like that if I continued in my my path with the sort of friends and the group of people who I had around me
[09:47.840 -> 09:52.680] That perhaps wouldn't have been the best influence for me to achieve what I wanted to achieve
[09:52.680 -> 10:00.160] And I think one thing I I've learned from all of that is the people you surround yourself are so so so important
[10:00.160 -> 10:03.000] Go and tell us about that then. So what have you learned about?
[10:03.640 -> 10:05.160] The characters that you
[10:05.160 -> 10:07.000] allow into your inner circle?
[10:07.000 -> 10:12.080] You need to recognize if somebody's bringing positivity or not. And I think having achieved
[10:12.080 -> 10:16.540] a bit of success in a reach in Formula One, you do see people who sort of come out the
[10:16.540 -> 10:21.600] woodworks and, you know, try and get a piece of that success or, you know, even if it's
[10:21.600 -> 10:28.640] something so, can you get some tickets here or there or think it's so simple and you sort of think to yourself, well, I've not heard from you
[10:28.640 -> 10:30.400] in five, six, seven years.
[10:30.400 -> 10:33.560] And you know, you weren't there when I went through the struggle, you're sort of there
[10:33.560 -> 10:35.440] now that I'm succeeding.
[10:35.440 -> 10:37.920] And, and I'm always trying to be polite with everybody.
[10:37.920 -> 10:40.320] So I'd always try and help in a situation like that.
[10:40.320 -> 10:45.480] But suddenly when it goes a little bit too far and these people sort of suck in energy
[10:51.740 -> 10:52.520] away from you you almost think you don't need people like that in my life and now I have such a
[10:57.000 -> 11:01.840] Close amount of people around me. I don't have loads of friends I've already got a handful of friends who I speak to on a weekly basis. I've got my girlfriend
[11:01.840 -> 11:05.040] I've got my family and that's kind of all I need really.
[11:05.040 -> 11:08.880] Steve It reminds me of we interviewed Vicky Patterson.
[11:09.440 -> 11:13.520] She was a lady that sort of made a career in reality TV.
[11:13.520 -> 11:15.360] Jason I may have watched that.
[11:15.360 -> 11:16.160] Steve Right, okay.
[11:16.160 -> 11:18.320] Jason I may have watched that when I was a bit younger.
[11:18.320 -> 11:22.160] Steve But she spoke to us really powerfully about what you've just described and she
[11:22.160 -> 11:25.200] she came up with what she calls the phone test.
[11:31.600 -> 11:35.920] So how she responds when somebody's name crops up in her phone determines where they have. So some people she said light up your life, they were igniters, some people were draggers,
[11:36.720 -> 11:40.800] because all they're ever phoning for is to want the tickets. And then she described that the vast
[11:40.800 -> 11:48.120] majority of people are middle of the roaders, where they don't offer any value, but they don't detract from it either.
[11:48.120 -> 11:50.000] And that was the way that she determined it.
[11:50.000 -> 11:55.760] So what is the biggest lesson that you've learned then to be able to keep people at
[11:55.760 -> 12:00.240] bay that are bringing negativity or just wanting things?
[12:00.240 -> 12:10.500] I think you've always got to be polite to everybody and I never want to be arrogant or I never like to ignore people or be rude but I think,
[12:10.600 -> 12:17.800] as I said sometimes you've got to look out for yourself and recognize you can't please everybody,
[12:17.800 -> 12:26.920] you've got to please the people around you, you've got to try and please yourself but when you you try and I used to, I used to struggle at saying no to things.
[12:27.480 -> 12:28.560] You know, somebody would ask me to do something.
[12:28.560 -> 12:29.400] Yeah, no problem.
[12:29.400 -> 12:31.320] You know, can we, can I see you for a cup of coffee?
[12:31.320 -> 12:31.920] Yeah, no problem.
[12:31.920 -> 12:32.760] Can we do this?
[12:33.200 -> 12:36.560] And when I look at my, my diary in a month's time,
[12:36.560 -> 12:38.000] it kind of looks quite empty,
[12:38.160 -> 12:39.240] but you know, one week later,
[12:39.240 -> 12:40.080] two weeks later,
[12:40.120 -> 12:43.720] suddenly that diary's filling up pretty damn quickly.
[12:44.080 -> 12:48.400] And I get to the time I think, Christ, I'm going for a quick cup of coffee with this person or I'm doing this event,
[12:48.960 -> 12:54.400] which isn't really adding any value to me, if anything, it's taking away from my performance.
[12:54.400 -> 12:57.200] This is an opportunity, I could have been in the gym, it's an opportunity,
[12:57.200 -> 12:59.600] I could have been on the phone with my engineers preparing for an event
[13:00.240 -> 13:04.800] and I come away from something like that just feeling a bit more downbeat, a bit more tired,
[13:04.700 -> 13:05.520] I come away from something like that just feeling a bit more downbeat a bit more tired
[13:10.680 -> 13:10.760] Things to myself, you know, this is not bringing anything to my life
[13:13.560 -> 13:14.080] Let's wind the clock back and talk about how you ended up in this
[13:20.760 -> 13:21.240] Elite environment your brother is go-karting you're going along you start racing you see his mistakes you then
[13:27.200 -> 13:30.720] Develop this kind of single-minded focus. Can we just go through, you've sort of brushed it off as not a big deal, but walking away from school at 14 is a big deal. Because that's kind of like a contract there
[13:30.720 -> 13:36.440] with everyone in your life where you go, I'm not just gonna be a normal kid, I'm
[13:36.440 -> 13:41.640] gonna give up education at 14 years of age. I mean it feels to me like there's a
[13:41.640 -> 13:44.480] bit of pressure automatically applied at that point because it's like, okay you
[13:44.480 -> 13:50.480] better make this work. Yeah I guess so so I think I always believed that I'd make it the Formula One.
[13:50.480 -> 13:56.640] I think as a child you're a bit naive in that regard when I was probably 11 years old I believed
[13:56.640 -> 14:03.120] I could achieve anything I felt I could fly to the moon and back easily and I remember this one race
[14:03.120 -> 14:05.160] that I said I'm I'm gonna overtake this
[14:05.160 -> 14:08.680] person the last lap in this corner because I felt I could do it and it was
[14:08.680 -> 14:12.600] the most stupid thing ever but I managed to achieve it and at that age I just
[14:12.600 -> 14:17.880] felt like I could do anything and that probably played against me as I grew up
[14:17.880 -> 14:22.080] slightly and when I left school at 14 I had a similar view that I felt like I
[14:22.080 -> 14:28.200] could achieve anything in this world you go go out, you win, and you'll be a Formula One world champion before you know it.
[14:28.200 -> 14:35.480] And it was only when I was 15 or 16 that I started to recognize that life isn't as straightforward
[14:35.480 -> 14:36.480] as that.
[14:36.480 -> 14:41.240] You know, you may be very talented, but you need to do a hell of a lot more if you want
[14:41.240 -> 14:42.240] to make it.
[14:42.240 -> 14:45.040] The stars need to align, especially in a sport like ours where
[14:45.040 -> 14:50.640] there's only 20 race seats available. And it's not like there's 20 race seats available every year,
[14:50.640 -> 14:54.720] there's only one or two race seats available every year for a great driver to come in,
[14:54.720 -> 15:00.000] a great driver's got to leave. So I was growing up racing against thousands of different kids,
[15:00.640 -> 15:05.760] all striving for that same goal, yet every year there's only gonna be one or
[15:05.760 -> 15:11.120] two if you're lucky make it to Formula One and I guess yeah when I was 16 I
[15:11.120 -> 15:14.720] realized... How did you come to that realization then? When I was 15 I had a
[15:14.720 -> 15:19.760] bit of a tricky year in go-karting that was probably my worst year in go-karts.
[15:19.760 -> 15:27.880] Is that your first year after you'd left education as well? It was I then raced my first year in single-seaters in in Formula 4
[15:28.280 -> 15:30.620] So, you know, that's a small Formula One car
[15:31.140 -> 15:36.900] Effectively bottom of the range when you're 16 to 18 years old and I won that championship
[15:37.420 -> 15:43.140] But I hadn't been picked up from a Formula One team and I was sort of think to myself, you know
[15:43.400 -> 15:48.780] What do I need to do to get an opportunity with an F1 team?
[15:49.080 -> 15:51.280] I've won this championship, I've won races.
[15:51.280 -> 15:53.040] I didn't dominate the championship,
[15:53.040 -> 15:54.880] but I won the championship.
[15:54.880 -> 15:58.560] And I wasn't getting that break as such.
[15:58.560 -> 16:01.800] And it was towards the tail end of that year,
[16:01.800 -> 16:04.560] I thought this might not work.
[16:04.560 -> 16:09.880] And that's when at the end of that season season I got Toto's email and emailed him. Did you?
[16:09.880 -> 16:15.400] That's interesting. There's two questions here I'm interested in is one how did
[16:15.400 -> 16:20.880] you process what might have felt to me if I'm imagining being in your position
[16:20.880 -> 16:27.740] a sense of mild panic at this stage that you've, you've, you've gone all in on getting picked up and you're not getting picked up.
[16:27.740 -> 16:29.080] So how did you handle that?
[16:30.020 -> 16:34.460] And this email that you sent, I'm fascinated to know, what did you say?
[16:35.020 -> 16:38.900] I thought at the age of 16, the world would come to me.
[16:39.700 -> 16:42.140] And as I said, it was only during that year that I realized
[16:42.820 -> 16:44.260] they're not looking for me.
[16:44.580 -> 16:46.240] You've got to go and look for them.
[16:46.240 -> 16:47.400] You've got to knock on their door.
[16:47.800 -> 16:51.600] You know, Toto is not going to look at British Formula 4 and say, you know,
[16:51.600 -> 16:54.600] there's a kid, George Russell here, who's won the championship by a couple of
[16:54.600 -> 16:59.880] points, we need to sign him, but if I put myself in front of him and talk to him
[16:59.880 -> 17:02.800] and show him what I'm made of, maybe there's an opportunity.
[17:02.800 -> 17:05.400] So I remember I was in Abu Dhabi at the time
[17:05.400 -> 17:07.480] doing a test in Formula 3.
[17:07.480 -> 17:09.400] I managed to get hold of his email and I thought,
[17:09.400 -> 17:10.600] I've got nothing to lose.
[17:10.600 -> 17:13.000] You know, worst case, he doesn't reply,
[17:13.000 -> 17:14.920] in which case I've lost nothing.
[17:14.920 -> 17:16.620] Best case, he replies.
[17:16.620 -> 17:18.640] And I literally just sent him an email.
[17:18.640 -> 17:20.560] I didn't want to go in too hard.
[17:20.560 -> 17:23.000] I just said, you know, I'm George Russell, I raced this.
[17:23.000 -> 17:23.840] It'd be great to meet you
[17:23.840 -> 17:28.560] and talk about the future potentially. And I think it was a good time to do it as well. I think
[17:28.560 -> 17:33.480] timing is key, Ved just won the championship, he was standing himself on the podium after
[17:33.480 -> 17:34.480] the Avodevich Cup.
[17:34.480 -> 17:37.120] And was that luck on your part or was that a bit of foresight?
[17:37.120 -> 17:43.960] That was luck but now I look back and I realise these small things make a difference. You
[17:43.960 -> 17:46.940] need somebody on the receiving end to be in the right state
[17:46.940 -> 17:50.560] of mind if he's having a bad day or he's busy and he sees this, if I sent that
[17:50.560 -> 17:54.980] email one week earlier, which is for Tuesday before Abu Dhabi Grand Prix last
[17:54.980 -> 17:58.300] race of the season, you probably would have seen it and disregarded it, but it
[17:58.300 -> 18:03.300] was the Tuesday after Abu Dhabi Grand Prix season's over, he's relaxed, won
[18:03.300 -> 18:08.880] the championship, you know, here's an opportunity. Oh, you oh, this kid's just emailed me and I sent this email,
[18:08.880 -> 18:15.880] I think it was about 9pm, and he replied within 15 minutes with his PAs copied in saying,
[18:15.880 -> 18:20.920] hi George, nice to hear from you, and it'd be great to meet you in January.
[18:20.920 -> 18:23.200] And four weeks later I sat in his office.
[18:23.200 -> 18:24.880] And what was said that day?
[18:24.880 -> 18:29.080] To be honest, not a lot was said that day. I told him about my career, he asked a lot
[18:29.080 -> 18:34.920] of questions, he was obviously very nice and gave me a lot of time and I think something
[18:34.920 -> 18:40.240] I've realised about Toto since day one, he gives everybody a huge amount of time but
[18:40.240 -> 18:45.120] it wasn't as simple as, alright we're going to sign you today, and that's that.
[18:45.120 -> 18:49.280] We left that conversation saying, right, I'm now going to race in Formula 3.
[18:49.280 -> 18:51.280] This is where you're taking the next step.
[18:52.080 -> 18:55.200] You know, we'll keep an eye on you and we'll stay in touch and we'll go from there.
[18:55.200 -> 18:58.720] And it was only at the end of 2015 where we picked up the conversation again.
[18:58.720 -> 19:00.560] And that's when I signed for Mercedes.
[19:00.560 -> 19:02.720] And what did you do in that intervening period?
[19:02.720 -> 19:07.500] Because I think this is, again, valuable for people who are never gonna race in motorsport but have
[19:07.500 -> 19:10.440] got an ambition and they know where they want to go what did you do to stay on
[19:10.440 -> 19:16.320] his radar like to kind of almost almost let him feel that he was part of your
[19:16.320 -> 19:18.760] career even before you were signed do you know what I mean rather than just
[19:18.760 -> 19:22.680] disappearing for a year and reappearing which I think some people would do. Yeah
[19:22.680 -> 19:29.160] so he he actually gave me some advice to join a certain team in Formula 3 so this was a German team who
[19:29.160 -> 19:32.960] raced with a Mercedes engine, Mercedes-Benz backed and I think it'd be a great
[19:32.960 -> 19:37.720] place for you so I appreciate your opinion and I went and did a test with
[19:37.720 -> 19:42.000] them and I ended up joining a British team called Carlin with a Volkswagen
[19:42.000 -> 19:47.840] engine so as soon as I signed with withlin, I sent Toto an email just saying, I
[19:47.840 -> 19:51.560] really, um, thank you for your advice to the test with, with the German team.
[19:51.560 -> 19:55.720] But I felt like joining the British team with the VW engine would be
[19:55.720 -> 19:58.240] better for my, my future progress.
[19:58.320 -> 20:01.920] And I feel I'd learn more with the British team than with the German team.
[20:02.660 -> 20:07.840] And he replied again, straight away saying, you know, I sort of jokingly, I think you're making the wrong decision, but best of luck,
[20:07.840 -> 20:13.200] let's stay in touch and let's see how he gets on. So I think having that follow-up email where it
[20:13.200 -> 20:18.880] wasn't so formal in a way, it was a bit more informal and I'd almost gone against what he'd
[20:18.880 -> 20:26.440] advised. He probably saw that, um, it's quite intriguing, you know intriguing, you know is this 17 year old kid now 16 year old kid
[20:26.800 -> 20:32.280] Who is almost gone in the opposite direction to what he advised and that was it until I think until?
[20:32.720 -> 20:39.160] December when there was an award ceremony and total was there and I thought I missed my opportunity to go and speak with him again
[20:39.160 -> 20:40.080] and
[20:40.080 -> 20:41.520] That's where it started
[20:41.520 -> 20:46.360] So it sounds to me like you've started to pull on a golden thread almost, where it
[20:46.360 -> 20:50.320] gives you a line of sight of I know where I want to get to now, and it gives you a sense
[20:50.320 -> 20:51.600] of direction.
[20:51.600 -> 20:57.080] How frequently, when you made a decision, whether it's the team that you joined in Formula
[20:57.080 -> 21:02.560] Three or a particular decision about a race and how you were going to respond, were you
[21:02.560 -> 21:05.160] thinking about what you were going to say to Toto
[21:05.160 -> 21:06.560] or what Mercedes would perceive?
[21:07.000 -> 21:09.500] Going into that season, I just thought it's all results based.
[21:09.500 -> 21:11.240] I've almost done the groundwork.
[21:11.600 -> 21:15.280] Now I've put in those foundations with, with Mercedes, with Toto.
[21:16.040 -> 21:18.260] I just need to go out there and perform.
[21:18.880 -> 21:22.680] Even though there wasn't a contract on the table straight away, I felt like
[21:22.680 -> 21:29.400] I had a good relationship with him and having performed it gives you a lot of
[21:29.400 -> 21:35.720] ammunition to argue your case so I think you've got to go out there make your
[21:35.720 -> 21:39.760] point then almost leave it and then do the talking on the track or whatever
[21:39.760 -> 21:43.200] industry it is you're in. But also a real belief in the decisions you're making
[21:43.200 -> 21:49.000] like are you doing all this at this point or is your dad going George send another email to
[21:49.000 -> 21:52.720] Toto or your mum while she's you know chatting to you at the dinner table she's going have
[21:52.720 -> 21:56.800] you messaged that guy from Mercedes again or is or are you kind of again as we've spoken
[21:56.800 -> 22:00.920] about a couple of times already in a kind of in your own world controlling your your
[22:00.920 -> 22:06.840] own destiny? Yeah to be honest most of this came from my own thoughts, really, but I'm sure it's
[22:06.840 -> 22:12.040] from the way I've been brought up from my parents, and I guess they always taught me
[22:12.040 -> 22:16.560] you've got to go out there and make it happen for yourself. So even though it wasn't my
[22:16.560 -> 22:22.000] father saying, you know, send this email to Toto, I was sort of on my own accord going
[22:22.000 -> 22:25.480] out there and trying to create these opportunities.
[22:25.480 -> 22:29.760] And as I said, it was only when I was 16, I recognized if I want to achieve my
[22:29.760 -> 22:32.680] dream and it wasn't just my dream, it was also my family's dream.
[22:32.720 -> 22:35.960] There'd been so much sacrifice for my father, for my mother.
[22:36.440 -> 22:39.560] And my father used to work every day, you know, half seven to half seven.
[22:40.160 -> 22:41.320] Never saw him through the week.
[22:42.080 -> 22:49.040] On a Friday night, we're jumping the the camper van driving up and down the UK and as a child you don't really comprehend.
[22:49.520 -> 23:00.120] What's going on here you know why is dad not home for dinner tonight and tomorrow night and the day after he's there working his socks off to put food on the table.
[23:00.380 -> 23:12.040] Make a living to be able to afford to go go-kart racing. It's not straightforward. And as I said, I, by that age of 16, I'd won again in Formula 4, but didn't really
[23:12.040 -> 23:15.040] have the money to go and race in Formula 3 if I didn't have sponsorship.
[23:15.480 -> 23:17.280] That could have been the end of a journey.
[23:17.280 -> 23:21.360] So it's sort of now and in my court thinking I've got to go and do something
[23:21.360 -> 23:24.480] because clearly winning isn't just enough.
[23:25.220 -> 23:27.860] And what did that do in terms of your perception of pressure?
[23:27.880 -> 23:33.340] So as you say like you almost would naive to not appreciate never seen you dad
[23:33.340 -> 23:38.560] And it's just the way things are and then you say that realization dawns of shit
[23:38.560 -> 23:43.240] He's been working hard to give me these opportunities. Yeah, I don't really know how that
[23:43.920 -> 23:45.520] Played on me in terms of
[23:45.520 -> 23:52.880] that additional pressure. I think for sure my father was very hard on me during my whole racing
[23:52.880 -> 23:58.800] career. Go on, what do you mean by that? And we're just in go-karting, you've got my, my father was
[23:58.800 -> 24:05.280] my mechanic throughout my go-kart career. My mum used to write down all of the data on her little notepad,
[24:05.280 -> 24:12.960] all the setups, all the lap times, everything logged in this £1.50 notepad from WH Smith or
[24:12.960 -> 24:19.600] whatever. And it was so passionate for all of us. And they're standing on the sidelines,
[24:19.600 -> 24:23.440] they're seeing me racing, seeing me succeed, but equally if I'm ever making a mistake,
[24:24.480 -> 24:25.840] because I think he was
[24:25.840 -> 24:30.320] going through a lot of pressure, you know, work was not straightforward for him. All of that time
[24:30.320 -> 24:35.440] and sacrifice he was making, if ever he saw his son going out there and not putting in the effort
[24:36.240 -> 24:40.240] during the race weekend, or you know, I'm more interested playing football with my mates in
[24:40.240 -> 24:49.480] between the sessions or messing around, I guess that would probably wind him up quite a lot and he would let me know about it because you know he's
[24:49.480 -> 24:53.520] putting all this effort in for a reason. I need to go out there and show that
[24:53.520 -> 24:57.760] it's worth it and I can't be there dicking around just having a good time
[24:57.760 -> 25:03.160] when kind of we're here to win. But then does that affect the father-son dynamic?
[25:03.160 -> 25:06.000] Is it more than coach, athlete? Yeah,
[25:06.000 -> 25:12.400] I think so. I probably didn't have the greatest relationship with my father through those karting
[25:13.040 -> 25:19.600] days because we were like a race team. It was almost like we weren't there to have a good time,
[25:19.600 -> 25:24.720] we were kind of there to win. And if we won, we had a good time, of course, and we'd always remember,
[25:24.720 -> 25:29.760] we'd always stop off at KFC on the way home if ever we want to race. And as a kid, I really
[25:29.760 -> 25:34.800] enjoyed that. So that was kind of my reward at the end of a weekend if you did a good job.
[25:34.800 -> 25:40.800] And obviously those moments are so special, but equally on the flip side, if it doesn't go to
[25:40.800 -> 25:46.640] plan, I felt it, but then I would see it affecting my father and my mother,
[25:46.640 -> 25:53.280] maybe less so. But yeah, for sure that added an element of pressure. And that's probably why when
[25:53.280 -> 26:01.120] I got to a mature age, 16 and realizing, right, my father has been through not just 10 years of
[26:01.120 -> 26:07.440] this with me, it's 10 years prior with my brother as well. And this is 20 years worth of passion and hard work.
[26:08.560 -> 26:13.360] I need to almost put my finger out now and almost not let them down.
[26:13.360 -> 26:15.360] Rory McKenzie And that's probably why even today,
[26:15.360 -> 26:19.920] when you don't have a great race weekend, you don't go out and have some food with people,
[26:19.920 -> 26:23.200] you kind of do, I guess, what you learned really in that period in your life, which was,
[26:24.080 -> 26:29.360] you know, to try and process that. so it's been so interesting to hear that
[26:29.360 -> 26:32.480] you know people think stuff comes for free if you've got talent you get into
[26:32.480 -> 26:35.640] Formula One right that's clearly not the case here you know you've had to make
[26:35.640 -> 26:38.840] these sacrifices have various little moments along the way where you've had
[26:38.840 -> 26:43.000] to make the right decision and you do and you end up in Formula One and I'm
[26:43.000 -> 26:49.480] there watching from afar because this was interesting for me because obviously I was doing bits and pieces with Formula One as you were starting
[26:49.480 -> 26:53.720] out on your journey and then I watched you come through and you were the most successful
[26:53.720 -> 26:57.640] young British driver for a period when there were some great British drivers. Alex Albon
[26:57.640 -> 27:03.680] was based in the UK racing under a Thai flag, and Landon Norris obviously at the same time.
[27:03.680 -> 27:09.120] So I then remember watching your first season at Williams but those guys are in a Red
[27:09.120 -> 27:15.900] Bull and a McLaren and are picking up points picking up podiums and you're not.
[27:15.900 -> 27:21.400] I'd love to know how that felt and how you processed that from being as you
[27:21.400 -> 27:24.960] described as a young guy like you just won everything that's what you did and
[27:24.960 -> 27:29.760] suddenly you weren't. Yeah that was a really unique season for me my first year in Formula One
[27:29.760 -> 27:37.760] joining Williams and a team that was on the brink of bankruptcy and it was a team of every single
[27:37.760 -> 27:46.520] race weekend it was racing to survive it wasn't racing to, the team was racing to survive in the 800 people's jobs
[27:46.520 -> 27:48.360] at stake.
[27:48.360 -> 27:52.560] And there was no doubt, you know, when I got to the first race in Australia, I'm here in
[27:52.560 -> 27:59.400] Formula 1, you know, almost one dream accomplished and go out on track and we're four seconds
[27:59.400 -> 28:05.200] off the pace, the car's falling apart and we're being lapped two or three times.
[28:05.200 -> 28:08.040] Kind of think to yourself, you know, is this the dream?
[28:08.040 -> 28:16.520] But I think I've always had quite a rational view to things and while seeing Alex in Red
[28:16.520 -> 28:22.760] Bull scoring podiums and, you know, being the man to a degree and Lando equally always
[28:22.760 -> 28:26.800] in the points and that was sort of difficult to digest because
[28:26.800 -> 28:32.400] I'd just come from Formula 2 where I beat them and now you know I've almost just been put...
[28:32.400 -> 28:33.360] How did you digest it?
[28:34.000 -> 28:39.440] I thought that even though they're finishing the points and they're scoring podiums,
[28:40.160 -> 28:49.280] I'm not here to score points or podiums, I'm here to win it and I want to win. And even though they were finishing ahead of me, we're all going through this journey
[28:49.280 -> 28:51.360] together, learning.
[28:51.360 -> 28:55.360] I was part of Mercedes and I felt like my time will come.
[28:55.360 -> 29:01.120] So I think every time from a difficult situation, you've got to try and look at the positives
[29:01.120 -> 29:02.120] from it.
[29:02.120 -> 29:05.400] I was driving at the back of a grid, kind of under the radar.
[29:05.400 -> 29:09.960] I was making a few mistakes that season, but not many people noticed because people weren't,
[29:09.960 -> 29:13.900] the spotlight wasn't on me. No spotlight was on the guys at the front. Equally, the spotlight
[29:13.900 -> 29:19.320] was on Lando and Alex. And if ever they made a mistake, the whole world knew about it.
[29:19.320 -> 29:25.360] So I saw this as an opportunity that, you know, I'm in Formula One, going to 21 different countries, 21 different
[29:25.360 -> 29:32.080] races, different circuits. This is my opportunity to learn and perhaps try things that, for example,
[29:32.080 -> 29:37.040] Alex and Lando didn't have the opportunity to because the spotlight was on every single weekend.
[29:37.040 -> 29:40.880] But also you couldn't have done these things either because you and previous seasons were
[29:40.880 -> 29:45.840] racing for titles and championships every year, so you had no exploration behind the wheel, did you?
[29:45.840 -> 29:49.920] No, absolutely. I think, and that was a real mentality change for me. I had a teammate
[29:50.720 -> 29:58.000] in Robert Kubica, who had a horrific accident in 2011, I think it was. And he'd been out of an F1
[29:58.000 -> 30:06.840] car for a long, long time, and he had a very difficult season. So I was almost racing in no man's land. But there was this one race
[30:06.840 -> 30:14.080] in Monaco. I was driving around. I was ahead of Robert by quite a margin. I was behind
[30:14.080 -> 30:18.360] the next gaggle of cars. And I kind of thought to myself, I'm just going to bring the car
[30:18.360 -> 30:22.200] home because what's the point in risking it? You know, I've kind of achieved all I can
[30:22.200 -> 30:25.980] in this race. I can't beat the car cars ahead. I've already beaten the car behind.
[30:26.420 -> 30:30.720] And there was a moment in that race that I thought this will teach me nothing.
[30:30.920 -> 30:35.420] If I just drive around for the next hour and a half, just bringing the car home.
[30:35.740 -> 30:38.300] This isn't going to help me in one year time, two years time, three years time.
[30:38.560 -> 30:41.980] If ever I'm racing for Mercedes, if ever I'm racing for a race
[30:41.980 -> 30:43.520] win or world championships.
[30:44.000 -> 30:48.700] So I just sort of turned up and just went absolutely flat out every single lap around
[30:48.700 -> 30:55.540] Monaco, kind of risking everything for 19th position on the grid, because I felt like
[30:55.540 -> 30:59.140] that's what I needed to do if I wanted to learn and progress.
[30:59.140 -> 31:02.680] And it's from that moment on for the rest of the season, that sort of every single
[31:02.680 -> 31:06.640] race, every single qualifying, every single session was this opportunity for me to
[31:06.800 -> 31:12.200] build a, you know, greater toolbox of experience for me to tap into whenever
[31:12.200 -> 31:13.080] I needed it in the future.
[31:13.240 -> 31:17.840] I love that because that's something that as I'm listening to it, is the
[31:17.840 -> 31:21.000] first time you're almost driving without pressure because there's no expectation
[31:21.000 -> 31:22.880] on you as has previously come.
[31:23.000 -> 31:29.320] And then you find pressure within, you put yourself under some kind of pressure.
[31:29.360 -> 31:31.560] Yeah, it was, I was racing against myself.
[31:31.640 -> 31:31.840] Yeah.
[31:31.840 -> 31:35.200] You know, I, I stopped thinking about my teammate and I stopped thinking about
[31:35.200 -> 31:39.680] everyone else because we were so far behind, we couldn't compete with anybody else.
[31:40.160 -> 31:45.680] So I was purely competing with myself and I'd have races or sessions where I finished 19th.
[31:45.680 -> 31:47.760] I was ahead of my teammate behind everyone else.
[31:48.400 -> 31:53.360] But I was really disappointed with my performance because I knew I could have done better.
[31:53.920 -> 31:58.480] And for some of my team at the time was a little bit difficult to understand, you know,
[31:58.480 -> 32:01.920] on paper, I'd finished in the same place as I finished last race.
[32:01.920 -> 32:05.840] All of those boxes were ticked, but I knew
[32:05.840 -> 32:06.840] I could have done better.
[32:06.840 -> 32:11.440] And I think that's really helped me to develop from a, you know, this difficult situation.
[32:11.440 -> 32:16.600] I could have done that whole season, just tutored around and I'd have got to the following
[32:16.600 -> 32:17.600] year.
[32:17.600 -> 32:20.840] Then I'm slightly more in the game, I've just wasted a whole season.
[32:20.840 -> 32:25.040] So I think every single opportunity you've got, you've got to make the most of it.
[32:25.040 -> 32:29.920] So tell us then what did you learn about yourself in this season of discovery and
[32:30.800 -> 32:35.280] exploring your own limits? What's the biggest lesson that came out from that?
[32:35.280 -> 32:41.920] I think the biggest lesson was probably success is all relative. You know when I grew up
[32:48.160 -> 32:52.680] You know, when I grew up as a young go-kart driver and going through the ranks of F4 to F2, success was being in a pole position and winning.
[32:52.680 -> 32:59.560] And when I got to Formula 1, that just was not achievable in the Williams in that season.
[32:59.560 -> 33:03.360] So I couldn't come away from every single weekend being disappointed with myself because
[33:03.360 -> 33:11.520] I've not been on pole and I've not won the race. You have to readjust your expectations and you have to find
[33:12.240 -> 33:19.520] your own successes. I would celebrate when I was only half a second away from 18th on the grid
[33:19.520 -> 33:25.360] rather than being a second away because that was relative success. And for me, that was kind of like a pole position.
[33:25.760 -> 33:31.160] And if I didn't celebrate those moments, that 21 race season would have felt
[33:31.560 -> 33:36.800] incredibly long and that helps me to, um, yeah, sort of get through that
[33:36.800 -> 33:38.440] season and to progress as a driver.
[33:38.800 -> 33:39.640] Are you glad that you had it?
[33:40.120 -> 33:40.600] I think so.
[33:40.600 -> 33:43.880] I never want to look back and say things should have been different.
[33:43.880 -> 33:50.800] I think every single opportunity, every single year, whether it's a good year or bad year, adds to your development
[33:50.800 -> 33:56.720] and it made me who I am. If I was in a Mercedes fighting for victories, I wouldn't have had those
[33:56.720 -> 34:04.080] experiences. And I've probably been through in that regard, maybe more than what Alex or
[34:04.080 -> 34:06.000] Lando has. Lando's been at
[34:06.000 -> 34:10.080] McLaren now for five years, he's been fighting for the odd podium or pole
[34:10.080 -> 34:15.420] position for five years now, whereas I've been on sort of every end of the
[34:15.420 -> 34:20.960] spectrum and you've got to see that as an advantage. He hasn't been
[34:20.960 -> 34:24.760] right at the back of a grid, equally he's not been right at front of a grid in
[34:24.760 -> 34:25.760] McLaren and it's through no fault of a grid. Equally, he's not been right at the front of a grid in McLaren.
[34:25.760 -> 34:28.080] And it's no, through no fault of his own, you know,
[34:28.080 -> 34:32.400] Lando's an exceptional driver, but, you know, that's an advantage.
[34:32.400 -> 34:33.360] I've got to take from that.
[34:33.360 -> 34:33.760] Yeah.
[34:33.760 -> 34:36.800] I mean, I think, I think what you're describing there is fascinating.
[34:36.800 -> 34:42.240] There's research on this that your brain response, like releases the chemicals
[34:42.240 -> 34:44.800] to celebrate whatever your expectations are.
[34:44.800 -> 34:45.560] So if you
[34:45.560 -> 34:49.320] expect to get half a second quicker and you do it, your brain releases the
[34:49.320 -> 34:51.760] same chemical because you've hit your target.
[34:51.760 -> 34:55.880] So if your target was to win the world title you get the same chemical release as
[34:55.880 -> 35:00.040] where Jules was finishing at that point right? Yeah. So how do you deal
[35:00.040 -> 35:06.340] with like setting micro targets now? I never like to look too far ahead I like
[35:06.340 -> 35:12.240] to take every single day as it comes and I believe that if I perform to my very
[35:12.240 -> 35:16.200] best today if I perform to my very best tomorrow whether that's in the gym
[35:16.200 -> 35:19.760] whether that's talking with you guys whether that's talking my engineers
[35:19.760 -> 35:28.840] whether that's in the simulator whether that's a Friday practice session. If I do the best job possible that I can do every single day,
[35:29.320 -> 35:32.160] I'll achieve that overall goal.
[35:32.720 -> 35:34.920] So it's obvious I want to be a world champion.
[35:34.920 -> 35:38.680] That is too obvious to even set that as as a goal, because it's
[35:39.080 -> 35:41.520] that's what we're all here to do.
[35:41.520 -> 35:44.880] You know, my goal was to wake up today and make sure that I do everything right
[35:45.840 -> 35:50.360] and go to bed thinking I can have done more than I've done. And if I achieve that every single
[35:50.360 -> 35:53.760] day, that goal of world champion will come.
[35:53.760 -> 35:57.560] So we had a really interesting conversation with Johnny Wilkinson. What year were you
[35:57.560 -> 35:58.560] born?
[35:58.560 -> 35:59.560] 98.
[35:59.560 -> 36:02.760] So do you remember England winning the Rugby World Cup? You were five years old, you were
[36:02.760 -> 36:03.760] young.
[36:03.760 -> 36:04.760] I don't remember it but I've watched it.
[36:04.760 -> 36:05.280] You know the moment. Yeah, I know the moment. How long do you reckon he winning the Rugby World Cup? You were five years old, you were young. I don't remember it, but I've watched it. You know the moment?
[36:05.280 -> 36:06.100] Yeah, I know the moment.
[36:06.100 -> 36:08.400] How long do you reckon he said the thrill lasted?
[36:08.400 -> 36:10.160] I think I listened to his podcast.
[36:10.160 -> 36:12.000] So it's 30 seconds, right?
[36:12.000 -> 36:13.640] And what was really interesting with that conversation
[36:13.640 -> 36:15.200] was that was the moment where he realised
[36:15.200 -> 36:19.320] that life isn't about having that moment
[36:19.320 -> 36:21.360] where the light shines and you're the world champion
[36:21.360 -> 36:22.680] and then suddenly you're happy.
[36:22.680 -> 36:24.960] That's delaying happiness till you get to that moment.
[36:24.960 -> 36:28.160] And I think what you're talking about here is you've realised, as he has,
[36:28.160 -> 36:32.080] but he only realised it after setting that huge goal,
[36:32.080 -> 36:35.280] achieving it and realising it wasn't actually going to give him a thrill
[36:35.280 -> 36:36.720] or any length of fulfilment.
[36:36.720 -> 36:40.000] It's about being totally in the moment all the time.
[36:40.000 -> 36:42.480] So, you know, when we're having this conversation,
[36:42.480 -> 36:44.880] you can give it 50% but it won't fulfil us,
[36:44.880 -> 36:48.960] it won't fulfil you, it won't fulfil anyone. And then you go on to the next thing and if you
[36:48.960 -> 36:51.920] give that kind of 50% because all you're thinking about is winning the world title,
[36:51.920 -> 36:58.960] your whole life will be missed opportunities, flat experiences, dull moments. And then guess
[36:58.960 -> 37:03.520] what? If you don't win the world title, what a waste it's been changing everything for that
[37:03.520 -> 37:11.000] moment. Does that make sense? Yeah, definitely I'll always remember I got such an opportunity when I jumped in for Lewis
[37:11.000 -> 37:18.360] in 2020, obviously he came down with Covid and jumped in last minute into Mercedes, they'd
[37:18.360 -> 37:25.040] already won the world championship, that was probably their most dominant race car they ever produced.
[37:30.080 -> 37:35.600] And I'm coming from a Williams that I was finishing 19th every single race weekend, didn't score any points thrown into that car and I qualified second,
[37:36.280 -> 37:37.840] 20 milliseconds behind my teammate.
[37:38.440 -> 37:39.280] And I was disappointed.
[37:40.160 -> 37:43.560] And that was just such a learning for me thinking, you know,
[37:43.600 -> 37:44.640] this is my best qualifier.
[37:44.680 -> 37:46.880] I've never qualified inside the top 10.
[37:46.880 -> 37:49.280] I've just missed out on pole position by 20 milliseconds.
[37:49.840 -> 37:51.360] And I'm disappointed with that.
[37:51.360 -> 37:54.320] Because for me, I felt like I could have done better.
[37:54.320 -> 37:57.280] The expectation had changed.
[37:57.280 -> 38:03.680] And even though that was by far better than anything I'd achieved previously, it wasn't all that.
[38:03.680 -> 38:04.960] When did you realize that?
[38:04.960 -> 38:06.880] Is this a long period after?
[38:06.880 -> 38:10.400] Is that at the time you thought, why am I feeling like this?
[38:10.400 -> 38:13.280] Well, straight away I was disappointed with Second,
[38:14.400 -> 38:19.040] and it was probably that evening I realised that winning
[38:20.000 -> 38:24.640] probably isn't everything in terms of fulfilling that happiness.
[38:24.640 -> 38:26.880] I want to win more than anything,
[38:26.880 -> 38:32.880] but if you're going out there to achieve happiness, winning will give that to you for a
[38:32.880 -> 38:37.920] short period of time. But that's, you win once, you want to win two times, you win two times,
[38:37.920 -> 38:46.720] you want to win three times, it's never ending. And I think that's what I've learned on this journey and why maybe those three years
[38:46.720 -> 38:52.000] at Williams for me I dealt with quite well because as I said I wanted to be a world champion and
[38:52.560 -> 38:59.760] seeing sort of my rivals in Alex and Lando having relatively a bit more success in the interim,
[39:00.560 -> 39:06.200] they weren't winning either and they'd already been content with their points finishes.
[39:06.200 -> 39:08.900] They'd finishing the points almost every single race.
[39:08.900 -> 39:10.900] They were disappointed with not getting podiums.
[39:10.900 -> 39:12.560] Then Alex scored a few podiums.
[39:12.560 -> 39:19.440] He's then disappointed that he's not winning and I think it's never going to stop.
[39:19.440 -> 39:24.240] You know I'm yet to win a race and I'm working my ass off to try and win a race.
[39:24.240 -> 39:25.200] You know when I win one race,
[39:25.200 -> 39:29.680] I'm not going to say that's my life fulfilled. It's, you know, I want to win another race and
[39:29.680 -> 39:33.440] another race. And then it's, I want to win a championship. When you win one championship,
[39:33.440 -> 39:38.320] you want to win another championship. So you need to find that way of balancing professional
[39:39.200 -> 39:42.560] life and trying to get that success, but also trying to find your happiness,
[39:43.120 -> 39:47.360] potentially somewhere else as well, because it's probably if you're
[39:47.360 -> 39:51.960] looking for that in your profession and just from pure success I don't think
[39:51.960 -> 39:56.200] you're gonna achieve it. I think that's a fascinating insight to reach because
[39:56.200 -> 40:01.040] especially I'm thinking of you've left school at 14 there may be lessons that
[40:01.040 -> 40:05.680] you learn by doing exams or going through a process like that or
[40:05.680 -> 40:11.120] less bruising experiences like your first girlfriend or like falling out with a group
[40:11.120 -> 40:15.920] of friends at school and yet you're having to learn this in the bright lights of Formula One.
[40:16.720 -> 40:27.400] Yeah I think leaving school at 14 had its pros and cons. I obviously, as I said, leave in that social life and people of the same age as
[40:27.400 -> 40:32.480] me and, and friends was obviously difficult, but then I was always surrounded
[40:32.480 -> 40:37.640] by people who were in their mid to late twenties, you know, my, um, when I was
[40:37.640 -> 40:40.800] racing professionally, go-karting my, my go-kart mechanics, when I was in Formula
[40:40.920 -> 40:45.540] four, my race engineer, who was 50 years old, dealing with people
[40:45.540 -> 40:51.220] at such a young age who have experienced so much in life, experienced so much within that
[40:51.220 -> 40:57.460] sport and you didn't necessarily have the bad influence around to mess about.
[40:57.460 -> 40:58.940] I was terrible at school.
[40:58.940 -> 41:03.100] I used to always sit at the back and mess around with my friends, whereas if I was in
[41:03.100 -> 41:06.320] that classroom on my own, directly with the teacher,
[41:06.320 -> 41:07.640] I wouldn't have been doing that.
[41:07.640 -> 41:11.160] And I'd have been so focused in educating myself
[41:11.160 -> 41:13.000] and trying to be a better person.
[41:13.000 -> 41:16.640] And that was kind of going from one extreme to a kid
[41:16.640 -> 41:19.480] who's now working hard with his 50-year-old engineer
[41:19.480 -> 41:21.720] to try and be a better racing driver
[41:21.720 -> 41:24.840] and going for dinner with him and the mechanics
[41:24.840 -> 41:29.000] who are in their 30s or late 20s who are living a very different life to what I
[41:29.000 -> 41:33.600] would have been living at the age of 14 and 15.
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[43:12.000 -> 43:19.360] So you've had qualifying in the Mercedes, you've finished second. Thankfully you've
[43:19.360 -> 43:23.920] processed the fact that's not a failure and you know, you can be happy at all times regardless
[43:23.920 -> 43:29.240] of what's happening. But then comes race day and that amazing start you had where you sent it
[43:29.520 -> 43:31.840] Down the inside of Valtteri and took the lead in that race
[43:32.240 -> 43:37.960] Could you talk us through the the process you went through that evening after you'd processed qualifying?
[43:38.720 -> 43:40.720] that morning and how
[43:40.800 -> 43:44.880] Conscious was the decision that that's how you were gonna start the race. You know, you were gonna kind of
[43:49.920 -> 43:53.520] Almost like lay a marker down in that moment against a guy who, let's be clear, you wanted his seat, right? And this was the first chance in your whole career to be judged against him.
[43:53.520 -> 43:59.240] Yeah, I think that whole weekend I went in with the mentality that I've got nothing to lose.
[43:59.240 -> 44:06.320] He's the driver who's been in that car for four years now, then the whole season in that race car,
[44:06.320 -> 44:08.840] since 17th race of the season, I think it was.
[44:08.840 -> 44:12.480] I'm coming in, got called up on a Wednesday afternoon.
[44:12.480 -> 44:13.600] If I finished behind him,
[44:13.600 -> 44:14.760] I'm expected to finish behind him
[44:14.760 -> 44:17.440] because of the circumstances.
[44:17.440 -> 44:20.120] But if I beat him, that's huge.
[44:20.120 -> 44:24.400] And that, I think, fueled my motivation of thinking,
[44:24.400 -> 44:29.760] wow, what an opportunity. I've got nothing to lose and I can just go for it.
[44:29.760 -> 44:34.240] And I think waking up on Sunday morning, I'm just thinking, it's just another race.
[44:34.800 -> 44:41.120] Even though this was the biggest race of my career at that point, it was just another race.
[44:41.120 -> 44:45.600] And I think that's something I've try to take forward is every race.
[44:45.920 -> 44:54.200] You can't build up into something that's more than what it is you do these practice days you do your training sessions you go through that process.
[44:54.380 -> 45:03.760] If you wanna call final height of this is qualified i need to go out there this is the biggest qualified my career i feel a bit anxious and a bit tight and a bit stressed in that scenario where is.
[45:03.840 -> 45:07.800] feel a bit anxious and a bit tight and a bit stressed in that scenario whereas I treat it like a practice session. You know every training session I do, every
[45:07.800 -> 45:12.240] practice session I do, I'm trying to be the best I can. I'm trying to
[45:12.240 -> 45:17.400] drive as fast as I can so when I get to qualifying now I'm just gonna do the
[45:17.400 -> 45:20.720] same as what I did in training. When I get to the race now I'm gonna do the
[45:20.720 -> 45:26.000] same as what I did in training because I train to do the very best possible.
[45:26.000 -> 45:31.120] So as soon as the helmet was on and you're on that starting grid, there was no one in front of me
[45:31.120 -> 45:36.880] other than obviously my teammate in Valtteri, but there was no cars directly ahead. It just felt
[45:36.880 -> 45:42.720] like another race. And it was incredible how that mentality was, you know, you're just looking at
[45:42.720 -> 45:47.720] those start lights. I've got to make a good start and I've got to try and overtake at turn one.
[45:47.720 -> 45:52.880] And that's the exact same mentality as I had from starting second there on pole position
[45:52.880 -> 45:57.120] at one of the races this year, or when I started last with Williams.
[45:57.120 -> 46:01.320] I think there's something about intentionality here though as well, because I'm reminded
[46:01.320 -> 46:06.560] as you're describing that, that experience you said when you were 14 and you went, I'm gonna beat that guy on that last,
[46:06.560 -> 46:09.480] on that bend, in the last lap,
[46:09.480 -> 46:12.800] where you're going in and imposing yourself on a situation.
[46:12.800 -> 46:16.360] So although you calm, because it's just another race,
[46:16.360 -> 46:18.880] there's something about imposing yourself
[46:18.880 -> 46:21.180] and imposing your will on a situation.
[46:21.180 -> 46:23.640] How conscious was that, that you're now in a place
[46:23.640 -> 46:30.280] where you can go in and impose yourself on that race? I think you recognize certain circumstances
[46:30.280 -> 46:35.720] are obviously bigger than others and you want to try and do big things so I knew
[46:35.720 -> 46:42.000] I've got half an opportunity I'm absolutely gonna go for it because that
[46:42.000 -> 46:48.000] is the moment where the spotlight truly is on even though you're going with the same mentality when the spotlight wasn't.
[46:48.540 -> 46:58.520] That you realize you know you've you've got to go for that that opportunity as such and yeah as i said as soon as you you launch off the line and you see half an opportunity.
[46:58.600 -> 47:03.960] This is the guy who i'm battling for that race seat i can't leave anything.
[47:05.920 -> 47:12.720] battling for that race seat. I can't leave anything off the table and I don't want to come away with any regrets. It was a very unique circumstance to be in, and especially
[47:12.720 -> 47:17.960] as I said, battling directly with the guy you're trying to take his seat from.
[47:17.960 -> 47:22.680] Well, it felt like a fairy tale. I remember at the time thinking, this guy's been supported
[47:22.680 -> 47:29.360] by Mercedes, he's done the hard yards, he's been in the Williams, this strange opportunity has come about because of a global pandemic that's
[47:29.360 -> 47:33.280] you know struck down one of the drivers, now he's in the lead, this was always meant to be.
[47:34.240 -> 47:36.400] But that's not the way the story went.
[47:36.400 -> 47:44.400] No it didn't quite pan out that way, I got a puncture in that race, effectively lost a victory
[47:44.400 -> 47:48.000] through a puncture but by having that puncture in
[47:48.000 -> 47:53.680] the race, it also gave me an opportunity to carve my way back through the field and overtake
[47:53.680 -> 47:58.520] Valtteri again, which in a way was almost a bigger statement than what it would have
[47:58.520 -> 48:01.880] been had I just won the race and cleared off into the distance.
[48:01.880 -> 48:09.840] And I obviously finished that race incredibly disappointed and upset that I wasn't standing on the top step of that
[48:09.840 -> 48:16.680] podium but probably within 24 hours I thought perhaps this is a blessing in
[48:16.680 -> 48:20.680] disguise you know I had such an opportunity to show what I was capable
[48:20.680 -> 48:28.400] of I think if I just went out there and won that race probably the respect wouldn't have been there because it almost would have been too easy.
[48:28.400 -> 48:33.480] Whereas people saw me fight for every single opportunity, they saw me fight at the start,
[48:33.480 -> 48:37.880] they saw me fight back through the field, they saw that passion of when I got the punch
[48:37.880 -> 48:43.080] and it felt like the people watching was on that journey with me.
[48:43.080 -> 48:45.760] That was two years ago, it feels like yesterday, but if I won
[48:45.760 -> 48:52.320] that race I'd have been a one-time Formula One winner. It would not have changed anything
[48:52.320 -> 48:57.160] for me. And even though it would have meant the world at the time, I'm here to try and
[48:57.160 -> 49:04.160] be a Formula One world champion and I would be no happier or sadder today had I won that
[49:04.160 -> 49:07.000] race. So it was quite an intriguing thought.
[49:07.000 -> 49:11.000] You might not want to answer this with total honesty, but I'd love it if you did.
[49:11.000 -> 49:18.000] Did you think that the performance you put in that day meant that at the end of the season you'd be in that Mercedes?
[49:18.000 -> 49:26.760] I always believed I'd be in the Mercedes and Toto made it very clear, just go out, perform and leave the rest to
[49:26.760 -> 49:27.760] me.
[49:27.760 -> 49:31.080] And that wasn't that weekend, that was throughout my whole career.
[49:31.080 -> 49:36.200] When I was racing in Formula 3, he said, go and win, I'll sort the rest.
[49:36.200 -> 49:38.760] I won, he sorted the rest, I raced F2.
[49:38.760 -> 49:41.240] Go and win, you'll be in F1 next year.
[49:41.240 -> 49:44.840] I won, and I was in F1 and he had the same mentality.
[49:44.840 -> 49:45.400] He knew I wanted
[49:45.400 -> 49:50.000] to be in a Mercedes. Mercedes was the seat that every single F1 driver wanted to be
[49:50.000 -> 49:54.200] in and he made it clear go and perform and you'd be in the car. But you did
[49:54.200 -> 49:59.800] perform and you didn't... Well I had a three-year contract with Williams that
[49:59.800 -> 50:04.920] was probably the the biggest difficulty is when we signed for Williams they were
[50:04.920 -> 50:05.640] a team who were
[50:05.640 -> 50:10.400] fighting for podiums fighting for pole positions they won bad year in 2018 but
[50:10.400 -> 50:15.000] we thought that was you know a one-off and they'd be back to not winning ways
[50:15.000 -> 50:21.400] but you know fighting in that mid-pack and Claire Williams who ran the team at
[50:21.400 -> 50:27.280] the time she kind of had had us by the balls let's say and you
[50:27.280 -> 50:30.960] know that was the only opportunity to get into Formula One that was a the last
[50:30.960 -> 50:36.960] remaining seat she basically said it's three years or nothing right so you
[50:36.960 -> 50:40.120] obviously went for it and we thought at the time three years with Williams it's
[50:40.120 -> 50:43.040] not gonna be a bad place because you know they've been fighting for podiums
[50:43.040 -> 50:47.960] for the previous four years had a bad year in 2018 but it's a going to be a bad place because, you know, they've been fighting for podiums for the previous four years. They had a bad year in 2018, but it's a new season. They
[50:47.960 -> 50:54.600] could be back to some good ways. And then we soon learned that it was a difficult situation
[50:54.600 -> 50:59.360] for the team and they had difficulty with sponsorship. They had a sponsor pullout, the
[50:59.360 -> 51:04.160] pandemic came, and as I said, it was a battle of survival for them.
[51:04.160 -> 51:05.400] But it would have been hard I
[51:05.400 -> 51:09.760] imagine and correct me if I'm wrong to to get that your first ever taste of a
[51:09.760 -> 51:14.600] competitive Formula One car and then go back not just for a few more races but
[51:14.600 -> 51:20.560] an entire season like hungry man like yeah wanting that back all the time.
[51:20.560 -> 51:26.760] Yeah absolutely once you've got that opportunity it it motivates you to fight even harder to make
[51:26.760 -> 51:29.860] sure you're there. Always. And I remember the first time I ever drove a Formula One
[51:29.860 -> 51:36.040] car was when I was 17 years old. That speed and thrill I got from experiencing that Formula
[51:36.040 -> 51:42.840] One car. I always wanted to be a Formula One driver, but I had added motivation and fire
[51:42.840 -> 51:46.600] within my stomach to achieve that because that was just such
[51:46.600 -> 51:51.800] an awesome experience and the same with almost been on pole that was such an
[51:51.800 -> 51:56.640] experience and what I'd almost dreamt of my whole life I wanted that every single
[51:56.640 -> 52:00.800] weekend so you know I went out the following year and 2021 was pretty my
[52:00.800 -> 52:04.160] most competitive year in Formula One. But obviously that was the year when you had
[52:04.160 -> 52:06.240] that coming together with Valtteri, right?
[52:06.240 -> 52:09.360] What happened when you stood in for Lewis was kind of out of your control and was great
[52:09.360 -> 52:10.360] for you.
[52:10.360 -> 52:11.360] Yeah.
[52:11.360 -> 52:14.760] And I think the general perception was that that moment wasn't great for you.
[52:14.760 -> 52:18.440] How was it from your perspective that that moment against Valtteri?
[52:18.440 -> 52:22.040] And I'm interested also in how Mercedes and Toto dealt with that because that was almost
[52:22.040 -> 52:24.640] the first time that maybe there was a difficult conversation.
[52:24.640 -> 52:29.280] When we came together and obviously crashing into the driver whose seat you're trying to
[52:29.280 -> 52:31.880] take and the team who have supported you your whole career.
[52:31.880 -> 52:33.360] That wasn't on the plan.
[52:33.360 -> 52:40.040] It definitely wasn't on the plan but I think it's where those sort of killer instincts
[52:40.040 -> 52:42.920] come in because I was a Williams driver.
[52:42.920 -> 52:45.920] The thing with Williams is I'd been there for two years,
[52:45.920 -> 52:52.000] we'd scored zero points. The teams who finish eighth, ninth, tenth in the championship,
[52:52.000 -> 52:57.440] they often don't score more than 10 points in a whole season. So if you ever get that one
[52:57.440 -> 53:04.400] opportunity to score one or two points, that is huge for the team. And also financially,
[53:04.400 -> 53:08.000] if you could finish ninth or eighth in the Constructors' Championship,
[53:08.000 -> 53:13.000] you're talking tens of millions of dollars in prize money extra you're given.
[53:13.000 -> 53:17.000] So this is a team that's struggling to survive on the brink of bankruptcy.
[53:17.000 -> 53:19.000] I'm in a race, I'm in 11th position.
[53:19.000 -> 53:25.640] And when you're in a car like that, you've got to put it all on the line. You're not
[53:25.640 -> 53:29.780] going to score points if you're conservative and play Mr. Consistent. It
[53:29.780 -> 53:34.600] didn't even really cross my mind that it was Valtteri and a Mercedes. That was an
[53:34.600 -> 53:41.240] opening to score points for myself, for my team and I had to go for it but it
[53:41.240 -> 53:43.920] was probably that moment I was spinning sideways through the grass at 200 miles
[53:43.920 -> 53:46.680] an hour. What did you think when you realized who it was that you'd
[53:46.680 -> 53:51.160] had a come in together with? It was quite a scary moment because I'd never crashed
[53:51.160 -> 53:58.320] at that speed before doing 330 kilometers an hour DRS open got on a
[53:58.320 -> 54:02.960] wet patch the car just spun I'm going sideways down the track carbon fiber
[54:02.960 -> 54:07.860] flying everywhere I can't see to my right because you're kind of locked in the cockpit.
[54:07.860 -> 54:11.580] I don't know what I'm going to hit and I'm sort of bracing for impact.
[54:11.580 -> 54:16.580] Fortunately enough, the overall impact wasn't too bad and we sort of slowed down into the
[54:16.580 -> 54:19.060] gravel and hit the barrier slightly.
[54:19.060 -> 54:24.220] Your initial reaction, you're so much adrenaline, as I said, you're crashing at 200 miles an
[54:24.220 -> 54:29.180] hour. Firstly I was furious with Valtteri which was probably not the right thing
[54:29.180 -> 54:35.380] to do because that was an opportunity that I saw that has now just disappeared
[54:35.380 -> 54:39.660] you know it wasn't that I've just crashed into Valtteri or Mercedes it's
[54:39.660 -> 54:45.960] that is points we have lost and I thought that he'd lost for us
[54:45.960 -> 54:50.880] And that was probably also a lesson for me that you need to look at the overall picture from
[54:51.520 -> 54:53.200] other
[54:53.200 -> 54:56.160] People's view before taking a snap
[54:56.720 -> 55:01.520] Judgment, and I was you know, very hot-headed and went over and he was also hot-headed
[55:01.520 -> 55:03.440] you know middle fingers were flying and
[55:03.440 -> 55:05.460] The UVF and the C words were being thrown around and it was all a bitheaded, middle fingers were flying and the F and the C words were
[55:05.460 -> 55:10.640] being thrown around and it was all a bit of a not a very pleasant situation and that was
[55:10.640 -> 55:15.520] also really good learning for me. You need to take a moment to think about it before
[55:15.520 -> 55:21.840] snap judgments. But when it comes to Mercedes, I didn't really know what to think. I was
[55:21.840 -> 55:33.760] flying home with Toto that evening, that was always the case. So, you know, the one flight that I take with him a year, it was that one. He was very upset with
[55:33.760 -> 55:39.840] the situation and pretty angry also because that was the very first year of this new financial
[55:39.840 -> 55:49.400] cost cap that had been implemented and the damage that occurred in that incident for Mercedes was I think one and a half million dollars. So that's one and a half million
[55:49.400 -> 55:55.760] dollars taken away from the sort of overall budget. So he was obviously very upset and
[55:55.760 -> 56:02.500] frustrated about that. It was all just a messy, not a good situation. We left it for the following
[56:02.500 -> 56:05.440] day and then I went around his house for lunch on
[56:05.440 -> 56:11.280] Saturday and everything was no problem at all and we moved on from it. So I feel like situations like
[56:11.280 -> 56:18.640] that, you almost grow together. It sort of pulls you closer and I actually, as it happened,
[56:19.680 -> 56:26.640] built a probably closer relationship with Valtteri's group of engineers and team because I knew them
[56:26.640 -> 56:31.600] already but they all knew that there was a potential that I'd be replacing him. They're
[56:31.600 -> 56:38.640] actually my team today and I, you know, went over, I called them all and said, look, I'm really sorry
[56:38.640 -> 56:43.280] for what happened on Sunday. You know, there's a lot of work just for the mechanic. You got them
[56:43.280 -> 56:50.000] together? No, it was only, it was only, it was only sort of the chief mechanic and chief engineer for him.
[56:50.000 -> 56:53.000] So I spoke to them both, just, you know, really sorry for how that panned out.
[56:53.000 -> 56:55.000] And they said, look, don't worry about it.
[56:55.000 -> 56:57.000] Was that suggested by Toto?
[56:57.000 -> 57:01.000] No, it was, to be honest, I'm not too sure where it came from.
[57:01.000 -> 57:08.960] I knew all of these guys anyway, because I'd been, I was a junior driver for Mercedes. So, you know, I'd often flown with the Mercedes team. I had a good,
[57:08.960 -> 57:14.720] a good relationship with everyone. So it wasn't a sort of difficult thing to, to, to come by,
[57:14.720 -> 57:19.760] but obviously a strange dynamic. I'm a Williams driver crashing into a Mercedes driver. And then
[57:19.760 -> 57:28.080] I'm sort of on the phone to the Mercedes team saying, I'm sorry for how that panned out, but I feel, I'm almost glad for that crash
[57:28.080 -> 57:31.160] because I feel better for it.
[57:31.160 -> 57:32.700] I feel a more rounded person.
[57:32.700 -> 57:35.740] I see things maybe slightly differently.
[57:35.740 -> 57:38.920] And these moments in life, I guess, mature you.
[57:38.920 -> 57:43.200] There's no perfect moments and you need mistakes to grow.
[57:43.200 -> 57:44.280] Was there ever a fear from you
[57:44.280 -> 57:45.520] that it would cost you to drive?
[57:45.520 -> 57:53.960] No, to be honest, because my argument was, you know, I was in a position that was better
[57:53.960 -> 57:57.240] than where the Williams should be and he was in a position worse than where the Mercedes
[57:57.240 -> 57:58.760] should be at the time.
[57:58.760 -> 58:08.540] So I kind of naively and selfishly used that incident as almost an argument for me.
[58:08.540 -> 58:12.100] A chance to remind them that their current driver was further back than he should have been.
[58:12.100 -> 58:16.180] Yeah, yeah, so you can look at it from so many different angles and
[58:16.180 -> 58:19.980] whether the crash was my fault, whether it was, it wasn't his fault, but it was
[58:19.980 -> 58:25.780] there was an opportunity there, it was a very audacious overtake attempt and Toto
[58:25.780 -> 58:30.280] actually said you know a couple of days later he admired the fact that when I
[58:30.280 -> 58:33.480] was sort of spinning out I was still flat out on the throttle going sideways through
[58:33.480 -> 58:38.000] the grass towards the wall at 200 miles an hour and sort of said that
[58:38.000 -> 58:43.320] shows the sort of driver who I am so even though from these difficult negative
[58:43.320 -> 58:45.220] situations there's always a
[58:45.220 -> 58:49.540] positive that comes from it. I'm intrigued by that journey back with Toto
[58:49.540 -> 58:54.340] the night after that crash and I'm hearing parallels of the journey back
[58:54.340 -> 58:58.480] with your dad and your mom in the car after those weekends when you're not
[58:58.480 -> 59:07.800] getting KFC yeah and that leads me to want to explore that relationship and the parallels between your dad and Toto
[59:09.040 -> 59:14.900] I've seen some videos of Toto with his son go karting recently and there probably are some parallels
[59:15.120 -> 59:19.180] there between my father and Toto as a father to
[59:20.000 -> 59:24.600] To his son, but like what I think you live this with
[59:24.600 -> 59:25.320] to his son, but like well, I think you live this with
[59:32.560 -> 59:33.240] your son in that journey, so if they're not succeeding you're also not succeeding and
[59:36.360 -> 59:36.840] That was the case when I was sort of driving if I didn't win a race
[59:44.020 -> 59:44.680] That was obviously a failure for me and I felt that but my father felt that but I think then when you've got that added
[59:46.520 -> 59:52.280] personal But my father felt that, but I think then when you've got that added personal investment, you know, at the time for my father, it was the financial side, you know, it was whether
[59:52.280 -> 59:56.520] I've had a crash and damaged the cart or just not won the race.
[59:56.520 -> 01:00:01.040] You almost feel like what was all that work, what I spent, you know, God knows how much
[01:00:01.040 -> 01:00:06.800] for nothing for Toto during the race weekend. It's obviously he's, you know, he
[01:00:06.800 -> 01:00:13.440] part owns the team, but also he's there to win. And that's that incident was going to compromise
[01:00:14.000 -> 01:00:21.200] the team slightly for, for the season. So he felt that frustration as well and almost
[01:00:21.200 -> 01:00:26.160] disappointment. So we almost both felt the failures as such but for different
[01:00:26.160 -> 01:00:30.400] reasons. So in a way, you know, when I came back from the kart track with my father and
[01:00:30.400 -> 01:00:35.200] I hadn't won, I was upset but he was sort of very upset. It was kind of similar with
[01:00:35.200 -> 01:00:40.440] Toto and I, you know, I was obviously upset the fact that I'd lost points for Williams.
[01:00:40.440 -> 01:00:51.000] He was very upset that I'd had the crash, probably how I conducted myself but more so the fact that Valtteri didn't score points and it's damaged the cars and the team's gonna have to work a lot harder
[01:00:51.000 -> 01:00:56.600] and it's gonna potentially compromise their season slightly. So yeah, there's definitely some parallels, no doubt.
[01:00:56.920 -> 01:01:02.360] Because when we interviewed just Capito, he spoke to us about his dad was similar
[01:01:02.480 -> 01:01:06.320] as in he'd funded him when he was coming through the ranks and
[01:01:06.320 -> 01:01:12.400] he described how his dad wouldn't speak to him for a week if he lost. And he now has this mantra
[01:01:12.400 -> 01:01:19.040] that second place is nowhere, that you either win or you're nothing. And he described how that was
[01:01:19.040 -> 01:01:29.220] actually a real source of strength to him through his career. Do you think that gave you strength or do you think you could have benefited from say having a like your
[01:01:29.220 -> 01:01:34.040] dad or Toto actually put an arm around your shoulder and comfort you and help
[01:01:34.040 -> 01:01:38.000] you process that loss? At the time I definitely didn't think it was I didn't
[01:01:38.000 -> 01:01:42.500] think it was beneficial but now I look back and I I really do I definitely
[01:01:42.500 -> 01:01:46.400] would not have changed one single way how my father
[01:01:46.400 -> 01:01:52.920] raised me and took care of me during my karting career and even in those times where there
[01:01:52.920 -> 01:01:58.520] were tears, for sure as a young kid and you feel like you've let your dad down.
[01:01:58.520 -> 01:02:06.880] But that definitely made me stronger and you always want that love and affection of course, but what was I chasing
[01:02:06.880 -> 01:02:07.880] in my life?
[01:02:07.880 -> 01:02:12.160] Was I chasing love and affection or was I chasing trying to be a Formula One champion?
[01:02:12.160 -> 01:02:19.360] But I'm intrigued as how it affects your wider relationships now, like if you're in a, like
[01:02:19.360 -> 01:02:26.240] with a partner and they're upset, like we often learn from our parents or the example around us.
[01:02:26.240 -> 01:02:30.380] Do you have the capacity to be able to comfort people when they're
[01:02:30.380 -> 01:02:34.480] struggling or is it more that same mindset of just get on with it?
[01:02:34.480 -> 01:02:41.300] I mean Toto said to me after that crash, you know, I am hardest on the ones I care
[01:02:41.300 -> 01:02:47.840] about most and yeah that's what resonated with me a little
[01:02:47.840 -> 01:02:56.000] bit. And whether my girlfriend or my family or whatever, if they're going through a tough
[01:02:56.000 -> 01:03:01.600] time, whether it's work or personal, whatever, I think you need to strike that right balance.
[01:03:01.600 -> 01:03:07.940] You know, my girlfriend works in finance, it's definitely not an easy industry
[01:03:07.940 -> 01:03:13.940] to work in a lot of long hours and you know, after a tough day, of course you want to give
[01:03:13.940 -> 01:03:18.680] love and affection and put your arm around them, but equally I want to see her succeed
[01:03:18.680 -> 01:03:25.920] and I know what she's capable of. And sometimes you do need someone to look at things from a
[01:03:25.920 -> 01:03:33.240] different perspective and you know my father he with his mentality he's been
[01:03:33.240 -> 01:03:37.020] hard on me because he only wants the best for me and I totally agree and
[01:03:37.020 -> 01:03:39.880] believe in that and it might be something in the time you don't
[01:03:39.880 -> 01:03:43.680] recognize I guess you may be thankful for later down the line.
[01:03:43.680 -> 01:03:47.240] Yeah we often have a phrase because this is a very common conversation with people
[01:03:47.240 -> 01:03:52.440] who've reached your level in life that just because something is hard for you doesn't
[01:03:52.440 -> 01:03:53.440] mean it's bad for you.
[01:03:53.440 -> 01:03:54.440] No, absolutely.
[01:03:54.440 -> 01:03:58.720] And I think we've gone through many moments that have been hard, but not bad.
[01:03:58.720 -> 01:04:08.480] I have learned the most in my life from my failures and my most difficult moments. I feel like success and victory is such
[01:04:08.480 -> 01:04:15.600] an easy thing to deal with. No one needs to know how to celebrate success. If you achieve something,
[01:04:15.600 -> 01:04:19.040] you're elated, you're so happy, let's go and celebrate, let's have a glass of champagne or
[01:04:19.040 -> 01:04:24.400] whatever. But often you don't take away any learnings from that. And in the moment, it feels
[01:04:24.400 -> 01:04:25.240] so great
[01:04:25.240 -> 01:04:27.840] and you feel like you've accomplished so much,
[01:04:27.840 -> 01:04:30.120] but perhaps it's not going to add much benefit
[01:04:30.120 -> 01:04:30.960] later down the line.
[01:04:30.960 -> 01:04:33.040] Maybe it will, and you'll continue on that path
[01:04:33.040 -> 01:04:33.880] and great if you do,
[01:04:33.880 -> 01:04:36.240] but those failures are the times
[01:04:36.240 -> 01:04:40.800] where you really question yourself, your processes.
[01:04:40.800 -> 01:04:41.620] Am I doing this right?
[01:04:41.620 -> 01:04:43.000] Could I be doing this better?
[01:04:43.000 -> 01:04:51.400] I don't want to experience that ever again. I get more motivation from failing to never feel that again than when I do from
[01:04:51.400 -> 01:04:57.640] succeeding. I've not had a lot of success this season, but when I scored pole position
[01:04:57.640 -> 01:05:02.920] in Hungary, that was such an elation and such a great feeling. Obviously I had motivation
[01:05:02.920 -> 01:05:05.640] to want to achieve that again and experience that.
[01:05:05.640 -> 01:05:08.520] But if I compare it with Singapore or Silverstone,
[01:05:08.520 -> 01:05:10.600] when I had a terrible race weekend,
[01:05:11.480 -> 01:05:15.680] I feel stronger about not having the weekends
[01:05:15.680 -> 01:05:17.880] like Silverstone and Singapore,
[01:05:17.880 -> 01:05:19.840] than having that success.
[01:05:19.840 -> 01:05:21.200] So what's more effective for you,
[01:05:21.200 -> 01:05:31.560] play it like racing to win or racing not to lose? It's definitely all about racing to win but I think in terms of your progress you need
[01:05:31.560 -> 01:05:36.800] to lose to be able to win. I think this year I've had some failure, I've had a small amount
[01:05:36.800 -> 01:05:42.920] of success across the road, it's been quite a Mercedes we're here to win. We've won the
[01:05:42.920 -> 01:05:48.940] championship for the last eight years and obviously we haven't, we've yet to score a victory this season so that's not been where
[01:05:48.940 -> 01:05:53.700] we've wanted to achieve. But we've been very consistent, we've achieved the results and
[01:05:53.700 -> 01:06:00.820] we've been solid. But we're not here to be solid, we are here to win. And I think you
[01:06:00.820 -> 01:06:05.000] need to put it all on the line sometimes to get it right, but equally when
[01:06:05.000 -> 01:06:08.760] you get it wrong, that's where you progress the most, in my opinion.
[01:06:08.760 -> 01:06:14.720] I wonder whether actually the speed of the Mercedes has been a benefit to you this year,
[01:06:14.720 -> 01:06:19.120] because I'm sure that when you first went out in pre-season, you were like, oh, this
[01:06:19.120 -> 01:06:22.400] is the title winning car, this isn't going to win a title. But if you and Lewis were
[01:06:22.400 -> 01:06:25.280] battling for race wins, battling for titles
[01:06:30.400 -> 01:06:34.480] then very quickly you can have a divide, very quickly you've seen it, we've all seen it over the years whereas actually when you have a car that is second, third, fourth, fastest and you
[01:06:34.480 -> 01:06:40.160] want to get first, second, fastest the only way to do that is unity, working together, collaboration,
[01:06:40.160 -> 01:06:45.480] understanding, empathy, compassion for each other. Can we talk about that? Yeah, 100%.
[01:06:45.480 -> 01:06:48.080] I think for sure the dynamic would have been
[01:06:48.080 -> 01:06:51.160] slightly different had we arrived at the first race
[01:06:51.160 -> 01:06:53.720] and had the fastest car on the grid.
[01:06:53.720 -> 01:06:55.960] There's been a huge amount of late nights
[01:06:55.960 -> 01:07:00.120] throughout this season, a lot of tension at times
[01:07:00.120 -> 01:07:04.160] between drivers, teams, designers,
[01:07:04.160 -> 01:07:06.560] with regards to are we on the right tracks, do we need to be
[01:07:06.560 -> 01:07:11.760] doing something different, do we need to be more drastic and these were very sort of difficult
[01:07:11.760 -> 01:07:21.040] conversations but we come away from them growing closer together and we've got you know such great
[01:07:21.040 -> 01:07:26.240] leadership within Mercedes that we are now all pushing in one direction.
[01:07:26.800 -> 01:07:33.360] I truly believe this experience we've been through this year will lead to more long-term success.
[01:07:33.360 -> 01:07:38.000] I want to talk to you about when you first shared the team with Lewis, because one of the standout
[01:07:38.640 -> 01:07:42.720] things for me in this conversation is how you've learned all the time from everything, good, bad,
[01:07:42.720 -> 01:07:46.300] successful, unsuccessful, you are a sponge of information from others.
[01:07:47.200 -> 01:07:50.300] What would you say three quarters of the way through your first season with
[01:07:50.300 -> 01:07:54.600] Lewis is that the thing you've learned the most from someone that has won as
[01:07:54.600 -> 01:07:55.700] many world titles as him?
[01:07:56.400 -> 01:08:01.600] Lewis is an incredibly unique character.
[01:08:01.700 -> 01:08:07.640] I think he's incredibly inspiring with all of
[01:08:07.640 -> 01:08:12.720] his sort of activities and projects he has off circuit.
[01:08:13.120 -> 01:08:17.040] When you look at maybe drivers from the past who are just pure
[01:08:17.480 -> 01:08:20.160] racing drivers, I'm going to wake up living and breathing
[01:08:20.480 -> 01:08:25.800] this sport. And he does things so differently to so many other people yet
[01:08:25.800 -> 01:08:32.120] has still had so much success along the way. You mean he doesn't fit in the
[01:08:32.120 -> 01:08:37.400] traditional mold of how a Formula One driver should? Yeah I'd say so and yet he still had so much
[01:08:37.400 -> 01:08:42.480] success and I think I've used this analogy before but when I look at Federer,
[01:08:42.480 -> 01:08:45.280] Nadal and Djokovic, you know, these are three
[01:08:45.280 -> 01:08:49.480] greats of the sport. Statistically, you know, they've all basically achieved
[01:08:49.480 -> 01:08:55.680] exactly the same achievements, yet they have three totally different ways of
[01:08:55.680 -> 01:09:00.520] playing. I'm sure they train differently, when you watch them they look different,
[01:09:00.520 -> 01:09:09.000] when you see them on court, you know, they, they excel on, on different, on different courts or, or playing fields or
[01:09:09.000 -> 01:09:12.920] whatever yet they're three greats.
[01:09:13.160 -> 01:09:18.360] And I think the thing I take away from that, and also from what I take away from
[01:09:18.360 -> 01:09:22.880] Lewis is that there is no one path to success.
[01:09:22.920 -> 01:09:26.480] I think you need to find your own path, your own journey.
[01:09:26.480 -> 01:09:33.320] You need to have that self belief that even if somebody is going down a certain path,
[01:09:33.320 -> 01:09:37.760] you need to follow your own course and you need to do what is best for you.
[01:09:37.760 -> 01:09:43.120] I was going to ask you referenced the tennis players Federer and Nadal and Djokovic.
[01:09:43.120 -> 01:09:46.860] And I think we see lots of parallels there, Formula One's a sport
[01:09:46.860 -> 01:09:48.000] where there's no coaches.
[01:09:48.100 -> 01:09:52.800] Now, I know you recently spent some time with Federer and Andy Murray.
[01:09:53.700 -> 01:09:55.120] What did that teach you?
[01:09:55.120 -> 01:09:58.200] What did you learn from that experience of meeting those guys?
[01:09:59.200 -> 01:10:04.760] I think what I learned is that firstly, they are just great, humble, grounded
[01:10:05.640 -> 01:10:05.880] is that firstly, they are just great, humble, grounded people.
[01:10:09.920 -> 01:10:09.960] And I think this is something we can never forget.
[01:10:16.240 -> 01:10:19.080] I think we all live this crazy lifestyle, especially Formula 1. You're going to 23 different countries.
[01:10:19.680 -> 01:10:21.240] The fans, they're incredible.
[01:10:21.280 -> 01:10:27.360] You, you're racing these, these machines around racetracks over 200 miles an hour.
[01:10:28.240 -> 01:10:36.640] You're in this bubble of something that isn't real life to a degree. And I think meeting
[01:10:36.640 -> 01:10:44.480] somebody like Roger, who has gone through so much success, so much fame along the way,
[01:10:45.000 -> 01:10:45.400] so much success, so much fame along the way,
[01:10:50.400 -> 01:10:50.560] yet is still just such a down to earth, humble guy,
[01:10:55.560 -> 01:10:57.400] gave me so much respect for him and hearing where he lives
[01:11:00.920 -> 01:11:03.700] and what he gets up to on his sort of day to day life, spend a lot of time with the family.
[01:11:03.700 -> 01:11:06.360] It sort of brings it back to you that you
[01:11:06.360 -> 01:11:15.080] need this in your routine. You need that element of something that you know, something that
[01:11:15.080 -> 01:11:21.400] takes you away from it all so you can come back and perform at your very, very best.
[01:11:21.400 -> 01:11:22.720] What's yours?
[01:11:22.720 -> 01:11:26.600] I think for me it's spending time with my family and
[01:11:26.600 -> 01:11:31.320] friends. When I come back from a racetrack, to be honest, the place where
[01:11:31.320 -> 01:11:35.760] I'd like to be is always my parents house in the countryside, away from
[01:11:35.760 -> 01:11:41.440] everything, no phone signal and just really disconnect and sort of spend
[01:11:41.440 -> 01:11:48.280] quality time with the people who I care about the most. When I was working in Formula One Jenson Button was you know?
[01:11:48.280 -> 01:11:52.840] Winning world titles and he had a very tight group of mates that went absolutely every with him and they were like his safety
[01:11:52.840 -> 01:11:55.240] Net and I know that you work with your sister
[01:11:55.240 -> 01:11:58.840] She's been part of your kind of backroom setup and you don't make a big deal of it
[01:11:58.840 -> 01:12:00.480] You know, we don't see her on the telly or anything
[01:12:00.480 -> 01:12:02.740] but I wonder whether that is a kind of
[01:12:03.220 -> 01:12:08.460] That constant grounding for you at a race weekend that that person that was there right back in the karting
[01:12:08.460 -> 01:12:14.260] days is still there for you. Yeah as you say I work with my sister and she's always there for me
[01:12:14.260 -> 01:12:19.500] 24-7 even though you know most of the time when we talk it's professional we're
[01:12:19.500 -> 01:12:27.800] not talking as brother and sister having her there is something who I've, someone who I've had for 24 years of my life
[01:12:27.800 -> 01:12:30.120] and also my manager, Harry.
[01:12:30.120 -> 01:12:35.080] Harry was my manager from when I left Go Karting in 2013.
[01:12:35.080 -> 01:12:37.980] He was there from day one.
[01:12:37.980 -> 01:12:40.600] When I signed for Mercedes, they took over everything.
[01:12:40.600 -> 01:12:44.400] So Harry and I sort of parted way for a couple of years.
[01:12:44.400 -> 01:12:45.200] And two years
[01:12:45.200 -> 01:12:49.200] ago I said to the team at Mercedes I'd really like to bring Harry back into
[01:12:49.200 -> 01:12:54.360] sort of my group of people around because he's somebody who I trust so
[01:12:54.360 -> 01:12:59.120] much and who I think would be really beneficial for me trying to sort of grow
[01:12:59.120 -> 01:13:04.480] on my journey so you know having my sister, having Harry, having my family
[01:13:04.480 -> 01:13:05.680] these are people have always been there from day one and you know having my sister, having Harry, having my family, these are
[01:13:05.680 -> 01:13:09.480] people have always been there from day one and you know what they're about.
[01:13:09.480 -> 01:13:14.600] Do you have any agreement in place when you're getting a little bit carried
[01:13:14.600 -> 01:13:19.520] away or you've gone too far down the rabbit hole of this fantasy world that
[01:13:19.520 -> 01:13:22.880] you live in, do they have anything in place to be able to pull you back out?
[01:13:22.880 -> 01:13:29.800] I don't think so, I think I've never fortunately found myself in that position and I try and
[01:13:29.800 -> 01:13:35.280] speak with my family as much as possible and I think that helps to stay grounded.
[01:13:35.280 -> 01:13:39.280] Before we do our quickfire questions, I just want to know whether you're remembering to
[01:13:39.280 -> 01:13:43.120] really enjoy it as well. I remember it was Landa, wasn't it, a while ago, he was tongue
[01:13:43.120 -> 01:13:47.440] in cheek, he said you're not fun anymore when you got into Formula One. It is so serious, the stakes
[01:13:47.440 -> 01:13:50.680] are so high. We've had a conversation about a crash that cost the team that you wanted
[01:13:50.680 -> 01:13:56.240] to drive for a million and a half dollars. Like, is there still space for enjoyment and
[01:13:56.240 -> 01:14:00.480] for fun or is it all too high a level for that?
[01:14:00.480 -> 01:14:06.000] Yeah, I joked with him that it was quite fun standing on the podium seven times this year.
[01:14:06.000 -> 01:14:09.000] So here's one, but anyway.
[01:14:09.000 -> 01:14:16.000] It's, no, of course there's time for fun, but it's all got to be in the right moments.
[01:14:16.000 -> 01:14:19.000] Right. Quickfire questions.
[01:14:19.000 -> 01:14:32.160] What are the three non-negotiables that you and the people around you have to buy into to to be part of your world? I think you need to accept that I'm gonna be incredibly dedicated
[01:14:32.160 -> 01:14:41.000] to what I do. Can't be a dick, got to be a nice, nice person and definitely
[01:14:41.000 -> 01:14:44.320] ought to be humble and not not get carried away with with what we're doing.
[01:14:44.320 -> 01:14:47.540] What's your biggest weakness and what's your greatest strength? I'd say my
[01:14:47.540 -> 01:14:54.360] biggest weakness is probably in the heat of the moment blaming others before
[01:14:54.360 -> 01:15:01.280] looking at myself. I think it's very easy to have tunnel vision and
[01:15:01.280 -> 01:15:08.160] especially in the heat of battle and if something goes wrong, goes against you,
[01:15:08.160 -> 01:15:12.440] I think it's quite easy to jump onto that other person.
[01:15:12.440 -> 01:15:17.440] Biggest strength, I think probably being dynamic
[01:15:17.600 -> 01:15:19.080] to a situation.
[01:15:19.080 -> 01:15:21.080] Our life is constantly changing,
[01:15:21.080 -> 01:15:24.440] whether it's travel plans, whether it's racing on track,
[01:15:24.440 -> 01:15:32.360] one day it's dry, one day it's wet wet, climates are changing, conditions are changing, time zones are changing.
[01:15:32.360 -> 01:15:42.000] You can't have a strict routine in the sport that we do and you've got to be dynamic, you've
[01:15:42.000 -> 01:15:44.120] got to accept that things will change.
[01:15:44.120 -> 01:15:46.360] What's the hidden cost of the life that you live?
[01:15:46.360 -> 01:15:55.720] There's a lot of sacrifice on not only you, but probably the people around you, the emotions
[01:15:55.720 -> 01:15:57.320] you go through.
[01:15:57.320 -> 01:15:59.680] Once again, it's not just you.
[01:15:59.680 -> 01:16:02.880] It's everyone is on this journey with you.
[01:16:02.880 -> 01:16:07.080] Yeah, I'd say, yeah, probably the biggest hidden cost is is that emotion you I
[01:16:08.080 -> 01:16:09.080] see
[01:16:09.080 -> 01:16:14.560] the effect it has on the people and closest to when I succeed and that's such a
[01:16:15.040 -> 01:16:18.680] Great sort of elation and feeling to see that you've had this positive
[01:16:19.520 -> 01:16:21.520] impact on the people you love the most
[01:16:22.000 -> 01:16:29.840] But when something goes against you or you have a bad weekend or you fail I see this on the people around me as well.
[01:16:29.840 -> 01:16:33.520] So you're probably carrying that weight.
[01:16:33.520 -> 01:16:38.080] And just to take on from that the conversation about mental health is an
[01:16:38.080 -> 01:16:42.400] important one for men to have. How much does what you do challenge your mental
[01:16:42.400 -> 01:16:53.360] health? It absolutely challenges your mental health so much and you've got to be so resilient to the negativity in this world,
[01:16:53.360 -> 01:17:09.240] whether it's the public perception, whether it's social media, whether it's the pressures of the team or even the pressures of yourself. But I think the biggest one probably for me is
[01:17:10.320 -> 01:17:12.680] that public perception and social media side,
[01:17:12.680 -> 01:17:13.840] which is a tough one.
[01:17:13.840 -> 01:17:17.600] And I think that's also relatable to people who aren't in
[01:17:17.600 -> 01:17:20.960] the spotlight because social media is a pretty
[01:17:20.960 -> 01:17:22.640] ruthless platform.
[01:17:22.640 -> 01:17:24.080] And what have you learned to deal with it?
[01:17:24.080 -> 01:17:25.440] Just don't read comments.
[01:17:25.440 -> 01:17:28.560] That's a pretty straightforward, simple one.
[01:17:28.560 -> 01:17:31.640] But talking to a professional, I think,
[01:17:32.520 -> 01:17:35.740] I have a psychologist who I talk to.
[01:17:37.080 -> 01:17:38.920] It's not routinely, but I always pick up the phone
[01:17:38.920 -> 01:17:40.800] whenever I feel like I need it.
[01:17:40.800 -> 01:17:44.960] I always leave that conversation feeling better about myself.
[01:17:44.960 -> 01:17:45.720] There's sort of a weight
[01:17:45.720 -> 01:17:51.280] lifted off my shoulders. And I think, you know, a number of people have said this before.
[01:17:51.280 -> 01:17:55.040] It's the same way as if you want to get fitter, you go to the gym and you speak to a personal
[01:17:55.040 -> 01:18:00.720] trainer. If there's anything weighing on your mind, you need to talk to a professional about
[01:18:00.720 -> 01:18:02.520] it and seek that help.
[01:18:02.520 -> 01:18:07.520] But also, you know, you go to the gym when your body's not broken. Yeah. And I think people will often only go and seek
[01:18:07.520 -> 01:18:10.600] professional help when the mind is broken. I think there's a power there
[01:18:10.600 -> 01:18:14.760] that you don't go and see someone when you're at your lowest ebb. Absolutely.
[01:18:14.760 -> 01:18:17.760] They're there all the time for you if you if you need it. Yeah absolutely and I
[01:18:17.760 -> 01:18:23.200] think I've been very lucky to have the right people around me to almost push me
[01:18:23.200 -> 01:18:26.380] to do this you know even though you are I'm in a good place right now,
[01:18:26.920 -> 01:18:27.720] let's just keep it going.
[01:18:27.720 -> 01:18:28.960] Let's keep the conversations ongoing.
[01:18:28.960 -> 01:18:32.920] And often I've been in a good place, but as soon as that conversation starts,
[01:18:33.440 -> 01:18:35.520] you know, it's sort of all flows out.
[01:18:35.520 -> 01:18:37.720] So yeah, I think that's a really good analogy.
[01:18:38.040 -> 01:18:41.180] If you don't mind us being intrusive and you don't have to answer this,
[01:18:41.200 -> 01:18:44.000] what would you say has been the biggest lesson you've learned from those
[01:18:44.000 -> 01:18:45.720] conversations with the psychologist?
[01:18:46.120 -> 01:18:50.020] The conversation with the psychologist, it's for me, it's difficult to put into
[01:18:50.020 -> 01:18:55.360] words because they are truly experts within their field.
[01:18:55.440 -> 01:18:59.240] And I always, you know, come away from, from conversation with, with my
[01:18:59.240 -> 01:19:02.520] psychologist and whether I talk to my girlfriend or my family and they just,
[01:19:02.600 -> 01:19:03.200] Oh, how was that?
[01:19:04.320 -> 01:19:06.840] I try and explain some of the things that we spoke about
[01:19:06.840 -> 01:19:09.440] and the piece of advice that he gave me,
[01:19:09.440 -> 01:19:11.480] but I actually struggle to say it,
[01:19:11.480 -> 01:19:13.960] but it's because that's what they're so good at.
[01:19:13.960 -> 01:19:15.840] And I can't, I literally say,
[01:19:15.840 -> 01:19:18.620] I can't really describe what it was that he said
[01:19:18.620 -> 01:19:22.920] or how he said it, but I feel better for it.
[01:19:22.920 -> 01:19:26.920] And I would really recommend anybody who's got the opportunity to talk
[01:19:26.920 -> 01:19:30.200] to a professional, even if you've never done it before, just go out there and just give
[01:19:30.200 -> 01:19:34.160] it a try and see what you think and I think you'll be really surprised at what you can
[01:19:34.160 -> 01:19:35.160] take from it.
[01:19:35.160 -> 01:19:36.160] Brilliant.
[01:19:36.160 -> 01:19:39.320] The power of talking, which is what we've done for the last little while and a really
[01:19:39.320 -> 01:19:43.200] fascinating conversation where we haven't really spoken that much about the mechanics
[01:19:43.200 -> 01:19:47.920] of Formula One, but it's been great just hearing that people from the
[01:19:47.920 -> 01:19:52.600] outside see a very linear journey from go-karting to Formula One driving and
[01:19:52.600 -> 01:19:56.640] the fact that it isn't that which you've explained so well but you've explained
[01:19:56.640 -> 01:20:00.160] the lessons you've taken from all of those difficult moments which has you
[01:20:00.160 -> 01:20:03.920] where you are. Thank you very much. Thanks mate.
[01:20:02.000 -> 01:20:06.320] you where you are. Thank you very much. Thanks mate.
[01:20:12.480 -> 01:20:18.640] Damien, Czech, I worked for a long time in Formula One. That is the best understanding that I've ever heard a driver offer into the journey that is involved in getting to Formula One
[01:20:19.360 -> 01:20:29.800] and the importance of having those bad times, having tough times, you know I remember watching that crash with Valtteri and him to then sit here and talk about it in a way where
[01:20:30.520 -> 01:20:36.700] It was almost a positive. He learned from it. That is such a powerful place to get your mind to I think yeah
[01:20:36.700 -> 01:20:38.960] I think there was something really inherently
[01:20:39.720 -> 01:20:43.880] Powerful about the messages he was talking about pretty much every situation is a learning
[01:20:43.960 -> 01:20:41.760] about the messages he was talking about,
[01:20:46.720 -> 01:20:43.960] pretty much every situation is a learning
[01:20:48.960 -> 01:20:46.720] experience, if you're open to that, if you're
[01:20:51.760 -> 01:20:48.960] willing to, as he said, step back from
[01:20:54.640 -> 01:20:51.760] the emotion of it, review it in a really
[01:20:56.880 -> 01:20:54.640] detached, calm, rational way and take the
[01:20:58.720 -> 01:20:56.880] lessons from it. We can all learn from
[01:21:01.720 -> 01:20:58.720] pretty much every experience. And in an
[01:21:03.200 -> 01:21:01.720] interesting way, he's, he learned how to
[01:21:04.760 -> 01:21:03.200] learn, if that makes sense. So, you know,
[01:21:06.160 -> 01:21:04.760] I loved it when he talked about in the
[01:21:06.160 -> 01:21:09.280] early days, it was all about victory all about success and then you have to realize that actually
[01:21:09.280 -> 01:21:12.640] when you qualify second on the grid for the first time in a Mercedes and you're
[01:21:12.640 -> 01:21:16.160] disappointed something's not right and most drivers would go well that's
[01:21:16.160 -> 01:21:20.560] the sport that's the way it is that's elite he he doesn't accept that like
[01:21:20.560 -> 01:21:24.240] he's clearly constantly exploring why he feels
[01:21:24.240 -> 01:21:25.520] the way he feels and whether it's
[01:21:25.520 -> 01:21:31.160] healthy for him. And I love the fact he learned that coming second on the grid in his first
[01:21:31.160 -> 01:21:34.600] ever race for Mercedes when he stood in for Lewis should have been a good moment and it
[01:21:34.600 -> 01:21:38.840] was a bad one so he's corrected that. And do you remember he said right at the beginning
[01:21:38.840 -> 01:21:43.600] he said, I had a bad weekend, laid in my room and got no sleep, maybe I'd have been better
[01:21:43.600 -> 01:21:49.680] to go out with my mates. So it shows that even now he's picking up on things even three or four
[01:21:49.680 -> 01:21:52.840] days ago in the most recent race that actually the way he dealt with it wasn't
[01:21:52.840 -> 01:21:56.400] right and he's continuing to explore. Yeah I think there's something really
[01:21:56.400 -> 01:22:00.240] powerful here of getting off what's known as the hedonic treadmill, the idea
[01:22:00.240 -> 01:22:03.720] of constantly going from we're looking for the next thing and the next thing
[01:22:03.720 -> 01:22:07.800] because we never get off it then, like he said, if you win one race you want to
[01:22:07.800 -> 01:22:10.680] win two, you want to win two, you want to win five, then you want to win the
[01:22:10.680 -> 01:22:14.960] championship. And it's almost like you'll never get off that that treadmill if
[01:22:14.960 -> 01:22:18.240] that's what you're chasing after happiness. Whereas going for those
[01:22:18.240 -> 01:22:22.760] smaller moments, like the delayed discounting of having your own
[01:22:22.760 -> 01:22:26.120] expectations of coming half a second is a victory for you
[01:22:26.320 -> 01:22:31.200] Rather than thinking that if I don't win the championship, I can't be happy and we talk often about you know
[01:22:31.200 -> 01:22:33.880] People that delay their happiness, they'll be happy when they achieve something
[01:22:33.880 -> 01:22:37.000] Well, this guy's fighting for a Formula One world title in his career
[01:22:37.000 -> 01:22:40.640] And he's learned that he needs to be happy on the journey
[01:22:40.640 -> 01:22:43.900] Not when he reaches that destination because who knows he may never reach it
[01:22:43.900 -> 01:22:49.320] And if if someone where the stakes are so high, it's like this is, you know, global fame and
[01:22:49.320 -> 01:22:54.140] millions of pounds worth of riches if you become a Formula One world champion. Well,
[01:22:54.140 -> 01:22:58.720] if he's learned that that's not the everything, I think we can all learn in our own much more
[01:22:58.720 -> 01:23:03.160] humble lives that it's about the daily stuff, it's not about the big moment.
[01:23:03.160 -> 01:23:09.660] Yeah, I think when people often hear, football coaches or racing drivers like George say, you
[01:23:09.660 -> 01:23:14.360] know, stick to the process, sometimes it's almost got to the place of a cliche
[01:23:14.360 -> 01:23:17.280] where you go, what does that mean? He's just explained it to you there, the
[01:23:17.280 -> 01:23:21.160] process is the small steps that eventually add up to the performance
[01:23:21.160 -> 01:23:25.080] targets that then achieve your outcome. But you focus
[01:23:25.080 -> 01:23:29.800] on the small steps to feel that constant sense of motivation, engagement and
[01:23:29.800 -> 01:23:32.400] happiness on the journey. Toby Ryder fascinating and look we didn't have time
[01:23:32.400 -> 01:23:35.520] to get into it remarkably after talking for that long but you know when you talk
[01:23:35.520 -> 01:23:38.960] to the team he gets out there before the people, he acclimatises, you know his
[01:23:38.960 -> 01:23:42.840] meticulous planning for a race weekend leaves no stone unturned and I think
[01:23:42.840 -> 01:23:46.960] that if that's how you approach life then if it doesn't go to plan you've allowed
[01:23:46.960 -> 01:23:50.920] yourself the opportunity to actually explore it and find out what's gone on
[01:23:50.920 -> 01:23:53.680] and not be too hard on yourself because you've done everything and we're not saying
[01:23:53.680 -> 01:23:58.720] like don't bother and be happy we're saying give it everything and be happy
[01:23:58.720 -> 01:24:02.520] if it doesn't go to plan. Yeah and there was something about that first season
[01:24:02.520 -> 01:24:06.440] when he drove for Williams where he said, you know, that in that race in Monaco
[01:24:06.440 -> 01:24:12.360] where he could have cruised round and come in at 19th and been happy and then he said actually what am I gonna learn from this?
[01:24:12.360 -> 01:24:18.120] I think there's so many things that if we have that mindset of curiosity, there's always something to teach us.
[01:24:18.120 -> 01:24:23.840] I was reminded of a story. I think it was Gary Player, the golfer, said that when he wanted to teach himself patience,
[01:24:24.320 -> 01:24:27.080] when he was driving to himself patience, when he
[01:24:24.880 -> 01:24:28.640] was driving to a golf course, he'd drive
[01:24:27.080 -> 01:24:31.560] behind an articulated lorry in the slow
[01:24:28.640 -> 01:24:34.360] lane. So he deliberately forced him to slow
[01:24:31.560 -> 01:24:36.160] his breathing down, to just be patient and
[01:24:34.360 -> 01:24:38.200] focus on the process rather than just
[01:24:36.160 -> 01:24:40.680] getting there as quick as possible. And I
[01:24:38.200 -> 01:24:43.480] think what George has just described of
[01:24:40.680 -> 01:24:45.800] that learning is there in every
[01:24:43.480 -> 01:24:45.840] opportunity if you have that curiosity and
[01:24:45.840 -> 01:24:46.840] you're willing to explore.
[01:24:46.840 -> 01:24:47.840] Jason Vale – Enjoyed that.
[01:24:47.840 -> 01:24:48.840] Stewart Bennett – I loved it.
[01:24:48.840 -> 01:24:52.920] Jason Vale – Okay, it's now time to meet a high performance listener. One of the things
[01:24:52.920 -> 01:24:56.800] that is really important to us is hearing from you, hearing from our high performance
[01:24:56.800 -> 01:25:01.560] community and we get so many people reaching out to us, sharing their stories. How can
[01:25:01.560 -> 01:25:09.200] we not put those people on the podcast? So let's do it. We had an amazing email from a guy called Stuart, but I'm not going to tell you his
[01:25:09.200 -> 01:25:12.680] story. I'm going to let him do it. Hey, Stuart, how are you?
[01:25:12.680 -> 01:25:15.080] Stuart Bennett Not bad. How are you doing, Jake? You good?
[01:25:15.080 -> 01:25:17.640] Jason Vale Really well, thanks. Right. So please share
[01:25:17.640 -> 01:25:26.120] with the listeners what happened to you one day that had a huge impact on your life? Put simply, I nearly died.
[01:25:27.880 -> 01:25:32.200] But more complicated, in a sort of a more informative way,
[01:25:32.200 -> 01:25:36.720] was driving home after reporting at the Royal Cornwall Show.
[01:25:36.720 -> 01:25:40.000] It was my first year as a trainee journalist.
[01:25:41.040 -> 01:25:43.760] And another driver lost control of his car
[01:25:43.760 -> 01:25:48.560] and sort of hit me head on. and I was conscious all the way to hospital
[01:25:49.400 -> 01:25:51.160] talking to the paramedics
[01:25:51.160 -> 01:25:55.960] And then was unresponsive from about half past 2 in the morning
[01:25:56.800 -> 01:25:58.760] And I suffered something
[01:25:58.760 -> 01:26:04.640] Which is quite rare, but in 80% of the cases is usually fatal called fatty embolic syndrome
[01:26:04.640 -> 01:26:07.520] Which is where you break a long bone and the bone marrow gets into your blood
[01:26:07.520 -> 01:26:15.680] stream and yeah was in a induced coma for 10 days had to learn to like walk
[01:26:15.680 -> 01:26:22.920] talk blink eat everything again had like speech-language therapist but after six
[01:26:22.920 -> 01:26:25.600] six and a half seven weeks I think it was in hospital,
[01:26:25.600 -> 01:26:31.280] got out and then got back to the job within 12 weeks after the crash happening. So,
[01:26:32.400 -> 01:26:38.880] so yeah, it was quite a miraculous event and I'm very fortunate for the recovery that I was,
[01:26:38.880 -> 01:26:41.760] you know, very, very lucky to benefit from as I wouldn't be here.
[01:26:41.760 -> 01:26:45.760] And look, that's only part of the story story because that's you having a lifelong ambition to be
[01:26:45.760 -> 01:26:51.520] a journalist, managing to achieve that by 22, but then at 23 almost dying. But then
[01:26:51.520 -> 01:26:56.360] after that, you said in your email that your dog got really poorly. You were uninsured
[01:26:56.360 -> 01:27:00.880] because your wife was about to start maternity leave and it was just simply too expensive.
[01:27:00.880 -> 01:27:05.640] So instead you opted to save money each month and squ it away for a just-in-case fund,
[01:27:05.640 -> 01:27:11.720] which obviously was was your ill dog. So would you mind sharing with the audience at that moment,
[01:27:11.720 -> 01:27:16.160] when you're struggling just to keep the wolf from the door, what you were doing for work?
[01:27:16.160 -> 01:27:25.000] Yeah, I had to basically take on two extra jobs on top of my full-time job to try having some extra money
[01:27:25.600 -> 01:27:27.560] to pay for the dogs vet costs.
[01:27:27.560 -> 01:27:30.060] So I was doing two cleaning jobs.
[01:27:30.060 -> 01:27:32.440] I was cleaning all day on a Saturday
[01:27:32.440 -> 01:27:34.420] and then cleaned a hospital on a Thursday,
[01:27:34.420 -> 01:27:36.440] Friday and Saturday evening.
[01:27:36.440 -> 01:27:38.280] So look, struggling to make ends meet,
[01:27:38.280 -> 01:27:41.120] recovering from your accident,
[01:27:41.120 -> 01:27:43.160] yet you say in the message you sent us
[01:27:43.160 -> 01:27:44.640] that as you were cleaning the hospital,
[01:27:44.640 -> 01:27:50.080] you did it listening to the high performance podcast. Tell me what the podcast did for you.
[01:27:50.080 -> 01:27:56.280] So when I was doing the extra extra work, I wanted to try utilising that time in the
[01:27:56.280 -> 01:28:02.040] most effective way possible by providing myself a learning. And, you know, stumbled across
[01:28:02.040 -> 01:28:05.960] the podcast and it just completely just changed everything about, you know, stumbled across the podcast and it just completely just changed everything
[01:28:05.960 -> 01:28:12.020] about, you know, my life and my outlook. I'm quite a positive person anyway, but it was
[01:28:12.020 -> 01:28:17.200] getting those golden friends that you find in every episode where you extrapolate that
[01:28:17.200 -> 01:28:21.040] information and apply it to yourself. Yeah, thank you more than anything.
[01:28:21.040 -> 01:28:24.880] Jason Vale – Well look, thank you for coming on here because I think it's one thing Damien
[01:28:24.880 -> 01:28:25.040] and I telling people that life is about how you react to the things that happen, not the more than anything. Well, look, thank you for coming on here, because I think it's one thing Damien and
[01:28:25.040 -> 01:28:30.000] I telling people that life is about how you react to the things that happen, not the things
[01:28:30.000 -> 01:28:31.000] that happen, right?
[01:28:31.000 -> 01:28:32.880] And sometimes it's easy to say it.
[01:28:32.880 -> 01:28:36.760] It's much more impactful to hear someone talk who has been through that journey and for
[01:28:36.760 -> 01:28:40.880] you to sit here and tell us about the accident, tell us about the extra jobs you had to take
[01:28:40.880 -> 01:28:50.440] to support your wife and your child and your dog and then for it finally to lead to an amazing opportunity and for us to help you get that job is the
[01:28:50.440 -> 01:28:53.840] most incredible thing for us. And you know, I will still say it again, this is all your
[01:28:53.840 -> 01:28:57.920] work and not ours, but it's an absolute pleasure for you to come on here, share it with us
[01:28:57.920 -> 01:28:59.960] and share it with the audience. Thank you so much, man.
[01:28:59.960 -> 01:29:01.960] That's all right. Thank you again.
[01:29:01.960 -> 01:29:09.200] Oh, what a cool episode. And I think it's one thing to hear it. It's something totally different
[01:29:09.200 -> 01:29:14.240] to watch it. And you can see this conversation with George on our YouTube page, just type high
[01:29:14.240 -> 01:29:19.120] performance podcast into YouTube. And you can watch the whole conversation. There's some extended bits
[01:29:19.120 -> 01:29:23.120] on there as well. Some really cool stuff. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you so much for
[01:29:23.120 -> 01:29:26.840] being part of this high performance journey. You know what, I would love you to just get in touch. I would love
[01:29:26.840 -> 01:29:30.920] you to let me know what you thought of this conversation with George. And I'd love you
[01:29:30.920 -> 01:29:35.580] to do one other thing. Let me just be totally frank here, okay, we are doing our best to
[01:29:35.580 -> 01:29:40.780] change people's mindsets, change their perception of the world, change their outlook, change
[01:29:40.780 -> 01:29:44.880] their understanding of others by having these conversations on high performance. But you
[01:29:44.880 -> 01:29:49.000] know, we're not on a terrestrial TV channel, we don't spend millions of pounds on advertising,
[01:29:49.000 -> 01:29:53.000] not everyone knows about this podcast, so if you could do me one thing, or one thing only,
[01:29:53.000 -> 01:29:59.600] it's just to share this podcast on your WhatsApp, on your Instagram, on your Facebook, with your mates,
[01:29:59.600 -> 01:30:03.000] just call someone and say, listen, there's a cool podcast you should listen to.
[01:30:03.000 -> 01:30:05.320] I can't tell you the difference it makes for us.
[01:30:05.360 -> 01:30:09.000] The more we can grow this channel, the more incredible names we can attract.
[01:30:09.320 -> 01:30:13.920] And once we get those names, we bring you conversations that will be a game changer for you.
[01:30:14.280 -> 01:30:17.600] So please, please share this podcast.
[01:30:18.200 -> 01:30:20.600] Thanks to the whole team for their hard work on this episode.
[01:30:20.640 -> 01:30:23.600] But for you at home listening to this, remember, there is no secret.
[01:30:23.600 -> 01:30:24.400] It's all there for you.
[01:30:30.480 -> 01:30:36.320] So be like George, man. Believe in big things. Chase world-class basics. Work hard. Don't get high on your own supply. Remain humble, curious and empathetic. And we'll see you soon.
[01:30:52.760 -> None] Thanks for watching!