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Formula 1 pilot Sergey Sirotkin told Trends about the features of aerobatic racing, the convenience of the car, the feeling of speed and the paradoxes of motorsport
The pilot of “Formula 1” is a prestigious profession. Racing is an elite sport that many people watch with interest. Drivers can be seen on TV, they climb the podiums in Monaco, dine with crowned heads – you can even get the impression that the drivers are superstars. In part, this is true, but any pilot is an athlete first and foremost. Although, in my opinion, Formula 1 is the pinnacle of sports.
Top qualities of a racer
If you ask a person who is not fond of racing what is the most important thing for a pilot in this sport, he will surely answer – speed. But in terms of professionalism, in Formula 1 it is not enough to be the fastest. The pilot must combine many qualities. It is necessary not only to be able to pilot well, but also to communicate with a large team, understand the technical features of the car, and not be afraid to take responsibility. And in the end, to know how to present yourself and your sport in the media, because the pilot is the face of the team. I think that the main thing for a rider is self-confidence, although many people ignore this important factor, giving priority, for example, to physical strength or endurance. And, of course, no matter how trite it may sound, talent is important for a racer.
Talent Matters
They say that talent is something innate, but contrary to scientific theories, I think that it can be developed in yourself if you move towards the goal and focus on certain things. What do I mean by talent? First, it is a vision of aerobatics. A talented pilot feels the best way to pass this or that part of the distance. Secondly, it is the relationship between the pilot and the machine. All pilots perform the same actions: accelerate, brake, enter turns – but each one does it in his own way. Thirdly, this is a competent combination of the first two points – the realization of your vision of aerobatics and the fastest and most rational overcoming the distance.
Relationship with the car
A Formula 1 car is complex and subtle in its setup. Therefore, the pilot becomes a kind of transmitter between the machine and the engineers. He feels exactly how it moves, how he controls it, and tells the team what to do to get the most out of it. The car is set up for a specific pilot, so it often happens that when moving to another team, he needs a lot of time to adapt. In the car, everything is interconnected, so you can not omit a single detail or turn a blind eye to something. Many times I myself was surprised when I found out that there are such rather paradoxical things that do not directly lead to the result.
The physical form of the pilot
In my opinion, how much attention is now paid to the physical form of the pilot is too much. Formula 1 is a difficult sport and the driver must be trained to drive the car well. But the way professional pilots train now, even in Formula 2 or Formula 3, crosses some reasonable line. They pay so much attention to the physical form, as if preparing for the Olympics. In my opinion, it makes no sense to “pump” yourself more than is necessary to complete the race distance: you need not get tired, do not lose concentration, do not make mistakes, do not slow down. In motorsport, the morale of the driver is much more important – the mood in which he sits behind the wheel. If the rider is mentally strong, but physically worse, this will not affect the result. I am, of course, “for” training and general support of the form. By the way, riders pay special attention to the neck – it is just worth strengthening it, because this zone accounts for colossal overloads.
Karting how to start
People often come to Formula 1 from karting – this is the so-called initial stage. Most children, as soon as they succeed in the first exercises behind the wheel, begin to dream of a racing career. But over time, this dream is distorted or extinguished, the child thinks – does he really need it? After all, the training process, even in karting, is a huge job. Some people lose interest along the way, and that’s okay – it happens in any sport. But there are a few who are motivated by such difficulties, and racing can no longer remain a mere hobby.
The tipping point
As a child, I dreamed of becoming either an astronaut or a racer. Both dreams seemed equally unrealistic to me. But since there were clearly fewer opportunities to fly into space, I decided to go karting – just to try. 2011 was a turning point for me – I became the champion of the European Formula Abarth. Before that, I had successes, victories, I won championships, but I still understood that before Formula 1 it was like before the moon. And at that moment I realized that everything is possible. Of course, before the debut, I “spun” around Formula 1 for several years, so I had enough time to prepare myself for this, to get to know people. I have already smoothly merged into this area, traveled many kilometers in Formula 1 tests, so after signing the contact, nothing much has changed.
Media according to the rules
Formula 1 is not only a sport, but also a business. This is an opportunity for many international companies to show themselves, including by exhibiting their pilots in the race. Therefore, the rider is not only the face of his team, sometimes he represents an entire company with a worldwide reputation. Therefore, it is important not only to show good results, but also to monitor your image. Media imposes a great responsibility on pilots. You always need to think carefully about how and what you say, because you speak not only from yourself. Perhaps this reduces the degree of sharpness for the fans, but we live in the modern world, according to its rules.
Secrets of Formula 1
The world of Formula 1 is sometimes quite paradoxical. For example, it is not customary to show fireballs at pre-season tests – this, as it were, reveals all the cards of the team. The cars are in closed boxes, and not a single reporter can enter there. But when these same cars enter the pit lane or just stop at a red signal, photographers can photograph them from different angles – and nothing can be done about it. In principle, I do not understand these mysteries and secrets. In my opinion, even if you bring your opponent a document with all the individual settings of the car, it will not give him anything. Because to repeat the unique setting – this applies to rubber, and aerodynamics, and much more – is exactly impossible.
Ergonomic car
The car for the pilot is the most convenient place! Yes, from the side it can show that the semi-recumbent position in which the rider is located for two hours is not the most comfortable, but it is not. Firstly, everything in the car, from the seat to the pedals and the steering wheel, is ergonomic, molded and customized for a particular pilot. Therefore, he will be much more comfortable in his car than in a luxury “civilian” car. It is clear that bruises sometimes appear due to overloads during the race itself, but this is a sport! The biggest discomfort is the belts. At the start, they have to be tightened as much as possible, because at a distance they tend to loosen their grip a little, besides, the rider loses fluid, and the belts may not wrap around so tightly.
Feeling of speed
Modern fireballs accelerate to 370–380 km/h. By itself, this indicator for the pilot is not at all impressive, because in the professional world it is not important how fast you go in a straight line, but how fast you manage to complete a circle. As practice shows, in order to drive the entire circle as soon as possible, it is not necessary to drive on straight lines. The car is set up in such a way as to go faster on the corners and buy time on this, and the straight line is, in fact, just a link between the two turns that you must overcome. High speed is scary only when you are not in control of the situation. In this case, even 180 km / h may be decisive.
mental readiness
Over time, the pilot ceases to perceive even high speed as fast. While studying at the Academy, they told us that if you are driving and thinking “Yo-my, this is speed!”, It means that you are simply not ready and do not have time to process the information in your head. This is influenced by a number of factors, including how each driver looks at the track. Turns, objects, rivals – the rider must see all this and quickly perceive, analyze, process, and make decisions with lightning speed – to drive turns, brake, go around, overtake. The faster you go, the farther ahead you have to look.
be in the moment
The most disliked moment in Formula 1 races is just after the start, when you are still riding in a tight peloton and you have to keep an eye on a number of factors in the car. This is the very phase in the race where you have to be as cold-blooded and calm as possible. And my favorite phase is not actually a race, it’s a qualification, because there are not many different parameters in the race that ultimately affect success, and qualification for me is like a certain indicator of the absolute potential of both you as a pilot and a car.
More than a race
It seems to me that there is not a single pilot who would voluntarily want to leave Formula 1. And I am no exception. After all, these are races at the highest level, and no matter how you perform, no matter how the car drives, all the same, as long as there is an opportunity to “race” – it’s definitely worth doing! I was upset about leaving, although this decision did not fall on me like snow on my head – there was time to think, accept and weigh. I put a lot of effort into this business and a lot of soul in my team, so, of course, I would like to see the results and develop my potential!