Adrenaline is the topic of the fifth episode of “Box Box Box,” Pirelli’s Formula 1 vodcast
Adrenaline is an essential component of any sport, helping athletes to push themselves beyond their limits and in Formula 1 it reaches a truly intense level, amplified by a combination of extreme speed, ever-present risk and fierce competition. Adrenaline works on a physiological level and for a racing driver it helps them face the challenges on every lap, in every corner and during every overtaking move. It can also fuel the motivation of those who have maybe moved on from sitting in the cockpit or on the pitwall and now steer a Formula 1 team, chasing the same goal as the drivers, namely winning. Talking about adrenaline amongst other topics with Tom Clarkson in this episode of “Box Box Box” are three individuals who have thrived on it since their teenage years: Christian Horner, Laurent Mekies and Nico Hulkenberg.
“I love racing and I love competing,” reveals Christian Horner, Team Principal and CEO of Red Bull Racing. “I am by nature a competitive person and love team spirit and F1 is the greatest team sport in the world. We have a phenomenal team and I am privileged to lead it. I think it is precisely this sense of unity and being part of a group that sees us competing against these highly regarded opponents. I mean to say we are a subsidiary of an energy drinks company and we’re taking on Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz, McLaren, all these major brands. But it’s the feeling of competition that still gets the passion burning.”
Horner also explains what he sees as Max Verstappen’s strengths, after the Dutchman clinched the world championship title for a fourth consecutive season. “His mental strength, his resilience at the key moments. Like all great athletes, it’s always when the pressure is really on that he has to be at his best and he has been exceptional at that.”
The Racing Bulls Team Principal, Laurent Mekies, reckons there are many different jobs that get the adrenaline pumping. “There are all the people who have a direct impact on what happens on track, the mechanics who do the pit stops, the race engineers who must respond to their drivers in a matter of a second, the guys who have to make the call for a pit stop. I’ve been lucky enough to have done some of these jobs in the past and they are incredible.” Mekies describes his current role as Team Principal as a case of “ensuring the other guys, the clever ones, have what they need to do their job. It’s not, nor has it probably ever been, a one-man show where someone says ‘we should do this now’ because the right people and the right structures are in place for that.”
Nico Hulkenberg knows exactly what is the most adrenaline charged moment for a racing driver: “On a qualifying lap, your heart is in your mouth and you still feel it on your cool down lap when your heart rate is still high. You’re thinking about the next attempt after a quick stop in the pits. The start of a race is always very intense, the only moment you feel really active you know, my breathing is a little faster and my heart rate has increased because it is so intense.”
A new challenge awaits Nico next year, as he joins Sauber which will then become the official Audi team. The German is aware that, with 225 Formula 1 Grand Prix starts, his experience is a useful asset. “I think experience helps and is vital, you need to have speed and consistency. Teams want performance, they want points, they want results… When it comes to team building, car development, set-up work, it's something I own, I have a big toolbox because I’ve been around for a while and that’s definitely something of an advantage compared to some other drivers, rookies or those with not much experience. And in our line of work, an unusual thing is that there’s not a lot of testing. Usually, it’s straight into a race weekend, with not a lot of time to practice and in a way, that works in favour of the older more experienced drivers.”
“Box Box Box” runs over six episodes, each one on a specific topic (Speed, Education, Dedication, Time, Adrenaline, Challenge) hosted by Tom Clarkson one of the best known journalists and presenters, who has worked in Formula 1 for almost 30 years, featuring key players in the sport. The four previous episodes featured Max Verstappen, Nikolas Tombazis, Andrea Stella, Bruno Michel, Oliver Bearman, Ian Holmes, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Mario Isola, Charles Leclerc, Stefano Domenicali, Michael Schmidt and Alex Albon and can be found on YouTube and on Spotify. In the sixth and final episode, on-line as from Tuesday 3 December, those taking part will be Valtteri Bottas and Gunther Steiner and Rebecca Lee, the official starter for the Formula 1 Grands Prix.