Imagine you work in a dead end job. You work in a dull office full of boring people and spend most of the day wishing it was 5pm so that you could go home and do something more fulfilling with your life. You really wish instead that you could work in F1.
F1 must be full of excitement, glamour and could not possibly get boring, dull or uninteresting. Could it? Well I’m afraid to say that it can and it does. It’s just like any other job. There you go I’ve said it. You don’t believe me do you?
Too much F1
F1 is a lot of things. People talk about it on the internet, on TV and amongst their friends. I can talk with the best of them and generally have an opinion about whatever F1 related scandal or incident might be the talking point of the day. They say that F1 is never dull but after a while you can have too much of a good thing. At the end of the day F1 is work and sometimes everybody has had enough of work. There is more to life.
I must sound to many of you like I am extremely ungrateful. Here I am with a job in one of the world’s most exciting and technologically advanced sports and I’m telling you that it is dull?! What is wrong with me?
I’ve worked in F1 and other racing series for many, many years now. Racing is in my blood, it always has been. This past year, developing the new 2014 turbo car has been very, very difficult and has taken a huge commitment from everyone involved. I was super excited to see the red lights go out in Melbourne on Sunday and watch the first race of the year but I was also very relieved. That period of relentless effort was over and I needed a break. So do a lot of F1 people.
I’ve longed to spend more time at home over the past few weeks. I love F1 but there is more to life and even for super enthusiasts there comes a point where you can have too much of a good thing. F1 morning til night can get a little tedious. A harsh truth.
There is more work to be done though
What I am saying here is that just like any other job, working in F1 can be repetitive and a bit boring. Some days you’d just rather be doing something else. I don’t want you to think that F1 is a perfect world and wall to wall excitement. It isn’t!
There is however a critical difference between F1 and most other jobs though and that is that it doesn’t stay dull for long. For every bad day I have, I must have 4 or 5 good days. If I get bored of my work, it isn’t for long. If I have a holiday or some time away I’ll enjoy it and make the most of it but I’ll be itching to get back to the track. Once F1 gets inside you, it’s difficult to shake off and this is why working in F1 is so rewarding. This is what makes it so different. When things are going well, F1 isn’t a job at all it’s a playground. A place for grown up boys to play racing cars. How bad can life be?
I was tired before Melbourne but seeing the car out on track and racing again has renewed by energy, got my competitive spirit up and galvanised my determination to win. I don’t think any team had an easy time in Melbourne and everyone wants to improve. There are fierce competitors snapping at our heels and I for one am not about to let them gain any ground on us. Formula 1 is about competition and it is this that drives someone to work at their best. If F1 was dull and boring for a while, there is nothing like the sight of a grid full of powerful Grand Prix cars to remind you why you work in this sport and why it is anything but an ordinary job.
On those bad days at the office, I often just have to pinch myself and it reminds me how lucky I am to have a career in Formula 1. Just thinking about any other job makes me realise that there is nothing I’d rather do than work in F1.
I hope that you get the opportunity to do the same some day.