This episode was inspired by this question:
“I am not being taken seriously by my team. I am as quick as my team mate but he is getting better treatment and attention than me. Any idea for how I can win them over, this is a big year for me.”
This is a more common question than you may think. I don't get asked it much but it is one of those challenges that many drivers face but don't think about improving.
When you are racing there are certain important relationships and the one with your race team is one of them. You don't have to like everyone in your team and not everyone has to like you but you do need to ensure that they see you as a leader and someone who they work their hardest for.
If you are effective in this area then your race team will go above and beyond to make sure that you have the best shot possible, they will go further than what is expected and be motivated to do so.
Again this is important and can even gain you some extra championship points in the long run.
Put it on you
It is very easy for you to blame the team and get jealous of your team mate if he is getting preferential treatment but resist doing that and instead figure out what you can do to get the team on your side.
OK you can perform better on track, that helps, but along with that the personal side of how you treat them and your work ethic are also very important factors.
Too many drivers turn up to a team on prep day and mope around looking half interested, they give their half-ass hellos to everyone in the team and then just sit around waiting to be told what to do next.
Very few drivers walk into the team as if they were the boss, as if they are there to lead things and make sure the job is done right. This alone makes a big difference.
If the team see that you have a high standard of what is expected when at the track and they see how much effort you are putting into this then they cannot help but want to match that.
All the relationships in your team need to be lead by you. You need to me the alpha, to show them who is boss and to work with authority.
This is how you can tell if a driver is a champion. They change the atmosphere when they walk in and people rise to it.
I will explain more in this video and audio.
I hope you enjoy this.
Enzo
