I achieved my dream, why should I be unhappy? – The importance of mental health in motorsports

In our latest podcast episode, Serena Barbieri talks about her goals to work in motorsport as a psychologist and fills us in with all there is to know about the topic of mental health in the sports environment which gets discussed more and more these days.

The Pressure of Motorsport

Motorsport, especially Formula One, is a highly competitive sport. There are thousands of kids dreaming of reaching the most prestigious racing series existing, but only a handful actually manage to. To make a name for yourself, you have to get in the results and the pressure is high. If you are not performing at your best, you can vanish quickly. Being in this competitive environment daily, where it is all about winning or losing, can mess with your head. Many drivers have already talked about their struggle with mental health openly and raised more awareness as they see this matter as an important one to talk about.

The role of mental coaches and sports psychologists

Especially in sports where there’s a high level of competition, mental coaches and sports psychologists are crucial, as they play a key role not only for the drivers, but for the entire team.

This the case of Serena, guest on the first episode of our podcast, who attended human sciences high school, where she studied subjects that made her realize that psychology could be her path. She did her bachelor's and master’s degree and will soon be a psychologist in child psychology, but in addition to that, being passionate about motorsports, she took part in a master's program during her master's degree that would combine her two passions.

Part of the Race Diary team with Serena Barbieri

In Italy there isn’t a course for motorsport psychology but there is a master's degree in sport and e-sport psychology, a one-year master's degree that allows you to be a mental trainer (after taking the state exam and getting her license she will be a psychologist). The master's degree in psychology allowed her to approach concretely what is the educational field, while the master's degree in sport an e-sport psychology was a stepping stone for her career.

The advice she gives to those who want to take this path is to persevere, be aware of the long and complicated path but go beyond the difficulties and use them as experience for the future, always pursuing your dreams with determination.

Driver Perspectives on Mental Health

AlphaTauri driver Daniel Ricciardo once said:

"A therapist or a psychologist, that sounds kind of heavy, is just a fancy word for someone you can talk to."

Due to potential criticism on social media, many drivers or well-known members of a team are hesitant to open up about their mental health. This can be a valid reason because, if you go on Instagram and click on any driver's post, you will most definitely see comments that are hostile or threatening towards the driver. This is the last thing a driver or even anyone else wants to see after a tough race weekend.

Even though the positive messages should be given more attention, as Hamilton once said in one of his interviews, people start focusing on the negative ones rather than the positive ones. As someone who opened up about his mental health struggles repeatedly over the course of the last few years, from feeling lonely during the pandemic to not having much time for himself and his family between race weekends, even the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton advises seeking professional help.

Having had a multifaceted career, including highs such as his 103 race wins and lows in the form of defeat such as losing the 2021 championship title to Max Verstappen, he declared that talking about his struggles has helped him grow as a person. Additionally, he continues to post inspirational messages and advice on social media, making him one of the best examples of public figures using their voice to try and help others.

The Weight of Expectation

"There is so much pressure, so much scrutiny. If you do a good job, everybody is there to lift you up, if you make a mistake everyone is there to try to bring you down."

George Russell stated about mental health. Today´s society celebrates success and perfection. The same can be said of motorsport and its people. A racing driver receives a lot of support from fans all around the world while he is winning races and earning top scores one after another.

As a result of this support, he maintains his performance and motivation because he is surrounded by positivity and gains a lot of self-confidence. However, if one struggles with pace and performance, no one is there to support them and it becomes more difficult to adopt the right mindset to be able to achieve good results. This can end in a vicious circle, enabling some to stay on top and others to not improve at all.

Mental Preparedness for Peak Performance

"Preparing your mind is as important as preparing physically. If you don't feel good in your head, you're not gonna feel good physically. You're not gonna feel good in whatever you do".

Esteban Ocon points out how crucial it is to have the right mentality when going into the race weekend. That means training nowadays not only focuses on the physical aspect to get your body ready for high performance but also on the mental aspect. If you don´t have confidence in yourself, you will be missing pace and lack performance. Thus, the focus should be on getting the mind in top shape and channeling the emotions to be able to deliver performance.

Team Efforts for Mental Health

Mercedes, under Toto Wolff´s management, is the team that advocates the most for mental health next to McLaren. Both teams have employed sports psychologists and mental health first aiders who are offering support for the team members during their travels. McLaren also partnered up with the MIND Foundation which promotes psychedelic research and therapy. Furthermore, Mercedes has established an anonymous support system that helps their employees express their worries and doubts as well as an internal well-being program that focuses on physical and mental health and their recovery. They even have their own well-being manager, Chris Armstrong, who calls in weekly meetings, where he gets feedback on how the team is feeling.

"You see us all smiley on TV...but I think it is important for us to say not everything that shines is gold."

This quote by Toto Wolff can be used as a very good conclusion to the topic, as people need to treat the people working in motorsport as actual human beings who are just as affected by mental health problems as everyone else. But these public figures can use their voices to help others when they talk about their problems and therefore fulfill their role as role models.