Three people that inspire me in motorsport

26 July

I watch a lot of motorsport. And I mean a lot – both trackside and on TV. Of course, I love racing myself, but I also find watching and observing others a huge source of inspiration.
 
I know I still have a lot to learn as an ambitious female racing driver that wants to forge a career as a professional driver in motorsport, but there are definitely some personalities I can look to in order to develop both my sporting and personal skills.
 
Here are some words about the people I find particularly impressive…

Sophia Flörsch
Current FIA Formula 3 Championship driver

I was fortunate to meet Sophia at last year’s British Grand Prix when I was a guest of the Alpine F1 team at Silverstone. She’s an impressive competitor. What I really love is the fact that she’s chosen to race against male drivers in the F3 series, rather than opting to do the F1 Academy series which is only for female drivers. She’s showing that women can fight against boys in equal machinery and I really like that ambition and confidence. I also really liked how she picked herself up and returned to racing after her massive accident at the Macau GP in 2018. That must have been a tough moment for her, but I was inspired by the way she showed her bravery and returned to the sport she loves.

Jamie Chadwick
Multiple W Series Champion and current INDY NXT driver

Jamie grabbed my attention when she was competing in the old W Series category and pretty much winning every race she entered. Seeing her on the top step of the podium multiple times and winning three championship titles definitely inspired my own racing. For me, it’s a bit of a shame she’s moved to America to race in the INDY NXT series, rather than continuing to compete in Europe. I’d be interested to see what results she could score in the main FIA formulas such as F3 and F2, but I’m also impressed she’s chosen to take her development in another direction and decided to test herself in an unfamiliar racing environment in the USA. I admire that approach.

Lewis Hamilton
Seven-time Formula One World Champion

What can you say about Lewis? He has to be one of the most inspirational sports people in the world (if you’re not a Max Verstappen fan) and he’s someone I definitely look up to and admire. He’s smashed through so many barriers and achieved so much during his career. He won four F1 races in his first season and only missed being world champion by a point. That’s just incredible! The fact he’s gone on to win seven titles – the same as Michael [Schumacher] – is super impressive and shows Lewis is one of the greatest drivers to ever race in F1. I also love the fact he is a good human being as well. Lewis is passionate about equality, the environment and helping others. And he definitely lives his life the way he wants to. That takes a certain strength and confidence that I admire and want to emulate.