"Max 1" vs Mastery mindset: Psychology observations from F1

F1 is back in 2023 and in many ways, starting how it was left off in 2022. Red Bull and Max Verstappen are setting the pace with all other teams wondering how they follow. This includes 7 time World Championship winner Lewis Hamilton, who ran him Verstappen close (with the help of a couple of red flags!!) in Melbourne early April. However, some of Verstappen’s comments post race again made me question his mindset within the sport compared to the senior racer, Hamilton.

The Dutch Red Bull star took the chequered flag after a drama-filled showdown ahead of Mercedes’ Hamilton for his second win of the year and first in Melbourne. He started from pole but was passed by both George Russell and Hamilton as they jostled for position at the start. His superior Red Bull power eventually brought him home, but he had a dig at Hamilton nevertheless, complaining that the British seven-time world champion pushed him wide. He said:

From my side, I just tried to avoid the contact, it’s quite clear on the rules what is allowed to do now on the outside, but clearly, it’s not followed…But that’s OK. We had good pace, we passed (Hamilton) anyway but it’s something for the next race to take into account

Some comments were made during the race around the same incident where he can get fixated on incidents, in my opinion, seemingly more concerned with times, placing and outcomes than personal performance and mastery of mindset. Many will marvel at his tenacity and determination to succeed, an example coming a couple of weeks prior when he saved his (and the race’s) fastest lap, even when his teammate claims he was given information to stick at a certain pace. Verstappen was even recorded on team radio arguing with his race technician to see who had the fastest lap and at what pace, leaving it late to record another driver’s championship point to his tally.

Let’s compare this to Hamilton; while the multiple world champion is struggling at the start of this new season, his mindset has shone through. His language at both qualifying and his podium finish talked heavily of enjoyment, gratitude and positivity to collectively improve with his team. Interestingly, while F1 is obviously determined around times and speeds, he has frequently talked about “connection and feeling” towards his car. After Race 1 in Jeddah, he said:

I just don’t feel connected to this car. No matter what I do, no matter what I change, I can’t get confidence in it.

Digging deeper, Hamilton has repeatidly quoted around passion, goal setting and sustained growth and imporvements:

We all get a period of time here, so what are you going to do with it? We can sit in front of the TV and do nothing, or we can get up and do something. We just have to use time to the absolute maximum. Find something you’re passionate about and chase it.

I have a very close relationship with failure - more times than I can remember, but those lessons that I've learned through those failures have ultimately ended up with me having success

It's not about being perfect, it's about being on the journey and learning from the lessons

Another interesting point for me came up recently; as Verstappen races under #1, his entitlement being World Champion (and recently was rejected setting up a clothing line labelled Max 1, fought and won by Nike), Hamilton has never taken this entitlement, quoted in 2019:

I don’t turn up with No1 one on my car…I turn up with the No44. I don’t consider myself the champion that year. I consider myself the one that’s fighting for a championship.

At the moment it just feels like another championship for me. I don’t look at it as a multiple [championship achievement]. I always look at every season and every year as you start from ground zero and you’re fighting. You’re the hunter and you’re fighting from the moment you start training.

So, what do these comments suggest? What can we do as coaches to teach our young athletes around mindset, mastery or motivation? Reviewing different areas and ideas around this research, I wanted to consider how we interact and encourage athletes can impact and affect their attitudes toward development. I believe a positive, growth mindset is the difference for progressive, productive struggle that yields growth and intrinsic drive. But a growth mindset isn’t just about effort.

Dweck (2015) writes, “In the fixed mindset, everything is about the outcome. If you fail—or if you’re not the best—it’s all been wasted. The growth mindset allows people to value what they’re doing regardless of the outcome. They’re tackling problems, charting new courses, working on important issues.” This definition feels very similar to my observations between Verstappen and Hamilton….

Focusing on sport specific ideas, players aligned with task involvement goals, who judge their competency through self-referenced targets or goals, are recognized as evoking high effort to obtain mastery and continually improve personal performance. Their ability and effort are not differentiated by others and the perceived ability is self-determined and success only realised when mastery is achieved, all areas which Hamilton echoes in his performances. Ego involvement or orientation shows athletes more concerned with their evaluation against normative standards and recognise success as measurement against others and therefore, not displaying striving for mastery or being focused on task, such as examples offered in earlier paragraphs around Verstappen’s race choices and comments.

I believe meaningful connections is a key area overlooked here; I believe coaches or team members for F1 example should engage on a sincere level and teach our athletes and leaders alike to do likewise. We can assist as coaches or leaders by encouraging a growth mindset through personal practised humility, both teaching and encouraging optimistic self-talk with the athletes and supporting emotion free mistake making to encourage exploration and development as opposed to seeing mistakes as harmful or problematic.

Coaches or leaders within athlete’s environments need to identify what enhances a player’s interest, looking at areas such as why participate in sport, what constitutes success in athlete’s eyes and in terms of learning context alongside what motivational impact is recognised when athlete is offered enhanced knowledge and strategic skills support. Coaches could acknowledge inspirations, responses, and preferences of elite or specialising athletes, understanding player’s motivations or behavioural tendencies and offer them the competency, autonomy and relatedness within their practice design they desire. How do coaches understand and facilitate self-determination principles for genuine motivation of their players or students and encourage creativity? Tapping into athlete’s intrinsic motivation should effectively facilitate development, enhance player’s creativity towards learning and pervasively drive the athlete through enjoyment of tasks and challenges, searching for mastery. Vallerand and Mageau’s research has shown that intrinsic motivations and self-determined extrinsic motivators are necessary ingredients for athlete’s optimal function (Mageau, 2003). Deci and Ryan’s research investigated that intrinsic motivation is experienced as consequences of feeling competent and self-determined in one’s actions and decisions, offering the self-direction wanted that aids creative behaviours. Intrinsic motivation leads to greater persistence, improved performance and enhanced well-being in a physical setting. Self-determined forms of motivation also result in optimal behaviour, resulting in peak performance and persistence (Deci and Ryan, 2008), all of which would facilitate and encourage creative behaviours.

What does this mean for us as coaches and leaders in how we should act or inspire? How should our coaches act and help influence or support these young athletes and offer them what they want or need? Encouraging young athletes and leaders to adopt a mastery approach to competency would encourage them to positively perform the task to the best of their ability and to self-regulated standards while attempting to continually learn and improve on an interpersonal level. Encourage a passion for learning and application, meaningful communications and relationships, support to choose and make autonomous decisions, following instinct while offering honest feedback on performance and support for a growth mindset; all things we must educate, support and train to others. Again being sport specific and considering team sport approaches, I perceive breaking the linear forms of coaching methodologies while allowing for and embracing collaborative exploration of talents and interests within sports or practice designs shall help develop growth mindsets and positive attitudes to learning and development. The development and growth of compassionate and democratic environments through autonomy supportive behaviours, athlete centred practices and more organic view towards development and methods of skill acquisition shall allow athletes to maintain engagement and collectively develop diverse talents, according to their interests and current skill levels, all attributes which align with growth mindset ideals and support some of the comments made in particular by Hamilton.

Again, I stress that I believe growth mindset is exactly that; a mindset, not a quick fix solution or defining for long term success but can certainly show markers for both sustained success and enjoyment in performance as seen from Verstappen and Hamilton comparisons. I understand these ideas and applied techniques for developing a growth mindset is a lifelong process and Hamilton for this example has a few more years and sport specific success under his belt, yet I believe there are great benefits for athletes to prioritize learning over seeking approval, cultivate a sense of purpose and acknowledge and embrace weaknesses for long term personal development. There is no doubt Verstappen in this example is a very capable driver and will be regarded as one of the best ever drivers yet if Hamilton or others start to challenge him and Red Bull’s dominance, can his mindset seize the opportunities of growth and development he is potentially offered?