You Say You Want to Win, But... (This is Not the Usual Lecture)

Wanting to win but the effort is lacking - this is the number one complaint about drivers. The problem is that drivers holding back actually makes sense!

Some drivers don’t have to do any of the right things to win!

This week, we're exploring a conversation I had with the head of a big kart team. (Remember, as usual, the audio version of this article goes even deeper)

When I asked him what's really doing his head in when it comes to his drivers right now, he didn't hesitate:

…drivers who say they want to win, but when push comes to shove, they're not willing to go the extra mile to make it happen.

This seems to be the number one complaint that everyone has about drivers. And it's not just the young guns; even the more seasoned drivers who race simply because they love it often find themselves in the crosshairs of this criticism (usually from themselves, aimed at themselves).

Parents, team owners, mechanics - they're all singing the same tune:

You talk about wanting to win, but you're not putting in the work you know it takes to get there. So, what's going on here?

First and foremost, if you're out there racing karts, you're no coward. It takes serious guts to do what you do. So a David Goggins (who is mint btw) style "man up" talk doesn't really apply to you. You're already braver than most, otherwise you wouldn’t go anywhere near karting.

I think there is more going on, and hopefully I can help you dig it out.

I’ll start with a couple of truths I think drivers correctly perceive that naturally will cause you to step back from going full ‘all-in’.

Truth No 1. Some Drivers Don’t Need to Put in the Work

What's really eating at you is this notion that talent alone should be enough. That if you were a natural, a Senna-like prodigy, you wouldn't need to put in all the extra work. And the truth is, there are some freakishly gifted drivers out there who seem to succeed without the intense training, the strict diets, the endless data analysis. Sometimes they're flush with cash too, just to add insult to injury.

So when you look at them, you think, "Why should I have to do all this extra stuff? They don't." And you're absolutely right. They don't. It's a fact.

Even worse, some people high up in motorsport actively seek out those natural-born phenoms. They want that once-in-a-generation talent in their car or kart, the driver who doesn't need to tick all the boxes. And if they're loaded on top of it? Even better.

So your reluctance to really grind is understandable. By putting in all that extra effort, you feel like you're admitting to the world that you don't have that magic, that you're not one of those chosen few.

Truth No2: Hard Work Doesn't Always Pay Off

You could do everything right, put in all the blood, sweat, and tears, and still come up short. That's the brutal reality of motorsport. It's unpredictable and unforgiving. The more you dig into the preparation, the more you realize that the work is never done. There's always another box to tick, another aspect to perfect. It's a rabbit hole that extends out forever.

So you're caught in this agonizing paradox. You don't want to show that maybe you're not the once-in-a-generation talent. But you also know that killing yourself with work and preparation might yield nothing.

It makes sense that you don’t easily go all in, and do everything you need to with full dedication. It’s good logic!

If You Weren't Talented in Some Way, You Wouldn't be Drawn to Racing at all.

By the way, talent in racing isn't always obvious. Sure, you've got your six-year-old phenoms who are clearly destined for championships. But there are other talents, harder to spot, that are just as crucial.

If you weren't gifted in some way, if racing didn't call to something deep within you, you wouldn't be so drawn to the sport in the first place. Something in your very being is telling you, "This is where I belong, this is what I'm meant to do." You might not be able to articulate it, but that instinct, that pull, is your talent guiding you.

And that's why you feel stuck. You're comparing yourself to the obvious prodigies, the ones who seem to have it all figured out from day one. But your journey is different. Your particular talent is more elusive, buried deeper beneath the surface.

The myth is that some drivers simply lack talent, that their success is all about grinding away. But that's only half the story. Yes, hard work matters, but it needs to be in service of your inborn abilities, your natural affinity for racing.

So I doubt very much lack of talent is the problem.

The Magnificent Madness of Motor Racing