This year F1 season has been probably the most exciting in history. The duel between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and their team leaders Toto Wolf and Christian Horner was epic.
But, beyond the sports analysis, there are a few exciting leadership lessons that we can learn from then from this crazy season.
Leaders are people too. They make mistakes and need to be forgiven.
Both Lewis and Max had made several mistakes this year.
Remember the crazy break of lewis in Baku in the last restart?
Or max running literally on top of Lewis?
Yet, none of them saw symptoms of weakness after their mistakes. Both understood that even at the highest level, we are all humans.
A leader must have strong values.
Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes Formula 1 Team, said: “For me, it’s always about the long term. There is no room for sentiment in our sport. We need to look at the bigger picture, and that is why I decided to keep him (Hamilton) in the team.”
Not so long ago, Wolff and Mercedes had to decide whether to keep Hamilton or let him go. They decided that they wanted someone who has strong values and is committed to long-term goals, not just focused on the short term goals.
Hamilton, on his side, has become an icon for inclusion, and he stands by his values.
Keep your head on straight and focus on the task at hand.
For Hamilton, it was his fight for an eighth championship. For Verstappen, the first, and trying to prove himself against one of the best drivers in history. Both Hamilton and Verstappen could focus on the task at hand despite all the distractions. They concentrated on each race and gave their best for the final goal.
Don’t give up — keep fighting for what you want.
Before it started, It looked like Verstappen was going to have a bad season, but he kept his head down and just continued working hard towards his goal of being champion one day. He wanted it so bad that he could fight back and win more races than Hamilton and ultimately win the World Champion Title.
Always stay humble (even when you win).
Hamilton is the most successful British driver, with seven world championships and over 100 Formula One race victories. He beat Michael Schumacher’s record for the number of pole positions and races won in history.
Recently he declared that he starts every year not as the reigning champion but as another contender to the title.
Verstappen also made headlines when he became one the youngest Formula to drive in F1 history at age 20.
Both Hamilton and Verstappen are very successful, but they remain humble even after winning races and championships.
These are just a few leadership lessons that we can learn from the epic Hamilton vs Verstappen battle this year. What other leadership lessons do you think we can learn? Let me know in the comments below!
