THE MODERN ERA OF RACING

The ever-increasing specialisation that characterises motorsport sees every new generation producing more proficient drivers

M y belief is that every generation of sportsperson supersedes the last. The coaching techniques get better, athletes start earlier, and technology is constantly advancing. For example, I recently watched a video of swimmers in the 1930s versus our current elite swimmers; the difference in finishing time is a length ahead in the modern era.

If we look at motor-racing drivers, every generation has been better than the last. Of course, the technology in the vehicles continues to improve exponentially. If Ayrton Senna jumped into an F1 vehicle now, I believe he would struggle to drive it without lots of training beforehand. Even Senna had a background in karting, but the previous generation was exposed to motorsport a lot later. One of the greatest of all time, Juan Manuel Fangio, started racing as an adult and only arrived in Europe at the age of 40.

In South Africa, the generation before me began racing late. I was karting when I was 10 and we were not necessarily more talented, but perhaps more proficient in terms of working with the engineers and understanding the cars. Look at the current drivers; they were karting at the age of four.