Dr. Nick Molinaro
Racing Mind Strategies
Director of Psychological Performance
Racing Prodigy
As you know, auto racing is an incredibly demanding sport. Drivers must manage intense psychological and physiological stressors, and potentially very hazardous conditions, all of which may affect performance. Formula One’s official website describes its drivers as engaging in: “
…a constant psychological struggle to counteract mental turmoil of anxiety, disappointment, despair, anger, jealousy, resentment, sorrow and fear.”
Formula One World Driver’s Champion Jackie Stewart stated:
“The mind is everything. All the boys in Formula One today have gifts from God and there’s 20 of them. Then there’s the top six, then the extraordinary three. But the genius is the one who takes it to another level… And it’s always the head that took them there.”
Sim racing can provide several psychological and positive mental benefits to participants; some are:
• Improved Concentration and Focus: Regular practice at a high level of concentration and focus can help individuals improve their attention span and ability to concentrate on specific tasks.
• Enhanced Reaction Times: Sim racing involves split-second decision-making and quick reflexes. Constantly practicing these skills can lead to improved reaction times and cognitive agility.
• Problem-Solving Skills: During sim racing, players often encounter different challenges on the track, such as finding the best racing line or adjusting to changing track conditions, which promotes problem-solving and critical thinking abilities.
• Emotional Regulation: In competitive sim racing, players may experience moments of frustration or disappointment if things don’t go as planned. Learning to manage these emotions and maintain composure will be important for your brand, as well as Racing Prodigy’s and other key stakeholders’
• Persistence and Resilience: Sim racing involves continuous learning and improvement. Overcoming challenges and setbacks in the virtual racing world can help individuals develop a sense of resilience and the determination to keep trying until they succeed.
• Mindfulness and Flow State: While racing, players can experience a state of flow, often referred to as “being in the zone.” During these moments, they become fully absorbed in the activity, losing track of time and experiencing a sense of mindfulness and enjoyment.
Simulation racing can also lead race car drivers to form bad habits on the racetrack due to easy use of the “reset button.”
This extends into driving fundamentals such as lines, turn in speed, and brake and
throttle application. The demands of real-world racing influence brain function differently due to physical demands of g-force, real vs. virtual risk-taking, and, at times, more on the line with the reality of winning and losing, all of which can influence reaction times, adrenaline, cortisol levels, and ability to perform.
Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS) is used with all drivers if sim or on track, so that drivers, coaches, and team owners can understand the driver’s
attentional skills under pressure and to help develop optimal performance. The TAIS was standardized on Olympic Athletes as an assessment tool to identify, predict, and develop the athletes. It is used in the NBA, NFL, NHL, PGA, etc. as well as in the United States military with the Navy SEALs, Special Ops, FBI, CIA, and others. TAIS is administered online and is given in several languages. Once the assessment is
completed, the driver will be debriefed on the findings during a one-hour video session. Explanations and recommendations will be provided for the driver at that time.
Benefits of Psychological Skills Training (PST) for Race Car Drivers:
- Anticipation
- Attentional Control
- Reducing the impact of anxiety and increasing attentional control
- Assessing Danger
- Blinking behaviors
- Concentration
- Excitement Regulation
- Flow States
- Goal Setting
- Integrating basic high level performance skills into racing real cars
- Intuitive Driving
- Focused Concentration
- Holistic Concentration
- Reduction in amount of mental errors
- Self-talk
- Use of Caution Flags for Emotional Recovery, etc.