Aleix Casanovas Recap: High Performance in Formula 1

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Wow. We had Alex Casanovis on our show previous episode. He is the coach for George Russell. George Russell is a Formula one driver with Team Mercedes and I just spent some time re listening to that episode and just took some notes to share with you a bit of a recap. Some of you may not have listened to the full episode yet, so this is for you and if you have listened to it, I hope this really underlines some of the incredible takeaways that Alex shared with us. It was just amazing. So first things first, physical strength really impacts our mental capacity. You know, every system is interconnected within our bodies, the gut and the nervous system. For example, you know if you don't eat well, you won't perform well. Whether that's performing in a Formula one racetrack or whether that's performing in the boardroom or whether that's performing in the bedroom, whatever you eat has a massive impact on how you perform.

Also, another big takeaway was this, that you know, Formula one drivers, we often see them as solo operators. They're out there on the track, in the car, by themselves. But when you look at it so Team Mercedes, for example, there are 700 staff members for two cars plus a thousand staff members in the engine factory. That's 1700 people that are vital for the success of those two cars, you know, that race team is just so important, and they really look at the small details. So we think of Formula One drivers as focusing on the 1% things. Focusing on the thing will give them the slight edge, but actually that mindset trickles right down through the engineers and the full race team. Not taking shortcuts is crucial to Team Mercedes success. And when you're not operating at 100%, you actually start taking little micro steps backwards. You might not notice it when you skip that meal or you forget about that little detail, or that debrief didn't go into full detail, but eventually that catches up. Look. Another big takeaway was that Alex shared relationships are just so important. So he implemented a new thing this year where when George goes to the gym for his physical sessions, so do three of George's engineers. The Mercedes engineers come too. And Alex feels that it's so important for them to perform at their best when they're under pressure and they're on race day, that their physical health helps them make better decisions, and they're able to develop these relationships by working out together, getting to know each other. I know there might have been a time when drivers don't really have the time for other members on their team. There's maybe ego or arrogance. But Alex shared that George really makes an effort to build genuine, authentic, rich relationships with the people on his team. Quite incredible. And then we started Talking about the 1 percenters, those simple little things. And Alex shared some really, really interesting things just around sleep and food and what they measure and what they focus on. So he talked about setting task goals rather than result goals, as in win the Formula one race, setting task goals. So focusing on your zone of influence. So I want to win the race. Like, let's. Let's measure that. Well, there's so many variables. There are other racers, there's weather, there's machinery, all different types of things. Alex said we should focus on ticking the boxes. What are the things that you can measure? So here's a few things that he shared that they measure. Are we sleeping well? Are we fit? Are we happy? Are we working with our team of engineers? Are we doing okay with the media? Are we doing good with our partner? Are we healthy? All these things are measurable and within their control. So if you're listening to this right now, what are you measuring? What are you aiming towards? Are you focusing on things that are outside of your control? If you are, I want to ask you to focus on what can you measure? What are the things that are Fully within your control.

And look, we talked a little bit about coaching as well. And coaching needs patience and consistency. It's a slow process. Sometimes people want instant results and they want to go to the world's best coach on something specific to get that result overnight. But actually, it really does take time. And when you rush, you never get a great outcome. Now, another takeaway was this. As a coach, when you're working with a high performer, you're learning just as much from them as they are from you. A few things that Alex has taken away from working with George for some time now is that preparation is essential. Be prepared for the chaos. And Alex talked about the chaotic world that we live in, not just in Formula one, but in life in general. The world is in chaos constantly, and if you're prepared, you will deal with that chaos so much better.

Now, I want you to think about this. You start work at 9am and you finish at 11pm Some of that is you speaking in front of the media. Some of that is you racing a car at many g forces on you running around at a track for hours. It's debriefs, it's physical exercise from 9am to 11pm how are you going to feel at the end of that day? Exhausted. Right. So use small windows. And I want you to take this away because you might not be doing this on a Formula one track, but you could be doing this with your work, with your family, with your health, those long days. So I want you to think of that saying, use small window. So here's a few things that Alex does with George Russell that really help him. One, keep it light. You know, so Alex prepares jokes. He prepares little one liners and little jokes that when things get intense on race day or during a full day of work, Alex knows that he can drop in this little joke and it will take George's mind off the intensity, allow him to relax, and just a brief moment where he gets a break. Next, nap. Power naps help us perform better. And in Formula one, that's important because reaction times improve when drivers have naps. It's so funny because in our culture, we often criticize people who have a nap. They're like an old person, they are retired. They, you know, they're not highly performing, they're not a high performer if they're taking naps. Well, actually, the study and the data and the science behind it shows that people who prioritize naps perform better time after time. Another thing that we got into was meditation and importance of meditation and how that can really support your performance and your decision making. More importantly, sleep. Alex talked about, you know, making sure that seven and a half to eight hours of sleep, that's a priority for racers to get to that optimal performance. Really, really important. Now just to wrap up, I hope you've enjoyed some of these takeaways and if you get a chance to go back and listen to the full interview, it was just incredible. Alex is a huge source of information. He's working alongside one of the world's top high performers. So there's so much to learn from that, from the gems that he shared. But here's something I want to share with you and please write these down. Please share these with someone. I asked Alex if you were approached and you were 90 or maybe 100 years old and someone young in your life said, Alex, how do I lead my life on purpose? Here's some advice that Alex would give that person. Be patient. Take one step at a time. It's okay to make mistakes.

Learn to love what you do, because not everything you do, you're going to love all the time. Learn to love it and find out what you truly like in life. Last but not least, seek the joy. I hope this has been inspiring. I hope this has made you think and I hope that you head out there and lead your life on purpose.