MY LIFE IN FORMULA ONE

In my 22 years in F1,  I have worked with Ferrari, McLaren and Lotus, winning 3 World Championships with my drivers.

This is how it all happened…

It started in 1996 when I was teaching climbing to a guy from McLaren who was setting up a Human Performance lab for the drivers. They were looking for a therapist to work with the team. Right place right time!

1997
I had an interview with Ron Dennis which lasted about 6 minutes before he told someone to “McLarenise” me.

  • My first season in F1 started as Sports Therapist to Mika Häkkinen and David Coulthard (DC).
  • After the 4th race Mika asked me to be his Trainer. I gave up my clinic, moved to Monaco and started working full time for McLaren.
  • After the Spice Girls launched our new car, and we got a double podium in the first race, things went downhill. That is, until star F1 designer Adrian Newey came into the team towards the end of the season which set in motion a new beginning for McLaren.

1998
Trainer for Mika and Therapist for Mika and DC

  • F1 cars entered a new era of design. Adrian Newey was in his aerodynamic element and delivered a blinder of a car! We lapped the field in the first race in Australia.
  • It turned out to be an exciting season with a nail biting end when in the final race in Japan Mika won his first World Championship beating a resurgent Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari.
  • The season was constant high pressure and winning the World Championship was a combination of immense joy and relief. We celebrated by having a huge party with Mika and the team!

1999
Trainer for Mika and Therapist for Mika and DC

  • 1999 started as 1998 finished. Another great Adrian Newey designed car combined with great momentum behind the team.
  • Ferrari were again our closest rival and took the fight down to the last race in Japan. Mika kept his cool, won the race and was crowned Double World Champion!
  • Winning the second World Championship was just as special as the first one with very similar levels of stress, pressure and joy. Another huge party followed!

2000
Trainer for Mika and Therapist for Mika and DC

  • McLaren were not the dominant team of the past two seasons but still fighting closely with an ever-improving Ferrari.
  • The World Championship again went down to the last race in Japan but this year it wasn’t meant to be. Michael Schmacher wins for Ferrari with Mika finishing 2nd.

2001
Trainer for Mika and Therapist for Mika and DC

 

 

 

 

  • McLaren were still in the fight but the tide had turned and Ferrari had become the dominant force in F1.
  • For me the year brought about my first big change in F1. After an incredible journey with Mika, winning 2 World Championships, travelling many miles, having lots of laughs and incredible experiences, Mika retires from F1.

2002
Trainer for Kimi Räkkönen and Therapist for Kimi and DC

 

 

 

 

  • I really enjoyed working with Kimi from the start. Zero bullshit, massive raw natural talent, a huge heart and, let’s be honest, a bit of a handful. 🙂
  • I also started working closely with Dave and Steve Robertson, Kimi’s managers. We were a great team from the start, which developed into a special life long friendship.
  • The car however was a disaster. Kimi failed to finish 11 races due to a number of mechanical issues.

2003
Trainer for Kimi and Therapist for Kimi and DC

  • After struggling with the new car in winter testing, the team decided to use a modified version of the 2002 car. It wasn’t the quickest but it finished races.
  • Kimi had an outstanding season, being fast and consistent and winning his first F1 race in Malaysia.
  • Kimi finished the season only two points shy of Michael Schumacher in the Ferrari and made the car look much better than it was.

2004 
Trainer for Kimi and Therapist for Kimi and DC

  • The car was a bomb. If ever the term “you can’t polish a turd” was justified, this was it. It was so bad McLaren scrapped it and decided to build at massive expense a whole new car.
  • There weren’t many highlights this year but a few funny moments; Journalist Bob McKenzie bet Ron Dennis he’d run the Silverstone circuit naked if the team won a race this season. Kimi did, in Spa, and Bob did, in a fig leaf!
  • At the end of the season another chapter came to an end. David Coulthard, who I’d worked with now for 8 years, left McLaren for the new Redbull team. I can only describe DC as a true gentleman of the sport and a great friend and it was shame to see him leave.

2005
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

  • After the disappointment of the 2004 car, this year’s car was great and gave the team a genuine chance to fight for the World Championship. Juan Pablo Montoya joined as Kimi’s team mate with a mission to melt the Ice Man.
  • The season was exciting and Kimi performed to his best. He was fighting for the World Championship until the last race, but sadly it wasn’t meant to be.
  • I remember this season because of the car crew we had. It was an amazing group of guys completely committed to winning races and remains the most close knit car crew I’ve had the pleasure to work with in F1. We are still great friends today.

2006
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

 

 

 

 

  • The car was a disappointment with McLaren not winning a race all season, the first time since 1996.
  • The end of the season was a milestone moment in my F1 career as my 10 fantastic years with McLaren were coming to an end.
  • Kimi was moving to Ferrari and asked me to go with him. There was a lot to weigh up but by this time Kimi, myself and Dave and Steve were very close and it felt right going to Ferrari with them.

2007
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

  • It was a proud moment putting on the red team kit for the first time. Ferrari is legendary and it felt immediately special to be part of the team.
  • This was a very tight and exciting season. Coming into the last race the Championship looked like a fight between Lewis and Fernando in McLaren with Kimi having an outside sniff of a chance. Kimi kept his cool, won the race and through an incredible series of events that unfolded on the track, Kimi was crowned World Champion!
  • It was incredibly emotional and proud winning the World Championship with Kimi in his first year as a Ferrari driver. I was overjoyed as we had worked so hard for this for so many years!

2008
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

  • This season was a story of what might have been – both for Kimi and team mate Felipe Massa. There were a number of highs but an even greater number of “what if'” moments.
  • The Championship decider was pure fiction playing out in real life. Lewis in the McLaren clinches the title on the last corner of the last lap of the last race beating Felipe by 1 point. You really couldn’t make it up!

2009
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi

  • This was a difficult season for many reasons. Our car wasn’t great and Brawn GP produced an unbelievable car winning 6 of the first 7 races, which set the tone for the rest of the season.
  • There were 2 exceptionally low moments this season, one was Felipe suffering horrendous head injuries in a freak accident which led to the redesign of all driver visors / helmets in F1. The other was the team deciding to part ways with Kimi at the end of the season, bringing in Fernando Alonso.
  • It was one of those years where you realise that in F1 things can change pretty quickly and you sometimes have very little control over what happens.

2010
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

 

 

 

 

  • Kimi decided to enter the World Rally Championship (WRC) driving for the Citroen / Red Bull team. For him it was always a dream to try rally. For me it was not, but it was interesting seeing a new field of motorsports.
  • I quickly began to appreciate the incredible level of driving skill required to compete in WRC. After the pressures of F1, it was nice to see Kimi relaxed and enjoying his rallying.
  • Professionally for me, rally meant that there was less training required but repair work in the form of therapy was increased.

2011
Trainer and Therapist for Kimi 

 

 

 

 

  • In his 2nd season in WRC,  Kimi set up his own team, ICE 1 Racing. He also wanted to try another motorsport series, Nascar, so we went to the US where we did a few races.
  • The Nascar racing reignited the inner racer in Kimi and talks emerged of a return to F1.
  • Once the deal was signed, I was happy we were retuning to F1, but also appreciated having had the chance to experience two other forms of motorsports and all the new destinations they took me to.

2012
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

 

 

 

 

  • Kimi made his F1 comeback with Lotus. They proved to be a great team, not just because they produced a competitive car but also because they were genuinely a great bunch of people to work with.
  • Kimi scored many podium finishes leading to a race win in Abu Dhabi with the now memorable “Leave me alone I know what I’m doing”.
  • This was one of my most enjoyable years in F1 with a great team spirit and excellent atmosphere throughout the season.

 

 

2013
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

 

 

 

 

  • The year could only be described as challenging. The car, team and drivers continued to deliver but growing financial pressures resulted in an uncertain future that saw the departure of some key personnel.
  • In addition, Kimi developed a back issue which stemmed from a big crash back in 2001. It required surgery and we missed the last 2 races of the season.
  • The shocker of the year was the announcement that Kimi was returning to Ferrari for 2014. Although exciting, it was sad be leaving Lotus and the great people there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2014
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

  • This was not the best of seasons. The car was not ideal and didn’t suit Kimi’s driving style. This resulted in growing frustrations and pressure within the team.
  • There were two tragedies this season. One was the fatal crash of Jules Bianchi in Japan, which touched everyone and was a sad day for F1. The other was the passing of David Robertson, Kimi’s long time manager and our dear friend. This was a big personal loss.
  • The end of the season saw Fernando Alonso heading to McLaren and Sebastian Vettel, a long term friend of Kimi, coming in as a new team mate.

2015
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

  • The team did a great job over the winter producing a more competitive car.
  • This created optimism and despite Mercedes still being the dominant force, there were a number of Ferrari podium finishes, which resulted in positive energy within the team.
  • One of the highlights of the season was the new race in Mexico which turned out to be one of the most atmospheric races of the year.

2016
Trainer and Therapist to Kimi 

  • After good winter testing period, we started the season thinking we had closed the gap to Mercedes. This soon proved to be wishful thinking. It was a flat year for Ferrari, the two Mercedes drivers fighting for the Championship until the last race.
  • The season saw a new race on the street circuit of Baku, which went smoothly despite expectations of crashes and safety cars.
  • The biggest moment of the year was the sale of F1 to Liberty Media. I had only known F1 under Bernie and it was strange to imagine the paddock without him.

2017
Trainer and Therapist for Kimi 

  • This was a good season. The car was competitive and the team won races despite Mercedes in the end winning the Championship.
  • Both Kimi and Sebastian delivered good performances and there was a good dynamic in the garage with the drivers and the team working well together.
  • Liberty entered the paddock with new ideas and an injection of entertainment, the highlight being a podium DJ in Mexico.

 

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