F1 | Sebastian Vettel's trainer says the German's "ability to solve complex problems under pressure in the race is something extraordinary"
Sebastian Vettel's trainer opened up on his career, his job experience and his relationship with the 4 time World Champion. "Sebastian is an absolute professional, his mentality has led him to success both in sport and in life." He said.
At first glance, the figure of the Formula 1 driver might seem lonely, in a sport that is decided on an individual level, but actually what counts more than anything is teamwork.
Behind every professional, every world champion, there is a team of competent people who take care of every single aspect of the driver's performance, from a technical, physical and psychological point of view.
The mental and physical preparation of the drivers is the result of continuous work with the athletic trainers, who follow them around the world in every stage of the Championship.
Antti Konstas, Sebastian Vettel’s trainer, opened up on his career, his memories and his relationship with the German four-time F1 world champion to F1world.it.
He explained that he’s been passionate about sports in general since he can remember. When he was young he wanted to pursue a carreer as a professional footballer, he also managed to play a few games with the minor category of the Finnish National team. Unfortunately he had to deal with a lot of injuries over the course of his career, so he decided to undertake the path he’s still following today.
“What fascinates me about this job is the infinite challenge in trying to help an athlete find the best balance, so that he can be as close as possible to the best version of himself,” he explained.
“As for the worst aspect, I would probably say that it is the time I have to spend away from home".
He’s worked with 3 different wold champions, Buemi, Vergne and Vettel. To the question wether is difficult to adapt his work depending on the athlete, he answered:
"As a coach, I must be able to offer good solutions on how a strategy can improve their performance and if I have done my evaluation and plan well, the athlete will be able to achieve that particular goal."
Then he spoke on the influence a trainer has also on a psychological level:
"The importance of the psychological component is enormous in a complex sport like Formula 1," - he said - "However, I think it is also a very misunderstood and often overestimated element."
“We often hear that someone is mentally strong or mentally weak and that doesn't mean anything to me.
“In my opinion, every positive or negative event in any sport is made up of the decision to make a move and the ability to make it. The decision refers to the way an athlete reads and anticipates the situation and the driver's ability to make that certain move in that specific situation."
“Sebastian is an absolute professional, whom I respect a lot as an athlete and as an individual. Although I was able to pass on a lot to him from my areas of expertise, I too have certainly learned a lot from him. His ability to solve complex problems under pressure in the race, but also in every day life is something extraordinary.”
“He is extremely curious to always understand the logic behind why something works or why it should be done, rather than learning a procedure by heart,” the Finn added.
“A mentality like this combined with his hard work ethic in all fields and a positive outlook on life has led him to success both in sport and in life in general, which is no surprise to me. "
“As for my best memories, one is perhaps our first victory with Scuderia Ferrari when I heard all the mechanics sing the national anthem at the top of their lungs. That's the moment you really realise what it's like to work with people who love what they do."
