Autosport has a story with Ross Brawn where the Honda chief explains what happens in the mind of a driver and what you have to do to win. Ross should know, he was with Michael Schumacher for all his titles and understands the mental challenges a driver faces with pressure and untold advice. Just a snipet but you should buy their magazine on Thursday for the full story:
“It’s a tricky balance because drivers drive instinctively,” Brawn told this week’s Autosport magazine. “If they have a distraction where they are thinking they have to be conservative, then it can cause problems.
“Generally, at the beginning of a race, you cannot advise a driver. It’s impossible because you start clouding the driver’s judgement and you get in more of a mess than you can by leaving it alone.
“If you try to drive defensively in the first corners of the race, it can be to your detriment. Equally, you can’t be completely outrageous. In Lewis’s case, Japan was a bit of a ragged start and I definitely wouldn’t advocate that in Brazil, but it’s finding that balance for the part of the race where you have got to let your instincts take over.”
This entire line of thinking is completely antithetical to what I have seen from Ron. Ron will have all kinds of advice I’m sure. I think Ross has learned something that many have never had the chance to learn supporting multiple champion.
