Racers earn respect by fighting for racing glory, overcoming personal and professional obstacles. Only those who’ve climbed the racing ladder on their own merit and earned their place on the grid are truly successful. Winning has little to do with it.
For example, there’s Canadian F1 driver Lance Stroll. His billionaire father bought an entire F1 team for him, and then he bought Aston Martin to brand the team with a respected name. Now, daddy big-bucks has bought Adrian Newey, the greatest automotive engineer of all time, to design a race winning car for lil’ Lance. No wonder Canadians don’t embrace Lance Stroll as our guy! And no matter what he achieves, Stroll will never be seen as a successful racer because he didn’t earn his station.
When describing successful drivers Fernando Alonso is near the top of the list. From a blue-collar family in Spain, he had none of the advantages of wealth. His skill brought attention and sponsorship which allowed his to move up the ladder. In his rookie season in F1 he was on the worst team on the grid, Minardi F1, where last place was almost guaranteed. Yet he persevered, moved to the factory-backed Renault F1 team, won races and championships against Schumacher and the all-conquering Ferrari. Alonso has competed at the Dakar and the Indy 500, won Le Mans twice, and managed to win the World Endurance Championship. Alonso is a truly successful driver.
On the other end of the spectrum is Lewis Hamilton. When he stepped up from F2 to F1, he immediately joined McLaren in a championship caliber car. He did not rise through the ranks; instead, he was given every advantage. Even got preferential treatment, like at the European Grand Prix when multiple drivers spun in the rain and got stuck in the gravel. Hamilton was lifted out with a crane and resumed racing while the others DNF-ed. Even his wins and championships at Mercedes were a joke. With his superior Mercede race car, his only competition was compliant teammates told not to challenge Hamilton’s position. Being from Stevenage is the only obstacle Hamilton faced. No matter what the record books say, Hamilton will never be a truly successful driver.
When we think of successful racers, it is not the one who won the most races or the competitor with the most championships. It’s the driver who had to overcome, fight, and persevere for everything they achieved.
The 2024 racing season was the most difficult one for Demaras Racing in years. Mechanical issues were like an infection. But driver Daniel Demaras showed his resilience, taking inspiration from drivers like Fernando Alonso, who has also battled misfortune. Here’s an inspirational video a friend of ours shared to keep us motivated.
Outstanding post Mr Demaras. Whatever the numbers said this year, you guys are successful.
It’s funny…the first year, we would have been happy with a podium finish.
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Now, anything other than pole position (qualifying first) is not good enough. And anything other than a win is like a failure.
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Sometimes I wish racing could just be fun again. But winning is like a drug.
So all of the engine issues must have stung doubly this year.
It was a difficult year. But we’re not giving up!