High Performance Learner
Per·for·mance
/pərˈfôrməns/
- The action or process of carrying out or accomplishing an action, task, or function. An action, task, or operation, seen in terms of how successfully it was performed. "the continual performance of a single task reduces a man to the level of a machine"
- The capabilities of a machine, vehicle, or product, especially when observed under particular conditions.
In Formula 1, the term ‘performance’ is thrown around often - tyre performance, car performance - but what about human performance? That’s where Sacha Smith comes in. Sacha is an Msc student studying the physiological strains of Formula 1, and will be joining the Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains team as an Academy Performance Coach. But as many of these stories go, the journey to get there and to break into the industry (especially as a female) wasn’t easy.
Sacha, like so many of us, had no idea how to bridge the gap from her studies to her dream job - so she broke it down for us.
Step 1? She unabashedly emailed coaches on Formula 1 and Formula 2 teams: “You have my dream job, how do I get there? How do I get to that level?”
She got a few answers and even more leads that would bring her closer to where she was headed. She learned that the coaches were hired by the drivers themselves - and so she started to follow their journey on Instagram and contacted them directly on the platform (social media for the win!). Through networking and field research, she realized that the profession that would bridge the gap from her interest in the sport and her degree would be as a performance coach. Guess who is another fierce female in the space? Angela Cullen, Performance Coach for THE Sir Lewis Hamilton.
Performance coaches, Sacha explained, are more than coaches; they manage everything from scheduling, diet, how much rest an athlete gets, training - and everything in between. They become an integral part of the racers’ life, which is obvious by the close relationships we see on the grid.
“I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at some times, but just even being a participant and getting involved you learn so much, you make such great connections and network.”
All of the determination, researching and digging from Sacha led to her gaining experience at Hinsta Performance, McLaren, and Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains (Trust us, we’re blown away too). But learning didn’t end with completing her degree. Sacha continued to look for opportunities to keep her moving, to distinguish herself. She started a blog with her sister, Formula S, which dragged her out of her comfort zone (she is a physiologist, not a writer after all!)
One thing that distinguishes Sacha is that she considers ways to get involved and apply her gained experiences outside of the immediate context. For example, she volunteered for a study that stuck her in a heat chamber wearing a racing suit to learn about the physiological strains of humidity. It made her think about the drivers as a significant component of the car, where the mechanics of athletic training were not as predictable or manipulated like the mechanics of a car or even the environments, or in this case Sacha was using her gained experience from micro-environments and its effects on a drivers cognitive performance.
While she was driven by this learning and her experiences, some of the most notable feedback she got was something you don’t always want to hear: that her training might be too niche. And her response to that? “It was the kick in the ass I needed to prove them wrong.”
“You have to prove you are willing to move and change with situations; it’s about adaptability.”
Sacha’s grit, determination, and never-ending curiosity drives her to be a lifelong learner. There is a lot to be learned from her approach to pursuing a profession - and even life beyond that. You must be willing to put yourself out there (send an email, start a blog), gather data (clinical trials, email responses) and most of all, try. From this cycle, what you achieve and what Sacha has achieved, is that you contribute to this cycle when you’re always learning and leveling up.
These chats leave us, and we hope our audience, with so much advice. It’s transcendent of the sport and we hope provides anyone with a roadmap on how to go after what they want, whether it’s Formula 1 related or not. To Sacha we say, keep kickin’ ass!
