“I don’t see it as pressure,” he tells F1 Explains podcast presenter Christian Hewgill when asked about his role.
“Obviously you have a big responsibility because you represent a lot of people, a brand, a team. I think I probably put more pressure on myself that I’m quite grumpy if I have a bad day or a bad result. I just want to do well anyway because that’s who I am.”
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In the full podcast episode, which you can listen to on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or via the player on this page, Oakes answers listener questions on the different aspects of his job.
Listener Jimmy asked how he responds when Gasly and Doohan give their feedback on the car. F1 drivers do this in ‘debrief’ meetings after every practice session, Qualifying or Grand Prix. They tell engineers and senior managers how they felt in the car, what they think is working well, and what needs to be improved.
“You never get the same feedback from both drivers,” says Oakes.