Mental Conditioning for F1 Drivers

There was an article in yesterdays London Sunday Times Sports section on the Formula 1 phenomena that is Lewis Hamilton.

For those who are not aware Lewis is the leader of this years Formula 1 racing championship. Perhaps nothing too amazing there until you realise that he is a complete rookie. He has only competed in 7 Formula 1 races however his results have been fantastic; a third place, four seconds and two victories - a trophy (and podium finish) for every race and a respectable 10 point lead.

The author (himself an ex F1 driver) makes a serious point about the mind management help he has received in his training and pays attention to the Mental Conditioning Coach that Lewis uses to help provide him the edge in his driving.

As the author clearly states if Maclaren Mercedes (his team) are spending �200m ($400m) running an F1 team your attention to detail is intense and highly professional. You have 1,000 people dedicated to putting two cars on the track and you cannot afford to have all that riding on the shoulders of a sportsman who is not completely sharp.

The same goes for Trading.

Whilst you may not have the same amount of Capital or Personnel supporting you in your endeavours, you do yourself a dis-service if you are not completely sharp and focused on your trading.

The question is; are you focused, sharp and mentally strong enough for the rigours of the markets?
Paul