Henry Calvert ’29 wakes up to the piercing sound of his alarm at 4 am on a school morning. Then, excitedly rushing to his TV, hoping to catch every minute of a two hour long race happening thousands of miles from his home. To many this may seem excessive, but to Calvert this seems like a perfect morning.
In 2023, Annie Gordon ’27 was introduced to what would become one of her most prominent interests: Formula 1 (F1). Throughout her life, she has been surrounded by cars and racing because her brother was a car fanatic and her father has always been a fan of the sport. As soon as her father introduced her to the races, it instantly clicked. Gordon believes that she stays invested in the sport because she loves the thrill and excitement that surrounds each race. However, she feels that her interest in F1 goes beyond the racing itself. Gordon’s favorite driver, Nikki Lauda, has been an inspiration to her, especially as she learns to drive.
“Lauda said in [a] speech that you can’t predict what happens in a race like you can’t predict life,” Gordon said. “Like him, I have always learned more from losing than winning. I think that’s a really valuable lesson that I try to carry with me. I find all his stories so inspiring and even just seeing him have the confidence to drive helps me every day.”
Like Gordon, Mimi Ferreira, high school strength and conditioning teacher, has been a sports fan her entire life. She played softball, basketball, volleyball and track and field when she was in high school and was voted the best athlete in her school. Ferreira’s love for sports also translates into being a sports fan. She follows almost every sport in the professional leagues and loves the competitive nature of sports in general. After being introduced to F1 last year, she has since fallen in love with its highstakes races and intense culture. Aside from consistently watching the races and keeping up with her favorite drivers, she uses F1 to connect to new people.
“F1 has given me another outlet and interest and a way to get to know my students,” Ferreira said. “I genuinely love that. If it wasn’t for me getting into this a year ago, I wouldn’t know that so many kids in my classes are obsessed with F1 too. It’s a really nice bonding moment between me and my students.”
Gordon’s love for Formula 1 is driven by its unique and impressive nature. She believes the sport initially stood out to her because it consists of only 20 of the best drivers in the world, unlike many other sports in which thousands of people play professionally. She also finds that the technicality and extensive training that F1 requires make the sport otherworldly. While Gordon understands that some people are not entertained by watching F1 races, she feels that if they had a general knowledge of the extreme physical and mental concentration that is necessary, they would appreciate it more.
“People in America getting into watching the Drive to Survive show on Netflix is amazing,” Gordon said. “Even though the show is really controversial, it’s great that it is becoming a big thing. I think that the more people who want to watch it, the better because it’s a great sport and it deserves more recognition for the hard work that the drivers put into it.” Calvert is also fascinated by the selectiveness and intense training the F1 requires. He was introduced to the sport during COVID and feels it was a great way to distract himself from the boredom of quarantine. He believes that its intense characteristics make F1 great entertainment. He also enjoys the aspects of the sport that don’t take place on the track. Calvert feels that his connections to his favorite drivers come from their personalities and sportsmanship, which he hopes to emulate. Now that he is in high school, he believes he does not have as much time to engage every single race, but still looks forward to the ones he can make time for.
“Waking up early to watch the races gives me something to look forward to,” Calvert said. “For me, it’s pretty hard to get excited about going to school and just doing homework all day. But F1 is something that I can use to distract myself and make me happy.”
