Examining the career momentum myth

It may not be the path drivers would choose, but taking a step backwards can be just as effective for building career momentum as moving forward

James Newbold Sep 5, 2018, 12:00 PM

Performance

Our experts' guide on how you can become a better racing driver

It's the annual conundrum familiar to racing drivers the world over - do you step up to challenge yourself in quicker machinery against more established opposition, or continue to build experience with a view to launching a title push in season two?

In an age when instant gratification is king, the temptation is invariably to continue up the ladder - assuming budget isn't an obstacle - particularly in the wake of Max Verstappen's astonishing rise to Formula 1 after only a single season in Formula 3. This redefined what the ideal progression should look like and heaped pressure on young drivers to learn a category in just one year in order to be taken seriously.

Share Or Save This Story

Author James Newbold

James Newbold is Autosport's Plus Editor, responsible for coordinating website feature content.

In a sign of things to come, having completed his Politics and International Relations degree at the University of East Anglia in 2015, he left his graduation ceremony early to catch the last train to Brussels for the following day's Spa 24 Hours.

After a period as a freelancer, he joined the Autosport staff in 2018 and won the Motorsport UK young journalist of the year award. He initially edited Autosport magazine's Performance and Engineering supplements before joining the website team in his current role in 2020.

A keen enthusiast of anything that can be categorised unusual or niche, he enjoys unearthing little-known stories across all branches of motorsport, but has spent most of his career covering sportscars and is a regular part of the Le Mans 24 Hours reporting team.

He lives with his wife and children in Plymouth, England.