Ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Alpine announced a new mental health partnership with digital provider JAAQ
A newfound appreciation for mental health struggles is working through the entire sporting world, and Formula 1 is no exception. Just yesterday at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix Lando Norris, speaking at the FIA Press Conference following his win at the Miami Grand Prix, discussed his own mental health journey. The British driver has never been shy about opening up regarding the topic, dating back to his second season in the sport.
Norris is not alone in F1.
On Friday Alpine announced a partnership with JAAQ.com, a new digital mental health platform. According to the joint announcement, JAAQ is committed to “providing accessible mental health information to everyone. Through this innovative platform, users can connect with and listen to testimonies of world-leading experts, celebrities, sports stars, and people sharing their own lived experience stories across over 100+ topics. To date, the site has had over 1.5 million questions asked by visitors from over 143 countries.”
As part of the partnership, Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Abbi Pulling have participated in conversations about their own journeys in motorsport, and how they handle pressure and anxiety, as well as how they have overcome challenges in their careers. Each driver has provided answers to a series of questions, qhich you can view on JAAQ.com.
“Mental health means means a lot to me. I think it’s actually extremely important as an athlete,” said Gasly. “Obviously as any human being, I think it’s extremely important to be in the right state. But as an athlete, I, I do believe it’s a huge factor of performance being in the right zone, in the right space, trying to deal with all the different elements that can put you off sometimes.”
“Do I feel overwhelmed with the pressure and danger of Formula One? It goes in the back of my mind sometimes, but it clears very quickly,” said Ocon in his interview. “I had to perform always in my career and dealing with the pressure is very important. First, it can hurt your performance, if you let it get to you, but it can be a very good tool for you to use, and having pressure can push you to be the best version of yourself.
“I think if there was never any pressure in my career, I would not have been, you know, at the top of my game where I, when I had to be on top of my game. So I think it’s important to think and try and use that pressure on you to be the best version of yourself.”
Pulling talked about her motorsport journey, and learning that her funding had run out while competing in British F4.
“At one point I did struggle a bit with my mental health when I was racing in British F4 and ran out of funding. It was kind of expectedly, but it’s when you see it slowly coming and getting closer, you just worry about it more and more,” said the F1 Academy driver. “And then it got to the point where we were like, ‘we have to stop.’ And at that point, I was just distraught because it’s everything that I love was just ripped away from me.
“And it was I just, like, [I] felt so small in that moment.”
David Gendry, the chief commercial officer for Alpine and vice president of communications for Alpine brand, shared his view on the partnership: “Partnering with JAAQ.org is unique. It symbolizes a shared dedication to nurturing well-being and BWT Alpine F1 Team is looking forward to helping JAAQ advocate mental health through the extensive reach that Formula 1 offers globally.”
You can view the interviews with all three Alpine drivers, as well as the rest of the content, on JAAQ.com.
