GENERATION T

talks about keeping his life’s values on track in the fast lane of success at the age of 23 as an Indonesian F2 race-car driver

Sean Gelael talks about life in the fast lane towards success in his youth and beyond

Born and raised into an adrenalinefuelled world with a father who was a motorcycle racer, pushing limits is nothing new to Sean Gelael. Even after long tours travelling around Europe to race the world’s best tracks, Sean proudly told us that: “Racing is me; it is part of my life and my love.” Among his biggest achievements are placements on four podiums in the past two years, the memorable ones being runner-up of the GP-2 Austria in 2016 and of the F2 Monaco in 2018. While it may have felt surreal when he held the trophies, Sean has successfully broken his own barriers, and he is thankful to those who have always supported him.

In sport, you always have pressures coming from yourself and your surroundings.

Being one of 20 racers competing on the track is such a thrill, but when we reach the top, we want to be at the top all the time. Life does not always work like that, because sometimes you win and other times you lose, which is why you should do what you love and the only one who you need to prove your capability to is yourself. Remember to always prioritise your interests because pleasing others will never make you happy, especially those with negative energy.

If I could give a piece of advice, millennials need to stop using social media to discover their passion.

With easy access to a lot of information, they tend to choose whatever they want to see and then ignore what they don’t like. Don’t let social media consume your happiness. If you like something, follow your heart, go for it, and learn as much about it as you go with a steady focus. Social media exposes you to too many things and can overwhelm you, so do not forget that life is a journey: go one step at a time and enjoy the process.

I hate travelling because I travel so much for work.

Often, I need to leave the people who matter the most to me, and I even get sick of seeing the airport because it means time to go. In the past three years, if I had had more time, I would have chosen to travel around Indonesia instead. This country is huge and has a lot of cool stuff to explore, which would be perfect for me to escape the daily grind.

Being 30 or 40 is the end of the line for an athlete’s career, but the beginning for life as a businessman.

Sometimes in life, you know when enough is enough and it’s time to move on with other plans. My long-term goal is to join the business world, and I am now learning and discovering this by making business connections first. As an athlete, I wish there was a documentary about Indonesian athletes because they are the heroes of our home country who need to be appreciated. By doing so, many younger people would be attracted to becoming athletes, and, by grooming these young talents, they could live better lives.

Generation T is Tatler Asia’s platform for the leaders of tomorrow. Its inaugural leadership festival, the Gen.t Asia Summit, will be held from April 3-4 in Hong Kong. The mission: to break barriers. generationt.asia