Next Gen: Born to drive
> Akash Neil Nandy is probably the youngest Formula 3 driver representing Malaysia
BOYS don’t grow up, they just get bigger toys. I am a firm believer of this statement, but for Akash Neil Nandy, he does not only believe in the statement but also live by it. Akash, 18, is probably the youngest Formula 3 driver representing Malaysia. F3 has traditionally been regarded as the first major stepping stone for F1 hopefuls.
Success in F3 can lead directly to more senior formulas such as a GP2 seat, or even a Formula One test or race seat. F3 is a category that has created F1 World Champions such as Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton.
Among all his races, in 2013, at just 16 years old, Akash emerged as one of the youngest drivers to win in a Macau Grand Prix event. This year, Akash has emerged as one of the promising talents in F3 by winning seven of his eight races.
As someone who lives in the fast lane, he seems to adapt to things easily. He is currently pursuing his business management degree at the University of Roehampton in London.
When did you know that racing is what you wanted to do? I first drove a go-kart when I was four. My dad realised it first. I only realised it when I did my first kart race in 2009, when I was 12. I finished fifth in the 30kart race. Ever since that race, everyone knew I could go far.
Who is your role model in racing? Lewis Hamilton because he is naturally talented and fast. If I were to compare Nico Rosberg and Hamilton, Rosberg is fast because he trains hard to be fast. He looks at the data and spends more time with his engineer and team to be fast. But Hamilton is still a little bit faster because he is better. It’s like he was born to drive.
How do you juggle racing and studies? It’s very simple actually. I have a simple, straightforward daily timetable. I may just get to drive three to five days in a month. On other days, I go to university in the morning and in the evening I go to the gym. I stick to my strict daily schedule.
What are the challenges you face while racing? I think I face more mental challenges than anything else. That is why I work hard on my fitness to improve my driving. I think self motivation is hard personally. There will be times where you have some ‘bad’ weekends. When you don’t get the result that you want, you might just feel demotivated.
When I was racing in Formula Masters, I felt so demotivated when I was the only one who had mechanical failure in every alternative race, whether it’s practice or during races. It was so devastating because had I won the final race of that season I would have won the Championship .
How do you beat the stress of racing at such a young age? When you are younger you hold on to something longer, and that is what stresses you out when you don’t achieve it. So you do take longer to recover from it.
I think it was worse when I was racing karts but I can handle those stress better now. I owe that largely to my father whose mottos – letting go of things immediately, laughing about it and moving on to the next thing – inspire me.
What is your advice to road racers? I know a bunch of people who drive on the road like maniacs. My advice to them is just to drive safe. Think about others on the road. And if you really want to be a racing driver, go to Sepang and race on the race track.
What determines a winner? Driver or car? Car. Because a driver can’t make a slow car go fast. It’s like looking at Mercedes in F1 now, they are so far ahead of everyone else.
Look at Nico Rosberg. When Michael Schumacher was also in the same team, they were not that great as they did not have a good car. They were both good drivers.
And when Lewis Hamilton went to Mercedes, a good driver could only win one race. Now with a faster car, Rosberg and Hamilton are leading the F1 Championship.