Hi TK,
It's me, Simone. And who else could it be?
These past 15 years have been a continuous race. There's been very little time to pause and truly reflect on how many things have really changed. Yet, between one project and another, between another passing summer and another August 9th arriving, I've found time to contemplate.
Two weeks away from my 30s, I've decided to talk to you again, with a letter beyond time. A letter published here, in this section of my new entrepreneurial project. Yes, dear TK, in life, this is what I do now; I've been doing it for about 10 years. I've even made it to F1 and Le Mans with Ferrari. Not as a driver, don't get any strange ideas. I'll explain now.
How did I get there? Well, now the world is a different place, and so is motorsport. Computing and simulation now reign supreme, and in no category does any driver hit the track without spending hours in the simulator first. I know you don't like the idea, but it turned out that way, and in a sense, I wanted it too, with my startup. Now, without a driver-in-the-loop simulator (the ones that used to give you headaches), no car is designed, and no setup is done.
Do you remember when, during our trips to the tracks, we would compete to see who was right or wrong about our predictions? Well, I'd like to do it again. Since we had fun annoying each other, I'll start again. You were wrong about Max Verstappen! His career wasn't a flash in the pan. Quite the opposite. He's about to win his third Formula 1 world championship with Red Bull. Ferrari? There's a lot to say, I wish it were different, but the interests of those running it are elsewhere. And on that, we were both right; not much has changed. Alonso tried, Vettel tried: they both failed.
Yet, Ferrari won Le Mans. Yes, exactly, Ferrari at Le Mans in the top category won, on the first attempt. Pretty cool, huh? And I was even involved in the simulation project. I still find it hard to believe, to tell you the truth.
You know where I was wrong, though? About myself and about you.
About me, because after I quit racing, I thought I had left behind the world I wanted to be part of. And yet, here I am, living and breathing motorsport, one way or another.
About you, because I believed people would forget about you quickly. But that's not the case.
Was there something we were right about? Certainly, and I wish it weren't true. The world is different now, and unfortunately, we were right to be pessimistic. Let me explain. It's not that everything is going really badly... the problem is certain dynamics. People are willing to fight all the battles in the world, as long as they're protected by a screen and meant to defend convenient ideals of the moment. When it's time to help others, everyone disappears. They have other things to do, like posting on Instagram, making a TikTok, or taking a selfie just to show off their supposedly perfect lives.
You probably don't know what I'm talking about, and I swear, it's better that way!
I don't bring you good news even about our passion. Motorsport, in general, is not well-liked by many. They want to electrify everything because they believe it will save the planet by not polluting with internal combustion engines, but they don't realize they're fueling a sick dynamic that's fooling them.
I am creating my own world. And I'm succeeding! I have an amazing woman with whom I'll create a family, my businesses, the motorsport that accompanies me throughout. And I'm about to move into my new home. On the cusp of turning 30, I can say I've taken heed of some of your advice. In my own way, as always, but I've done it. Particularly, I've always put into practice your approach to reality. I observe it, analyze it, listen more than I speak, and then take action. It's also thanks to this that I am who I am today, and I like to think that you played a role in it.
And I'm proud of it.
Thank you for everything,
Simone
© Simone Marchetti
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