David Vidales: My greatest influences

11 August 2022

It’s time for Campos Racing’s David Vidales to talk us through the people who have had the greatest influence on his career so far, from finding his feet in karting all the way up to Formula 3. From national heroes to family ties, the Spanish rookie reveals several stories about those who inspired him to become better every day, both on and off the track.

FERNANDO ALONSO

“Growing up, I never had one specific driver that I was looking at. I think all drivers have different qualities and if you put all of them together, maybe you will get the perfect driver which doesn’t exist. But being Spanish – Alonso. When I started racing in karting when I was five, Fernando Alonso became a Formula 1 World Champion, so obviously as a Spanish driver, you wanted to be like him.

“Fernando is a living legend, and I had the opportunity three-four years ago to do some races with him. He’s from Asturias and I’m from León, which is very close. In the winter we went karting together and I had the opportunity to know him as a person. Once you get to know one of your idols when you’re young it’s a bit different, it changes your perspective a bit. You don’t see him in the same way because you’re a bit closer in a good way, so I had the opportunity to keep on learning things from him.

“Now seeing that he’s older than other drivers, he’s still so hungry to be winning races. When he’s on track, it’s like his first day and that’s amazing to be honest! After all these years, he didn’t lose any motivation – actually he’s even hungrier.

“He’s one of those drivers which I really enjoy watching. Everybody enjoys watching Fernando because he’s aggressive. It’s a compromise between being aggressive, but at the same time keeping a cool head. I think it’s one of the best balances a driver can have, being aggressive but also finding the right opportunities to do it.”

RAFAEL NADAL

“Another sportsperson who always inspires me a lot and still keeps on inspiring me every day is Rafael Nadal. The values that he has in life, in general and in sport are amazing and it inspires me every day not only in racing but outside too.

“They are very different sports, but mentally they are quite similar because it’s a bit like tennis where you have a chance and can’t make a mistake. Here’s the same – you are doing the perfect lap; you get to the last corner, and you have to do it perfectly because everything is very close, so the pressure is similar. Every match you see with Rafael Nadal, it doesn’t matter if he’s winning or he’s down five-one, even when it looks impossible to everyone, he still believes in himself and he’s giving 100%.

“In the end, he achieves it because he’s mentally stronger than the others and always believes that it is still possible and no matter the disadvantage, he’s always managed to find a solution. I think that it’s also very important for us to always try to find a solution in difficult circumstances, not only in racing but in life in general and being able to keep going and moving forward.”

READ MORE: In profile: Oliver Bearman

HIS DAD

“Since the beginning, I’m here because of my family and he has always taught me to work hard, respect others and just work as hard as I can and give everything I have when I’m on track. It doesn’t matter what I’m doing, just give all you have and learn as much as you can.

“In my family, no one before me raced. My father likes the mechanics of it, and we learnt together when we started. One day we went to a local go-kart track, and I had so much fun. Then every weekend I wanted to go, but I was four or five years old, so I still didn’t know a lot. I couldn’t think about what was going on but then since I was young, he taught me that it’s a difficult sport.

“We didn’t have the facilities or the budget that other people had so we had to make a lot of sacrifices. When you are young, you always have to understand that you need to sacrifice a lot of things and maybe you can’t do things that other children my age would do, but I have to be focused on this and give everything I have.

“He’s the same as when I was young – just go out there and it give it my all. You have to work hard, no one is giving you anything for free. You’ve got to do it by yourself and gain what you want. If you really want something, you’ve got to give it everything you have.

“He never gave up. When I was eight years old, I couldn’t think about being where I am today or being in Formula 1 one day. Obviously that was my goal but it’s very difficult and it’s a very long journey, but he believed even more than me and he always gave me the opportunity to be there and take the right steps. He never stopped believing in something - if he believes in something, he does everything he can to make it possible.”