Feature
A racing family, improving his handicap and watching rugby: Behind the visor with Freddie Slater
Freddie Slater is more than just a racing driver and while the sport takes up a lot of his time, the TRIDENT rookie has a lot of different interests that keep occupied away from the track.
In this edition of the Behind the Visor feature, the British driver talks about his love for golf and rugby, taking time away from motorsport and his life as the eldest sibling.
“With my time off, I like to spend a lot of time with my family. I'm the oldest of five siblings, so I spend time with them.
“I go and watch my brothers race when I can, and watch my sisters do whatever they're up to, with all the different hobbies they have. It's quite nice to spend some time with them.
“Also, I have some close friends at home that live quite far away, so I make the effort to go see them. That's really enjoyable and then in terms of sport, playing golf and padel, that's kind of my main thing.
“Then I like to go to the odd rugby game when I can because I really enjoy it as a sport. I'd say I’m a very sporty personality and I am obviously always training, every day, twice a day.”
PLAYING GOLF AND WATCHING RUGBY
“We won't talk about the handicap because it's a work in progress. But I'll tell you my goal for the end of this year is to be around the 10 handicap. I'm 18 at the moment.
“By the end of this year if I can get it down to 10, I'll be buzzing. I used to play a lot but because we've been so busy, I then stopped. I didn't continue with it as much, now I need to get back into the rhythm of things, and I need to get a few lessons.
“For rugby, I do not really have a team, but obviously I support England massively. But also, I like watching the Haka with New Zealand, and then the South Africans as well. They’re big guys, and they're very good at rugby, so it's very cool.
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“I think if I wasn't a racing driver, I'd probably choose rugby, so I could probably eat a bit more food. It's a pretty cool game.
“I watch the England social media all the time. It keeps coming up on my feed, and it's really annoying because I'd love to eat that much food before a game, or before a race.
“But at the end of the day, we have to be a bit more on the weight, and we can’t be as big as possible, but it’s very cool to watch.”
SWITCHING OFF AT HOME
“I wouldn't say it's difficult to switch off at home. My dad used to race Porsches and my godfather used to race as well. So, I always went to their races, and obviously that's what got me into it.
“Being the firstborn, obviously I just fell in love with anything with an engine, and then it's just, year by year you work your way through. But then my brother Alfie started and I've been following him.
“Now with Bobby, who's now seven, he's just started karting, so he's on the very first steps of his journey. It's cool for me to go back and share my knowledge. I’m not taking it as seriously as I probably did for the first time.
“I am taking the lessons we learned when I did it to help them and just enjoying it for what it is as karting. So I am just going through the emotions of it, and enjoying it.
“So we have discussions about motorsport, but then also I am very blunt, and I'm very clear when I'm at home that I will say to them, ‘We need to stop talking about racing’. Sometimes we talk about it so much that I hear the same conversation so many times.
“So, I am pretty clear when I just want to switch off. But if I'm honest, I do a pretty good job in taking myself away, and relaxing when I need to. But it's great to have a family like that.”
SUPPORTIVE FRIENDS
“Home for me in the UK is in the Midlands, so not far from Silverstone. So it will be nice when we go there in July, I’ll have a few mates at home.
“But then some of my other friends live down by the coast, so I make the effort to go see them when I can, because they're my closest friends, and they're always supporting me on my journey. They understand the one percents I have to put in, and they push me to drive for that.
“It's nice to have that on them on the side, supporting me, and we also have good banter as well.”