Formula 1 Is Here, Time to “Seek Your Truth”
Examining philosophy of Ayrton Senna in the debut of Exceeding Track Limits
The first two corners at Albert Park, site of the Australian Grand Prix (Source: Austadiums.com).
Three rounds of preseason testing are in the books. Drive to Survive Season 8 has been released. The 2026 Formula 1 World Championship is ready to roll.
It begins in Melbourne this weekend. New regulations, one new team and one rebranded team, as well as new hopes up and down the grid. No different than with other sports at the outset of the season. In all these years of following F1, beyond the fast cars and the cool tracks and the pit crews, it’s the stories that keep me hooked. Never a shortage of intrigue, even with the midfield runners, a facet Netflix has deftly—or, maybe, intrusively—dialed up to 11.
Ayrton Senna, who won a trio of F1 driver titles for McLaren, is the reason I’m a fan of this circus. I often circle back to him because his brand of skill matched with mental fortitude is a source of inspiration. We all long to be in the zone like he was, doesn’t matter if it’s with cooking or writing, and he attained flow state through religious and spiritual means. Busque sua verdade, Portuguese for “Seek your truth,” is associated with him based on his writings and recorded reflections. The truth and its link to identity have been on my mind, and for 11 constructors and 22 drivers, they’re on the verge of learning about their own identity over 24 scheduled races.
Ayrton Senna driving in the 1988 Japanese Grand Prix (Source: Unknown).
To grasp the depth of this philosophical phrase coined by Senna’s estate, let’s look at who he was. On-track accolades include 65 pole positions and 41 victories, but to hear him speak, with that compassionate delivery, that’s when you can truly understand: his pursuit of self-discovery, a level of personal integrity that some thought too relentless, and an elite, authentic mentality, not elitist and fake. He spoke up about safety and leaped into life-saving action in one crazy moment, but it’s still hard to fathom that he could die on an early lap of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix, at a high-speed lefthander that’s since been converted into a chicane.
Like countless athletes, the Brazilian believed that talent is a gift from above. He was Catholic. His faith guided him through adversity, which might explain his tenacity in wet weather, and he said that racing brought him closer to God. I was raised Jewish but I’m not religious, while spirituality for me is rooted in nature. The forces of, the laws of, and live music is what brings me face to face with…a higher, elusive power? No joke, it’s my meditation time. Notes that push me through my fears and tell me to take the risk even if there’s no reward. The honesty in songs teaching me to be honest with myself. Understanding that the truth and identity declare themselves more during rough patches.
It was the same for Senna, but he was moving at 200 miles per hour. Through an existential quest focused on being the best version of himself every day—consistency in performance, with desire to improve. Yet, he knew full well that potential, even if it can never be reached, means more than just the number of laps you can get on a new set of tires with a specific set of data.
Busque sua verdade. Seek your truth.
The current layout of the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park, which will host the first F1 race in 2026 (Source: Wikipedia).
Change is a good thing and, like with other sports as well as at work or in life, necessary. The initial season with fresh aero packages and engine specs is critical because it can inform positive team direction and car development over a regulation cycle. Not to be dramatic, but this year could be among the most dramatic in F1 history due to the clean-slate design of the chassis and the power unit. It’s a fight for hundredths of a second, with guidelines that should prove challenging and will reveal plenty. In some cases, in a hurry.
Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, and Red Bull, the usual suspects, will vie for the two championships. Max Verstappen once again proves he’s in a class by himself, but the driver crown won’t go his way. Aston Martin and my guy Fernando Alonso are stuck in a pothole the size of Albert Park, sad to say. Whatever the story, Formula 1 is all about scoring points in races and sprints. Those are the results that matter, the results that trigger the monetary reward, but more so: When you strip away the rhetoric and the claptrap and the bullshit, as Ayrton Senna was so adept at, real settles in. An unadorned truth that renders identity naked to the world, that’s when the journey begins. And it starts now.