Feature
Olli Caldwell: My greatest influences
As the end of the 2022 Formula 2 season approaches, Olli Caldwell is the latest from the current grid to join us in explaining who has had the biggest impact on his career. The Campos Racing man has a very driver-focused list with a strong British theme.
LEWIS HAMILTON & JENSON BUTTON
"I’d go with Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button. I think I started watching F1 at a pretty young age, probably not as young as most people started watching but I started around seven or eight years old and I remember growing up watching the TV watching Lewis in 2008, Jenson in 2009. They were the two strongest British drivers on the grid at that time, both winning the world championship.
"Obviously, being from England and at such a young age, I was looking at some people from my own country. I'd say that they were number one or two. Then seeing how Jenson did in McLaren, even when it started to drop off and how he kept performing in that car was awesome. Watching Lewis now for the last 14 years in Formula 1 and winning seven World Championships, the influential figure that he is now not just as a racing driver, but motivating changes in the sport, I like to see that.
"Jenson’s season as a whole in the Brawn car was obviously awesome and unexpected. Lewis’ race last year in Brazil in the Sprint Race to go from last on the grid to the front at that point late in the season, the cars had gotten closer, and the Red Bull was strong, it showed you can be in one of the best cars on the grid but you still need to be able to fight and overtake, and that’s what he did. It shows that he’s still that no matter what anyone says, he’s still a great driver."
DRIVER COACH
"The other one would be my driver coach Matt Parry. I started working with him in 2018 and he did GP3 and part of the Lotus Academy, which then became the Renault and now the Alpine Academy that I’m now in. He’s helped me grow throughout my career.
"I’d never had a driver coach before then he came on board for my first full year of Formula 4. We’ve been working together for four years now so he understands my driving style and understands the points I needed to improve at, at such a young age. To be able to have that when I was so young starting in a Formula career, helps you learn the basics a bit quicker. He’s had a massive influence and he’s someone I look up to. He won races in GP3 and was part of the Lotus Academy so has had a big influence in my career. When I first started working with him it was my first year in cars, so everything quickly improved."