Armstrong: My greatest influences

Moving to Europe from New Zealand as a young teenager, Ferrari junior Marcus Armstrong has met plenty of influential people in his fledgling motorsport career, but who has had the biggest impact?

We sat down with the DAMS ace to discuss the people who have played a part in his journey to date. From family to karting rivals, he discusses who has been key.

1. MY DAD, RICK ARMSTRONG

“I guess I could say that we are similar. My dad is very driven and very determined, much like myself. I find that a lot of my work ethic has come from his attitude and his approach to everything that he does.

“He was also a sportsman when he was younger, so in a way, there are a lot of comparisons. Obviously, I left home very early, so even without that real guiding influence from him day to day after that, we are still quite similar.”

2. MY OLDER BROTHER, JAMES

“I grew up with my older brother James and I think his approach to just being rubbed off on me. Even though we are different in many ways, I think that he has influenced my personality a lot. Certainly, just before my teenage years and my move to Europe.”

3. MARKO ADIGE

“Marko Adige is a professional karting driver and was my teammate in 2016, before I moved to Formula 4. He is a three-time World Champion and a five-time European Champion.

“He was not always the fastest, but Marko was always the smartest and always the one to get the maximum result out of the material that he was given. He’s just a very complete driver.

“One of the most valuable lessons that I have had was being his teammate. In my opinion, I was often faster than Marko in Qualifying, but I would say that 95% of the time, he would finish the weekend stronger than me, because of how well he managed to maximise the weekend and maximise the strategy."