If you have followed the latest news on Formula One racing, it cannot have escaped your attention that a young Dutch driver by the name of Max Verstappen has claimed his place among the sports stars. In the 2017 season, however, the race results of the young Dutchman demonstrated that bad luck is a real thing, something to be reckoned with.
What goes around comes around, because in equal fashion fortune had smiled upon him the year before. Prior to the Spanish grand prix Danil Kyviat was removed from the Red Bull team and Verstappen was promoted in his place. In his maiden race for Red Bull the 2 dominant Mercedes drivers knocked themselves out of the competition in round one. Red Bull chose to select different strategies for its drivers, putting Max as their second driver on the worse of the two, but as chance had it, his tyres held up till the end and he won the race. And yes, he did everything he had to do perfectly and drove a flawless race, but without the special circumstances that all fell his way, he would never have won that day.
It’s a bonus lucky circumstance that we now can use both his luck and misfortune to illustrate the impact of chance in our lives. And at the same time emphasize that this is not a free pass for fatalism, for not making an effort and letting fate determine your future. That fact that Max Verstappen was in a position to be able to make the best of the special circumstances that came his way, is the result of years of hard work, dedication and determination. Hard work that started when his special talent surfaced and showed his future perspective. Had he not put all that energy in his career he would not have been in the seat of that Red Bull when the opportunity presented itself the moment the two Mercedes’s collided.
Chance plays a mayor role in the events that come our way, but we ourselves determine, based on our individual talents and possibilities, what abilities we develop in order to be able to make the most of the opportunities that present themselves. Developing skills is a necessary precondition to be able to achieve your goals. A precondition, not a guarantee. Chance always has the last word in what opportunities come your way.
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