Seven Years Ago, Steven Got His MBA. Today he races in Formula One
THE COLOMBIAN RACE DRIVER IS A SDA BOCCONI MBA GRADUATE. IN 2015, HE WAS CALLED IN AS THIRD DRIVER FOR THE FORCE INDIA TEAM. HE TELLS WHAT IT TAKES TO BE PART OF THE RACING CIRCUS, BEYOND SPEEDWe had left him driving a Ferrari 430 in the CSAI GT Italian championship in 2009. Today we find him in Formula One behind the wheel as development driver for the Force India team. Steven “Stevo” Goldstein, who got his MBA from SDA Bocconi School of Management in 2008, achieved a dream of a lifetime: to be part of the top crop of car racers, as he is among the 36 best drivers in the world. A great leap for him, which is also an opportunity to reflect on what it takes to arrive at this finish line, in addition to superior driving skills.
“Formula One has been my dream since I was ten,” says the Colombian racer. “During my career I quickly learned the qualities needed by a Formula One driver: speed, business, and a good education.” Three key elements that, complemented “by great physical and mental shape”, show that in order to be a Formula One drive you need to look beyond the driving wheel. At Bocconi, he studied corporate finance, which helped him understand the market and fine-tune relations with sponsors. Travelling across the racing circuits of the world, he had to put linguistic and economic knowledge into practice. “Languages are skills you need to hone constantly,” he says.
When he’s sitting in the cockpit it’s all about driving and reflexes. “I work out two hours a day, trying to alternate various sports. Mental training is done using the simulator and taking tests at the computer, which measure mental reactivity and concentration.” When he did this kind of training, right after graduating from Bocconi, he remembers that Robert Kubica turned out to be the quickest.
After various racing championships in lesser leagues, and after being almost hired as an F1 driver in 2010-2011, he gets a call from Force India in 2015: “It’s a very good team. They are fast. I was called in as test driver; the next step is to become their official racing driver.” As a consequence, he’s working hard on developing the team’s racing car as well as his potential. “Drivers are fast not only on the racing circuit, but also in striking business and personal deals. The environment is so competitive that, in order to be noticed, you must excel in all the aspects this job is made of: speed, management and training. You learn you have to be always a step ahead of the others.”
Hoping to see him next year revving his engine at the start line, this year Steven Goldstein will watch the Monza race from the pit-stop. “I love Monza, I won many races here”, he concludes.
by Andrea Celauro
Translated by Alex Foti
