专访：艾伦·麦克尼什谈从塞纳和奥迪学到的赛车人生课
奥迪F1车队赛事总监艾伦·麦克尼什接受Motorsport.com专访，回顾其辉煌车手生涯中的关键经验如何延续到车队管理岗位。
采访——阿兰·麦克尼什从埃尔顿·塞纳和奥迪那里学到的人生与赛车课
奥迪的一级方程式赛车总监阿兰·麦克尼什接受了Motorsport.com的专访，回顾他从辉煌的车手生涯带入车队管理工作的宝贵经验
阿兰·麦克尼什，奥迪F1车队赛车总监
对于效力奥迪多年的老将、勒芒冠军阿兰·麦克尼什来说，成为奥迪在一级方程式中的首任赛车总监，感觉就像他在维修区墙内外两段传奇职业生涯的自然延续
在80年代末和90年代初于英国的单座赛车体系中逐步晋升之后，麦克尼什通往顶峰的道路经历了不少奇特的转折，他曾担任迈凯伦的F1测试工作，但最终没能换来一个F1正式车手席位。相反，麦克尼什转向了跑车赛车，在1998年与保时捷一起赢得勒芒24小时耐力赛后，他成为奥迪极其成功的原型车项目的支柱之一。
这位苏格兰车手最终在2002年以32岁的年龄登上F1发车格，效力于新军丰田，但次年便重返奥迪，并在2008年和2013年再夺两次勒芒冠军，2013年是他作为车手的最后一个赛季。麦克尼什随后继续留在奥迪大家庭，成为该车队的电动方程式车队领队，之后又被这家制造商邀请参与其刚刚起步的F1项目。
在与Motorsport.com的对谈中，麦克尼什谈到了他一路走来学到的宝贵经验——从少年时期作为迈凯伦测试车手与埃尔顿·塞纳并肩共事，到与奥迪传奇赛车主管沃尔夫冈·乌尔里希博士共事。
Motorsport.com：回顾你的职业生涯，成为奥迪F1项目的赛车总监，感觉像是你迄今所有经历的一个顶点。你作为车手与奥迪三次赢得勒芒冠军，随丰田参加过F1比赛，随后成为车手经纪人和联络人，还担任过电动方程式的车队领队。
阿兰·麦克尼什：“确实如此。作为车手，你会接触到每一个领域，无论是工程、策略、轮胎还是沟通，因为你必须参与到新闻发布或是与合作伙伴的合作等事务中。不过，作为车手，你对成功的认识非常狭隘，因为成功只意味着你个人的成功。而当你进入车队之后，显然就必须更广泛、更全面地看待问题。当然，每场比赛结束时，我们仍然用同样的成功标准来衡量。但如果你拥有一段高水平的车手生涯，你就会积累非常宽广的经验。”
“然而，正如优秀的足球运动员不一定总能拥有成功的执教生涯一样，我认为这种转化并不总是顺利。但正如你所说，我在电动方程式（Formula E）的经历非常顺利，而且这些年来我在奥迪参与的其他各项工作也是如此。同时，我有非常好的人可以学习，比如奥迪的沃尔夫冈·乌尔里希博士和迪特尔·加斯，还有现在从F1角度看来的马蒂亚·比诺托。在这方面，我想说我是优秀教授们的学生。”
天空体育：F1的运作规模显然与电动方程式完全不同。车队领队这个角色到底有多大的差异？有什么让您感到意外的吗？
阿兰·麦克尼什：“我认为这是一个自然而然的发展过程。回想我还是个孩子的时候，12岁在拉克霍尔或罗拉这类地方跑卡丁车，扎实的准备工作这一根本原则是完全一样的。确保你在赛道上把事情做对，确保你在正确的时机做出正确的决定，最终由结果来评判你。只是数字、技术和复杂程度要高得多。”
MS：说到早期，1989年你在英国三级方程式获得亚军，并成为迈凯伦的测试车手，在埃斯托里尔首次参加一级方程式测试，搭档的正是埃尔顿·塞纳。对于一个来自邓弗里斯的19岁小伙子来说，能和塞纳一起测试迈凯伦的一级方程式赛车，那一定是一次非常开眼界的经历。
AM："其实那正是我去澳门大奖赛之前。当时我根本没多想，因为我只是'在做事情'。你知道，他是世界冠军埃尔顿·塞纳，迈凯伦当时也是世界冠军车队，但你就是直接去干。我记得最清楚的是，我从车里出来时心想：'天哪，这也太快了！'
"那对我来说是一次教育。我至今还保留着在埃斯托里尔那次首次测试的老数据打印件，当时就是把两张纸叠在一起对着灯光看，因为那时没有像今天这样的数据对比。天哪，那时候还有离合器踏板呢！方向盘上也只有两个按钮。和今天的赛车相比，那些车简直就是恐龙。"
MS：你进入赛车运动高层的道路确实不同寻常，你在2002年以32岁的年龄首次亮相F1，加盟丰田，而那时距离你第一次赢得勒芒冠军已经过去四年。
AM：“哦不，我的道路绝对不是一条直线。刚开始有一小段是直路，然后就开始左拐右拐了……但说来有趣，我认为这其实会让你获得不同层次的经验，因为当你遇到糟糕的日子或糟糕的年份时，它会给你一种韧性。而车手都会有这样的时刻。不是每一年都是夺冠之年。关键在于你如何从中反弹。
“在我的职业生涯中，我曾在不同阶段依靠这种韧性。但当机会来临时，它也让我受益匪浅，让我能够抓住机会并加以利用。你说得对，从1989年10月19岁那年的一次测试，到2002年3月坐上发车格，中间整整隔了13年……”
MS：在那段时间里，你驾驶F1赛车跑出的里程数，比如今许多正式车手一辈子能跑的还要多。
AM：“毫无疑问。我在不同车队的F1赛车里大概做了两三万公里的测试，其中包括贝纳通。但回头看，那时候可能已经晚了十年。期间我赢过很多东西，但2002年32岁才开始自己的第一场大奖赛并不理想。”
MS：参与奥迪勒芒项目是什么感觉？你已经提到乌尔里希博士的影响力。和他共事你学到了什么？
AM：“保时捷终止赛车项目时我正和他们有合约。他们造了一辆车，我们测试过，本来要对抗奥迪R8，但最终没有成行。后来我认识了乌尔里希博士，我们以握手达成了原则上的共识。这份握手经受住了时间的考验，直到我正式签下合同。所以，我想这可以追溯到一句老话：‘握手即是约定’。直到今天我仍然非常坚信这一点。
沃尔夫冈·乌尔里希博士与艾伦·麦克尼什，奥迪
“乌尔里希博士非常清楚，赛车运动既关乎技术，也同样关乎人。他热衷于打造由人组成的团队，并且明白某些性格和特质能够彼此契合。这对我来说绝对是一个吸引力。很明显，我在一级方程式（Formula 1）的时光结束后，就会回到奥迪。虽然什么都没有写下来，但一切都在正常运转。而且一切都清清楚楚，非黑即白：无论输赢。如果输了，你就回家，不指责任何人，只是继续埋头寻找解决方案，确保下一次能赢。
“实际上，这一直贯穿在我职业生涯中合作过的大多数优秀人才身上。你需要有长远的眼光，而没有大量艰苦的努力就不可能取得短期的成功。奥迪的勒芒项目就是这方面的完美典范，这可能是对我目前正在做的事情影响最大的一课。尤其是在一级方程式里，竞争极其激烈，没有任何捷径可走。”
MS：在你驾驶生涯的后期，你也做一些零零碎碎的副业，比如管理哈里·廷克内尔以及做一些解说工作。你是否早就打算在离开驾驶舱之后转行呢？
AM：“零零碎碎的副业，我喜欢这个说法！（笑）其实主要有两件事。我一直很清楚，作为赛车手是有职业生涯周期的，我从不想成为一直硬撑着的薄弱一环。在我和汤姆·克里斯滕森以及卢瓦克·杜瓦尔合作的最后一年，我赢得了世界耐力锦标赛的冠军。我们赢得了勒芒，也赢得了银石六小时赛。而在我于美洲赛道（COTA）取得最后一场胜利的第二天，我就决定退役了，因为我想确保实现自己的目标，可以这么说。”
奥迪车队的阿兰·麦克尼什、洛伊克·杜瓦尔和汤姆·克里斯滕森赢得美洲赛道六小时赛冠军
“与此同时，我一直以这样或那样的方式涉足汽车工业和赛车运动相关的其他业务。这是我从第一天起就成长其中的环境，也是我所热爱的环境。所以这其实是一种激情，不一定是一份工作或一项运动。我想，对于我和大多数处于这种境地的人来说，这是一种生活方式。”
MS：如果我没记错的话，你最初说过你不想成为车队领队，因为你不想和驾驶舱里那些自私的家伙打交道……
AM：“说实话，就是像我这样的人！（笑）这是真的，因为管理一支车队需要投入大量的时间和精力。我很清楚自己当年作为车手时有多难搞，对车队提出了各种要求。我当时想：‘天哪，我刚当完车手，难道真的想从另一头再经历一遍吗？’但这也给我上了一课：永远不要说永远。”
“当电动方程式的车队领队这个职位出现时，其实挺让我意外的，因为我之前是为乌尔里希博士和迪特·加斯做分析的，研究电动方程式，看看怎么做、机会在哪里。我坐在房间里做汇报，墙上挂着一张图表，上面有几个空白的框，其中就包括车队领队这一栏。然后他们说：‘那个位置就是阿兰的了。’那是我第一次脑子里闪过这个念头。并不是我主动去敲的门，其实恰恰相反。
“他们在我身上看到了一些我自己可能都没看到的东西，这种感觉挺好的。”
MS：鉴于现在一级方程式里我们能掌握的所有数据和技术，我想那种老式的车手借口手册应该已经不存在了吧？
AM：“现在确实难多了。回想我第一次驾驶一级方程式赛车的时候，数据非常有限，只有一块秒表。你听着发动机在赛道上驰骋时的轰鸣，它一直在尖啸。但现在一切都覆盖着数据。我们被它支配，靠它生活，在某种程度上它定义了我们。但数据只是某一时刻的快照，关键还在于你如何解读这些数据。
“但根据我们掌握的所有数据，归根结底，秒表才是最关键的。它说的是实话……”
英文原文
Interview - The life and racing lessons Allan McNish learned from Ayrton Senna and Audi
Audi's Formula 1 racing director Allan McNish sits down with Motorsport.com to reflect on the key lessons he took from his glittering driving career into team management
Allan McNish, Racing Director of Audi F1 Team
For long-time Audi stalwart and Le Mans winner Allan McNish, becoming Audi's first racing director in Formula 1 feels like the natural progression of his storied career on both sides of the pitwall.
After climbing the UK single-seater ladder in the late '80s and early '90s, McNish's road to the top took a number of strange turns, with a McLaren F1 test role that ultimately didn't lead to an F1 seat. Instead, McNish headed to sportscar racing, becoming one of the pillars of Audi's hyper-successful prototype programme after winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1998 with Porsche.
The Scot ultimately made it to the F1 grid in 2002 at the age of 32 for newcomer Toyota, only to return to Audi the following year and claim two more Le Mans wins in 2008 and 2013, his last season as a driver. McNish stayed a part of the Audi family and became its team principal in Formula E, before being tapped up by the manufacturer to get involved in its nascent F1 programme.
Sitting down with Motorsport.com, McNish talks about the invaluable lessons he learned along the way, from rubbing shoulders with Ayrton Senna as a teenage McLaren test driver to working with Audi's legendary racing boss Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich.
Motorsport.com: If you look at you career, becoming Audi's racing director in F1 feels like the culmination of everything you've done so far. You won Le Mans three times as a driver with Audi, you raced in F1 with Toyota, and then you became a driver manager and liaison, and a team principal in Formula E.
Allan McNish: "It's true. As a driver you're exposed to every area, whether it be engineering, whether it be strategy, tyres, communications, because you have to be involved in your press releases or working with partners and things like that. What you have got as a driver, though, is a very narrow view over what success looks like, because success only looks like your personal success. Then when you're involved with the team, then you've obviously got to look a little bit more wide and holistically at it as well. Clearly, we are still defined by the same success ratio at the end of every race. But you do have a very good width of experience if you come out of a high-level driving career.
"However, just like good football players don't always enjoy successful management careers, I don't think that always translates as well. But I had a very good run through Formula E, as you said, and also through other different things that I've been doing with Audi over the course of time. At the same time, I had very good people that I could learn from, in terms of Dr Wolfgang Ullrich or Dieter Gass at Audi, and then Mattia Binotto here from the F1 point of view. In that respect, I would say I was the pupil of very good professors."
MS: F1 obviously operates at a massively different scale compared to Formula E. Just how different is the team principal role? Has anything surprised you?
AM: "I think there's just a natural progression. If I think back to when I was a little kid in karting, racing at Larkhall or Rowrah or somewhere when I was 12, the fundamentals of proper preparation are exactly the same. Make sure that you get things right on circuit, make sure you make the right decisions at the right time, and you're defined by the end result. But the numbers, the technology and the sophistication of it is significantly more."
MS: Speaking of the early days, in 1989 you finished second in British F3 and became a test driver for McLaren, making your F1 testing debut at Estoril alongside none other than Ayrton Senna. For a 19-year-old kid from Dumfries, to go test a McLaren F1 car with Senna, that must have been quite an eye-opening experience.
AM: "That was just before I went to the Macau Grand Prix, actually. I never actually thought about it at the time, because I was just 'doing things'. You know, he was world champion Ayrton Senna, McLaren were the world champions at the time, but you just went and did it. What I do remember about it was I got out of the car thinking : 'Bloody hell, this is fast!'
"That was an education for me. I've still got the old data printout of that first test in Estoril, but it was two pieces of paper you put together and held up to the light because there weren't data comparisons like today. You still had a clutch pedal, for goodness sake! And two buttons on a steering wheel. They're dinosaurs in comparison to today's cars."
MS: You certainly had an unconventional route up the motorsport ladder, making your F1 debut with Toyota at the age of 32 in 2002, four years after your first Le Mans win.
AM: "Oh no, it was definitely not a straight route. It was straight route for a little while, and then it turned left and right a little bit... But funnily enough, I think that actually gives you a different level of experience, because it gives you a certain resilience when you've got bad days or bad years. And drivers have them. Not every year is a winning year. It's how you bounce back from it.
"I've had to lean into that resilience at different points in my career. But it's also something that's stood me in quite good stead when the opportunities came, to take a hold of them and use them. And you're right, from that test at 19 in October 1989 till sitting on the grid in March 2002, there was a good 13 years in between..."
MS: In that time you logged more miles in an F1 car than many regular drivers will ever get these days.
AM: "Without a doubt. I probably had about 20,000 or 30,000 kilometres of testing in an F1 car with different teams, including Benetton. But looking back, it was probably 10 years too late. I'd won a lot of things in between, but starting your first grand prix in 2002 at the age of 32 was not ideal."
MS: What was it like being part of the Audi Le Mans programme? You already mentioned Dr. Ullrich's influence. What did you pick up from working with him?
AM: "I was contracted to Porsche when it stopped its racing programs. They built a car which we tested that was going to go up against the Audi R8, but ultimately that didn't happen. And I met Dr. Ullrich, we agreed in principle on a handshake. And that handshake stood the test of time until I could sign the contract. So, I would say it goes back to an old principle of 'a handshake is an agreement'. And that's something that I still hold very strongly today.
Dr Wolfgang Ullrich and Allan McNish, Audi
"Dr. Ullrich was very much aware that racing was about people as much as technology. He was into building teams of people, realising that certain characteristics and personalities fitted together. That was definitely a draw for me. It was quite clear that after my time in Formula 1, I was coming back to Audi. Nothing was written down, but it functioned. And it was quite clear, black or white, whether you won or lost. If you lost, you came home, didn't point a finger, you just got on working to find the solutions to make sure you won the next time.
"That has been a thread through most of the good people that I've worked with in my career, actually. You need to have a long-term vision and you don't get short-term success without a lot of hard work. The Audi Le Mans program was a perfect example of that and that was probably the biggest lesson that is translating to what I'm doing now. Especially in F1, where the competition is hyper tough. There are no shortcuts."
MS: You did various bits and bobs on the side towards the end of your driving career, like managing Harry Tincknell and doing some commentary. Were you always going to transition to a career outside the cockpit?
AM: "Bits and bobs on the side, I like that! (laughs) There's two things really. I was always very aware that you've got a lifespan as a racing driver, and I never wanted to be the weak link that was hanging on. I won the World Endurance Championship in my final year with Tom [Kristensen] and Loic [Duval]. We won Le Mans and we won the Silverstone [6 Hours]. And the day after I [took my final victory] at COTA I decided to retire, because I wanted to ensure that I'd tick my boxes, if you like.
Audi's Allan McNish, Loic Duval and Tom Kristensen win the COTA 6 Hours
"At the same time, I have always been involved in other businesses one way or another around the car industry and motorsport. It's an environment that I've grown up with since day zero and one that I love. So it's actually a passion, not necessarily a job or a sport. It's a way of life, I suppose, for me and most people in this situation."
MS: If I remember correctly, you initially said you weren't interested in becoming a team principal because you didn't want to deal with those selfish bastards in the cockpit...
AM: "People like me, to be honest with you! (laughs) And it's true, because running a team is quite an investment of time and energy. I know how difficult I was as a driver in terms of the demands I put on a team. And I thought: 'Crikey, I've just lived as a driver. Do I really want to put myself through the other side of it?' But it was also a lesson in never say never.
"When the team principal role in Formula E came up, it was actually a surprise because I'd done the analysis for Dr Ullrich and Dieter Gass looking into Formula E, how you could do it and what the opportunities are. I sat in the room presenting it and there was a chart on the wall and it had several empty boxes, including team principal. Then they said: 'And that's Allan.' That was the first time the thought even entered into my head. It wasn't necessarily me knocking on the door. It was actually the other way around.
"It was quite nice that they recognised something in me that I probably didn't in myself."
MS: With all the data and technology we have available now in F1, I suppose the old book of racing driver excuses doesn't really exist anymore, does it?
AM: "It's definitely more difficult. If I go back to when I first drove Formula 1 car, there was very limited data and it was a stopwatch. And you listen to the engine as it drove around, so it was screaming away. But now everything is covered by data. We're governed by it. We live by it. And it defines us to some extent. But data is only a snapshot in time, it's how you read the data as well.
"But from all the data we have, at the end of the day the stopwatch is the critical one. That one tells the truth..."
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