On track to help the car racers of tomorrow

In 5 seconds UdeM pyschoeducation professor (and motorsport enthusiast) Linda Pagani has started teaching the importance of well-being and mental health for future F1 drivers and their teams in Italy.

Poverty, school readiness, screen time, motor skills, physical activity, the impact of secondhand smoke—throughout her career, Université de Montréal childhood expert Linda Pagani has explored a wide range of topics.

"We often think we have to study the same thing our entire lives, but I have more than one string to my bow!" said the School of Psychoeducation professor, whose career path is anything but conventional.

Today, her interest in sustainable well-being for young adults is taking her… to the racetrack.

Combining her diverse research interests with her personal passion for motorsports and auto racing, she'll travel to northern Italy next fall to join a team of guest professors in a new master’s degree program at the University of Pavia (UofP) called 'Individualized Athlete Management in Motorsport.'

"I was very excited when they approached me," said Pagani, who'll be on sabbatical from UdeM while in Italy.

A meeting of minds

Linda Pagani

Her recruitment stemmed from an encounter she had last June while preparing for her sabbatical at another Italian institution, the University of Calabria. She met Luca Correale, a young researcher in UofP's Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine.

"I gave him a focused course on sustainable well-being," she recalled," and he immediately wanted to integrate this concept into his own programs," including the motorsport master's he was developing. "Meeting Linda was inspiring," he said.

For a start, Pagani began teaching remotely in UofP's graduate programs in public health. In the fall, she'll spend the second part of her sabbatical year on site at UofP, continuing her research and teaching on sustainable well-being.

The program in 'Individualized Athlete Management in Motorsport' was born out of a realization, Correale recalled: "For a long time, motorsport focused only on the vehicle. But without the human behind the wheel, the machine is nothing."

The master's program is designed to train Formula 1 drivers and their coaches (as well as those in F2, F3, F4, and others) in both physical and mental preparation.

The Formula category of racing includes a wide range of so-called "open-wheel" championships, such as the F-series and IndyCar, with standardized rules and regulations.

"All these sports require a delicate balance between the driver, the vehicle, and the team, which includes personal coaches, mechanics and engineers," said Pagani.

'I teach self-awareness'

The University of Pavia's team

To her students, she will specifically address mental well-being and resilience.

"I teach self-awareness and how to work with one’s character strengths and personality profile to navigate life as a heroic journey," she said. "That way, when faced with real adversity, one can harness inner strength and have a better chance of mastering emotions and thriving."

In such an extreme sport, where drivers face the risk of death daily, the challenges remain considerable. "Drivers have to manage a lot of stress and can easily lose focus during a race, so being well-prepared is crucial," said Correale.

Adapting to different racetracks, overcoming constant jet lag, performing under immense pressure—drivers must push their limits. "Engineers and the technical team work for months on the car, and if the driver makes a mistake, all that effort goes to waste," Correale pointed out.

For her part, Pagani intends to make sure not just the driver but his or her entire team take better care of each other and work in harmony. "One important lesson I teach is learning from challenges with a growth mindset," she said.

"When you combine passion, talent and strength of character, you have a better chance of success. And if you don’t succeed, it provides an opportunity to grow."

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