years will go quicker
than you can ever
imagine and will take
you to the heights of
Formula One and
within one race of claiming the World Championship. It will introduce you to people and
opportunities that will shape and influence
you in everything you do. As you already
know, even getting to Formula One has been
extremely difficult; it’s already a huge change
from 1997 when Aussie rugby union legend
David Campese stepped in to loan you some
money so you could continue racing in British
Formula Three!
Remember the times aged six when you
used to ride your dirt bike on the farm in Australia, commentating to yourself about being
in races with your heroes? And the times when
go-karting with incredible dreams and ambitions of one day visiting a famous track in Eu-
rope like Silverstone or Monaco, let alone the
thrill of racing on one? You will live out all
of these dreams and more, with memories of
racing with some of the best in the business
like Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso in your mind forever. Make sure you enjoy
every moment.
When you line up for your debut Grand Prix
in Australia with Minardi in 2002, aged 25,
you have it all to learn but a challenge is not
something you will ever shy away from. As
you become older and wiser, you will begin
to realise there were times when you would
have liked to have done things a bit differently
but it’s all part of the learning curve and there’s
no rewind button!
The nerves and homesickness you felt when
moving to Europe as a small fish in a big pond
have already disappeared, but don’t forget the
people who didn’t believe you could make it.
Turn it into a positive and use it to fuel the fire.
Mark during a Formula 1 demo in Naples, ITALY in 2010
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