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#IAMSTORIES | Robert Lewandowski

What does Robert Lewandowski, Europe's top goalscorer and 2020 FIFA World Player of the Year, have in common with four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel?

Besides sporting success, speaking German and a penchant for fast cars, Robert and Sebastian were inspired by one of sport's all-time greats: Michael Schumacher. But their similarities run much deeper than this.

Like the people at Aston Martin F1 who strive to reach a level of skill and expertise that goes beyond technical excellence, they are passionately committed to the pursuit of mastery. They constantly challenge themselves to be better; it's what drives them forward and it's what drives our team forward as we climb together.

The pursuit of mastery is not the preserve of a select few, but achieving it is. It's a way of life – it becomes who you are. It takes time, effort, bravery and unrelenting desire.

When Robert joined us at the Monaco Grand Prix, we took the opportunity to ask the prolific Pole about his path to mastery and what the next step is for one of the most sought-after strikers in football.

Sometimes, the journey to the top can be difficult but staying there is even more difficult.

Robert Lewandowski

Robert, there are many people who dream of being a Formula One driver and even more who dream of being one of the best footballers in the world. How did you do it?

That's not an easy one to answer quickly. [Laughs.] I always worked hard – very hard. From a very young age, I dreamt about playing on the big stage, in the biggest matches, in front of thousands of fans. To do that, I knew I had to work harder than everyone else to reach the very top. I kept saying to myself, ‘It doesn't matter how good I am, I can always be better.'

Did getting to where you are now ever feel like hard work or have you always enjoyed what you do so much that it's never felt like work at all?

When you're at the top, you have to work even harder. Just because you get there, doesn't mean you will stay there. Sometimes, the journey to the top can be difficult but staying there is even more difficult – it is hard work.

I know, if I want to stay at the top, I have to keep pushing myself. It doesn't matter how many titles you've won or how many goals you've scored, what's more important is what you can achieve in the future – how many goals you can score next time and the time after that. For me, the next day is always the most important one.

There's a saying in Formula One: ‘You're only as good as your last race.' If you have a bad game or a dip in form, how do you bounce back? What's your mindset?

Everyone experiences difficult moments. It's something we all have to deal with and be mentally ready for. It's not like you can have a red carpet in front of you all the time and everything is easy.

You have to stay focused and work through the difficult moments so you can put them in the past as quickly as possible; this is what the best do. They keep working to find the solutions that will make a difficult period a temporary one. They keep showing their skill, their brilliance, to return to the top.

I've watched F1 from a young age and I always remember Michael Schumacher. What he achieved – it was incredible.

Robert Lewandowski

You've met some of the world's best sportspeople – and added Sebastian Vettel, Lance Stroll and Nico Hülkenberg to that list at the Monaco Grand Prix. Have you got any idols in the world of sport who you look up to?

[Robert’s eyes light up.] I've watched Formula One from a very young age and I always remember Michael Schumacher. What he did, what he achieved – it was incredible. It was... it was something unbelievable.

What about Novak Djokovic? You've met him a couple of times.

For sure, I know Novak [says Robert nonchalantly as if everyone has spent time shooting the breeze with the 20-time grand slam champion]. The great competition between him, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer is something that's so interesting for everyone. To reach the level they have, you need this kind of competition.

You've previously said that perfection in football is impossible. The same can be said in Formula One – there is always lap-time to be found. What does perfection mean to you?

It's about constantly working hard to keep improving; that's the only way you will ever get close to perfection. Even if you are highly skilled and talented, you must always stay focused.

Of course, when you achieve something important you can celebrate, but, the next day, you have to be ready for the next challenge.

And what's the next challenge for you, Robert? Where will you be playing football next season?

Next season? I'm not ready to say what the next challenge is just yet…