The best driver coach in the world?

One of the key people in Grand Prix Shootout 2009 was driver coach Rob Wilson. It was s Rob who assessed every competitor in the first round with the help of his trusted team and selected the lucky finalists.

However, Rob is no stranger to talent competitions. “In the early 90’s I was asked by some guys to help assess drivers in a scholarship competition in Colombia. The success of it took everybody by surprise. People were turning up hanging off the back of pick-up trucks and the organisers were almost swamped! That’s where we found a young driver called Juan Pablo Montoya…”

Anyone who knows of Rob Wilson knows he is regarded by many as the best driver coach in the business. The trouble is, not many people have heard of him. “I keep quite low on the radar” he says. “There are only so many days in a year so, there’s no point advertising my services as I can’t be in two places at once.”

There is another reason why Rob keeps a low profile. “A lot of my clients don’t want to shout about the fact that they are receiving tuition.” It’s not surprising to learn that Rob coaches current Formula 1 drivers. “In any one year, I’ll probably be coaching at least a couple of the guys on the F1 grid.”

Although by no means an exhaustive list, Rob’s clients have included Juan Pablo Montoya, Kimi Raikkonen, David Coulthard, Valentino Rossi, Nico Rosberg and Bruno Senna. Rob also selected the drivers for Honda F1's young driver programme. Back to News & Features