Michael Fassbender Opens Up

The Hollywood A-Lister sat down at Spa-Francorchamps with Steph Wentworth for a one-to-one interview looking back on the highs and lows of his ELMS racing career, how he got into racing after meeting with Patrick Dempsey on a flight to LA and balancing his love of racing with his acting career and home life with his wife Alicia Vikander and their young son.

Q: In Aragon, you did have a little bit of an unlucky moment. And I feel like your season so far has been categorised by these unlucky moments that have not really been your fault. And you've not been able to do anything with. Do you think you'll luck could turn around in the second half of the season?

Michael Fassbender: “You never know about stuff like that. I mean, like you said, we looked like we had a solid third, perhaps second place in Barcelona. Again, we looked very strong for a podium in Le Castellet and then we got to third place in Aragon. Looking at the championship now, it would be very different story for us.

“But that's behind, there's nothing you can really do about it. We just stick with the same sort of approach to the weekend game plan that you can never foresee those sorts of things. It was great in Aragon that we managed the recovery drive, and it was a very exciting race. So, let's see, hopefully things turn around a little bit for the remainder of the season.”

Q: What would you say are some of your other highlights in in your time in ELMS so far?

MF: “I think it's coming to tracks like Spa and Monza. Portimao, I've always enjoyed. Again, it's a very challenging track with the different undulations and fast corners. Just the experience that we're having as a team collectively, it's just you get to learn a lot about oneself through the struggles and challenges. So just the whole experience is something that I'll always cherish really.”

Q: Now racing is full of a lot of highs and lows, and we've talked about the highs. But let's go to some of the lows because Le Mans this year was a bit of a disappointment for you, and how do you reflect on that and use that disappointment to keep pushing yourself when you're in the car?

MF: “Well, to be honest with you, Le Mans, this year was less of a disappointment than it was last year. And so, you know, the slogan is fail and then fail better the next time I suppose. For me, it was all about going back there, I had such a rough experience in 2022. You know, just I mentally sort of imploded and never managed to come out of that downward spiral. And so, for me, it was really important that I went back there.

“And so that was the first challenge going back there and then to sort of find a rhythm there. I never found a rhythm there and again, I was struggling in the last session, which was supposed to be my second last session, but it turned into the last session because I went for the triple stint. I found a rhythm there finally, and so that for an hour and a half I had the best time ever in Le Mans, and I really understood what was special about that place. I just really enjoyed that hour and a half, I was free of thought; it was hard to describe.

“And then I made a really silly mistake, tried to avoid track limits, just a lapse in concentration, and obviously paid the price for it. But there was obviously massive disappointment in that moment and afterwards, and you've got the whole team working so hard to help you achieve certain things. And I did feel certainly bad for them. But I did feel like I had broken through a certain barrier there.

“So now for me, it's about, I want to go back there next time, and I believe I can perform well there. It's just there was a mental block there that I needed to break through.”

Q: Do you think that's something you have to overcome at every track that you go to that mental barrier, and then once you've get past that, you're in the flow, you're in the rhythm, and you can really settle in and enjoy yourself?

MF: “Not so much every track. Some tracks that I just arrived at and just have a feel for it.”

Q: Is Spa one of these tracks?

MF: “The first time I came here in Sports Cup, I had one of my best races, then like I say, in the ELMS seasons, I haven't really performed to my full potential here. But again, loved it. Monza was one of those tracks again, where I was so like, thrilled to be there. But again, didn't perform, where I felt like I could and then I did last season and then I had another accident there. But up until that point, I was like ‘Okay, finally I'm starting to find the flow of this track’. It just depends. Some tracks come easier and just sort of instinctively find the flow quicker.

Q: How has Patrick Dempsey, owner of Dempsey Proton, helped you in your journey to Le Mans? You’re very similar in that you have very similar careers outside of racing, and you have that same passion, once you get to a racetrack. How has he helped you in that journey?

MF: “Well, he started it all for me with Porsche, obviously, because I was a race fan, I'd seen his achievement in Le Mans. And then we were just on a plane, I think it was either from LA to London, or vice versa, and he was in the seat behind me. And I just was like, ‘hey, listen, I just want to say, a massive achievement’, and then we'll just started talking about racing. I told him that it was sort of my ambition to go to Le Mans and race, in GT endurance, and he was like, ‘Look, I have a contact at Porsche’. After that flight, we exchanged details, and he hooked me up; that was really the start.

“What was good about it is he understands the position, you know, where I was sort of pretty tough on myself in the first year, and he was like, ‘relax, it's okay’. You know, it's like a lot to take on the first year, you know, just a lot of words of encouragement.”

Q: Do you think that you've cultivated that relationship because you almost have that same career and that same passion? Do you think that that's kind of what made you kind of gravitate towards each other?

MF: “Well, I think when you're working in the same industry you would say hi to somebody easier than you would if you were in different industries. But I don't think if he was in another industry, but as an amateur who had won Le Mans, I probably would have still approached him. But then we had dinner in Montreal, we're both working there at one point. Then we just started talking about the acting versus the driving, and then you have a lot of things in common for sure.”

Q: Do you think he was then a big reason as to why you chose Porsche? Because obviously, there were other manufacturers that are incredible in this series, you know, you've got the Aston Martin and Ferrari. Is that the reason that you ended up kind of gravitating towards Porsche and Proton Competition?

MF: “Yes. I mean he said, ‘Look, I've done this, I've been in the same position as you’. It's a journey and then it's a challenge there and Porsche are great manufacturer to go with because they'll put you through the paces correctly. And then obviously, his relationship with Proton and Dempsey Proton Competition, there was a perfect sort of fit for me. Outside of that, I've always been a fan of Porsche and I was born in Germany. My dad was a Porsche fan. I always had the Matchbox 911 car. So, there was an affinity there in some respect, but, yeah, it was his connection with Porsche, how they approached it and that really started the ball rolling.”

Q: Were you tempted to drive with another manufacturer?

MF: “Well, I had done the Ferrari Challenge with Ferrari in North America. But this is just the way it sort of played out, bumping into him on that plane journey and that set everything in motion.”

Q: The Road to Le Mans series that you were a part of, it's been great content, obviously, for fans of racing already and for new fans alike. Do you ever watch the footage back and can you see how much of an impact that's had?

MF: “For sure, I watch it. Working closely with Sebastian Barowski and the team that are shooting it, I'll see cuts before they actually go out and we always discuss about things. It was always a very open discussion about the fact that we wanted to show everything, even the bits that I would rather not reveal. But that's what makes it so interesting; to show the challenges of it all.

“I watch it, once is enough for me, with most things that I do that I have to sort of watch myself. But it would, I suppose at some point, be interesting for me to watch them again, and sort of see that journey from where we started. From everyone at Proton Competition, an amazing team, so lucky to be part of that. Sebastian and the filming team, we've been on this journey together now for five years, and you feel like, everyone's super invested. So, it's something it's a nice thing to have for me to look back on this whole experience.”

Q: What is your most memorable moment in racing, though, so far, because it's not over yet. What's been the best experience?

MF: “I suppose being on the podiums. I mean, I feel like when we got that podium in Portimao. It was a season where we were really knocking on the door, again, getting very close to the podium, but never really making it.

“You feel it with the mechanics, the engineers, they're putting so much energy and work right into getting the car across the line. And so, when we got that podium in Portimao, it felt like there was a great relief. Certainly, I felt a great relief, but a validation as well. I felt it throughout the team, so that that would have to go as a plus. And the last podium in Aragon because I feel like it was a long time coming, too.”

Q: Do you believe that you've reached your full potential when it comes to racing?

MF: “No, absolutely. I don't believe I've reached my full potential in anything. In acting certainly. I think it's a never-ending learning curve. And you obviously strive for the best you can do all the time, but I feel like I always fall short. So, no, I think it's a never-ending journey in most things in life.

Q: I feel like that's a top mental attitude.

MF: “Well, I think it's a reality, you know, you just think that that's the way it is. It keeps it fun and exciting and keeps the passion alive.”

Q: Do you have any regrets in your racing career so far?

MF: “No, regrets, I don't have much time for them in general in my life, either. I think things happen in life, I think the best thing to do is sort of analyse it, look at it, learn from it and move forward. So, no regrets.”

Q: So what else are you wanting to achieve then? Obviously, it would be great to get a win, but is there anything else that would make you feel fulfilled in terms of this is exactly how I wanted to end my racing career. This is the one thing that I wanted to achieve.

MF: “I think be faster. I think because I thought like this year would be my last year, but it's such an addictive thing. I feel what you said that idea of we set one goal and then there's a new goal. It's just sort of like that idea of improvement. Certainly, this sport for me has taught a lot about myself in terms of how to deal with disappointments and when you really feel like you're rock-bottom, confidence wise mentally. How you go about rebuilding yourself and going for it again. Not being afraid of failure and not being stifled by those negative thoughts. To punch through, get up and try again.”

Q: How do you use those emotions to kind of push forward in the context of racing?

MF: “Well I guess the example for me would be after Le Mans. I was fearful to go back as I had such a rough experience. So, then it was just about regrouping at home for me exercise training, getting into training programme, visualizing the track and things in the track. And that was something that I did, I probably did think about seeing something in a mental coach that would help me if my mind starts to go to negative places again, but I didn't get around to doing that. So, I just worked myself. I had the memory of what it was like to have that feeling and then visualise the track every day, just train and try to get a positive mental headspace really.

“I think a lot of those sort of fear things or insecurities are ego related. So, try and sort of dissolve the ego and just try and enjoy. Just try and prepare as best I can and then give it my all.”

Q: And that mindset is really important in both aspects of your career. How does your mindset in racing change in comparison to your mindset when you're on set?

MF: “Well, I think you know, that the big difference is that I've been, you know, I started acting when I was 17. So, that's kind of where I feel most comfortable. It's a lot of hours in front of the camera. I always think there's no secret sauce to any of this stuff. I think it's just the work you put in, the hours you put in. Obviously, this is an expensive sport, it's difficult to put the hours in, so you find alternative ways. I did a lot of go karting, going back to that, rediscovering that love of racing and where it all started for me.

“So, with the acting world, definitely there's pressure there. There's the same idea that you're in a big team of people, you’ve got to work together well, quickly, and there's an objective there, and there's a lot of money, and there's a lot of pressure. But I'm more used to that world, this is a new world for me. So, a lot of catching up.”

Q: How do you deal with the pressure of having big names on the racetrack with you, as well as having big names on set with? Is it the same kind of wide-eyed stunts?

“No, I guess the big names on the track. That was one of the things that was kind of stifling me a little bit the first year in Le Mans, because I was like ‘don't take out one of the pro teams’. Here you're on the track with some of the best drivers in the world and I was like, ‘Whatever you do, don't crash into one of them’. And that's obviously not the right mindset to be in. So that was a bit of a negative to be honest, in that first year. I didn't have it this year, and I feel like I drive pretty cleanly anyway, for the most part.

“Working on set when you work with some of your heroes that I've had, like working with Viggo Mortensen, or working with John Malkovich, I'm sort of like, ‘wow, cool’. You get you get quite excited by that. Then you start going to work and then you're working, and it becomes more normalized. But certainly, at the beginning, I still get those feelings of people that I look up to in anything in sport or at work.”

Q: Do you get starstruck by anyone in the ELMS paddock?

MF: “Not so much in the ELMS. I mean, one of the great moments for me was being on the grid with Michael Schumacher when he got pole position in Monaco, when he made the comeback for Mercedes. That was like one of the real big moments for me for sure.”

Q: In terms of acting and motorsport, and also your family. How do you manage to balance it all because you put a lot on your plate, but you make it work?

MF: “Well, when I'm doing the racing season I can't really go to work because I won't get insured. Unless I can film something in a three-week period between races, I can’t really work.

“Alicia works, I look after our little boy and do the racing. And then in the down season, hopefully I can pick up a job, she stays at home and we kind of work it like that. So, it's actually not too bad.”

Q: It's enjoyable though? Spending time with the kids, spending time at home?

MF: “Yes, it's a real luxury that I'm able to spend so much time with my son, especially in these early years, it's fantastic. I love it.”

Q: Do you think you would encourage him to pursue racing in the future?

MF: “I think I'll just expose him to as much stuff as possible and whatever he is excited or interested in, I'll support him. I won't push anything. I mean, he does love cars and trucks and planes and any sort of machinery but, no, it's just about really sort of exposing as many things, you know, music, whatever it is books, this sport, and seeing what he chooses.”

Q: Do you reckon he'll come to any of the races soon?

MF: “He's been to quite a few. He does enjoy being around the cars. I send them videos and he's kind of obsessed with cars. So, yeah, he loves it.”

Q: So what is next for you in terms of this crazy racing career?

MF: “I'm not sure yet. We’ve sort of finished this journey with the Road to Le Mans, but I want to keep racing. I'm working on a couple of things.”