You don’t need to win the last race. You need to know why you're racing.

When Alain Prost raced in Formula 1 for the last time in 1993, he was already a four-time World Champion. He had nothing left to prove. And yet, in that final race, he gave it everything. He didn’t win. He finished second. But anyone paying close attention could see: he was still getting better.

He was still out there, lap after lap, searching for the cleanest line. Adjusting. Listening to the car. Doing what he had always done: racing to grow, not just to beat others.

Many remember his titles, his victories, the rivalry with Senna. But to me, that final second place is more powerful. Because it shows something we all face: you can be near the end and still keep building.

You don’t need to watch others to know where you are. In life, no one tells you your position in the race. There’s no leaderboard. No stopwatch tracking your personal lap time. You are the one who fights. You are the one who believes, who sees it, who builds it.

And most importantly: you are the one who keeps pressing the accelerator.

With focus. With presence. Looking ahead, not getting distracted by the rearview mirrors.

That’s the mindset of those who win...not always with a trophy in hand, but with a clear direction inside. 

Because I think victory is an effect, not a cause. You don’t win by chance. You win because you first imagined it, then believed in it, then worked to bring it to life, lap after lap.

Like Prost. Like many great drivers.

And you don’t need to sit in a race car to understand this.

Every time we try to change jobs, launch a new project, or build something of our own, we’re in a race.

Every time we decide to grow, evolve, or change direction, we’re racing.

But it’s not a race against others. It’s a race against doubt. Against the voice in your head asking: “Why bother?”. It’s a race made of attempts, failures, restarts.

But also small signs. Clean turns. Clear moments when you feel: yes, this is the right track.

And no one will tell you when you’re doing well. There’s no standing ovation at the end of each day. No trophies. No podium. But if you pause for a second, you’ll feel it.

Just like Prost felt it. He didn’t need to win that last race to know who he had become.

That’s why you need to believe before you see.

You need to visualize yourself inside that future even if it doesn’t exist yet.

You need to take the curves, not shortcuts.

You need to keep going even when no one is watching.

You need to stay focused on who you want to become, not on what others are doing.

In the end, whether or not you win the last race doesn’t really matter. What matters is how you raced. With how much presence. With how much respect for yourself. With how much commitment to what you chose to build.

So, are you running it to prove something… or to become something?