Murray Walker famously said: “If is a very long word in Formula One. In fact, if is F1 spelled backwards,” while David Coulthard put it as following: “If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle.” F1’s record books are littered with events that hinge on circumstance, down to luck, or lack of it. And […]
The year I was born, my dad passed his motorcycle license, and for as long as I have memories, my dad — wearing a distinctive grey with blue and red jacket — rode a Yamaha FZR400: a lightweight race bike, which screamed loudly as he revved it on our driveway. Recently, my dad got onto […]
One of the things I learned at Vandebron is that nearly all people are willing to help, but barely know how. Whether it’s big subjects like climate change, or slightly, like offering a stranger a ride home, there’s often something holding people back — but there’s definitely a powerless hero hiding in all of us. Once you understand […]
On the Blaak in Rotterdam — dwarfed by modern offices — stands an old bank building. The brick walls carry a red tile roof, under which an art academy nests. In its front two plane trees stand, and there’s a quote above the door that reads: “I have to change to stay the same.” Four years I went […]
Originally on Quora. This is sort of a trick question, as they technically didn’t wear “helmets,” but leather “flight caps” that covered the head and ears. These kept the pilots from getting too cold or going deaf while flying with their cockpit canopies open, which they sometimes did to get a better view when taking […]
David Coulthard labelled it the sporting story of the year, but citizens of the Netherlands went even crazier when Max Verstappen crossed the finish line on lap 66, to win a Grand Prix at 18 years old. Yesterday, grown-ups cheered and cried, newsbreaks hit the television, and timelines were flooded by celebrations as if we’d […]
Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya delivered a stunning Spanish Grand Prix. After Rosberg and Hamilton collided on the opening lap, the Red Bulls and the Ferrari duo fought over who would take the first non-Mercedes victory since September 2015. Max Verstappen prevailed, winning on his Red Bull Racing debut, not only becoming the first Dutch Grand Prix […]
All of the universe’s infinite beauty, is created from only three primary colours on the palette, from only twelve notes on the musical scale, from only twenty-six letters in the alphabet, and from only one-hundred-and-eighteen chemical elements. The point is that creativity doesn’t stifle from basic structures: it thrives from a set of parameters in which […]
From what rises ambition? Or love? Why can’t some of us be content with the lives we’ve been given? Why do some yearn for so much more? Tom Pryce wanted to drive cars, fast, and couldn’t be stopped by the perils of the sport. He was on a seemingly impossible quest for greatness, yet by […]
Not doing what everyone would do, not taking what everybody would take. That’s strategy at heart, and there’s a Chinese tale that tells with surprising truth about a Mandarin who spent years fishing on the riverbanks, using a straight needle instead of a hook. People looked and wondered, and told everyone about that remarkable way […]
Working in the ad industry can be weird, at times. It struck me when our first television campaign went live on national television, for Supradyn, those vitamin supplements. Instead of feeling proud, I felt confused: “Are this pills even working?”, and “Who am I helping here?”. From then on, I saw the ad industry in […]
Some days ago, Vandebron won the Launch of the Year award, from the Dutch Marketing Award. Especially for the marketing team, it’s great — because after all the awards Vandebron received for social and renewable impact, this is also a nod that our marketing is sound. Also, it’s special because what we do, doesn’t per […]
