Teenager with the help of Courtois on the way to Formula One

Aleksandar Bogunovic She is no ordinary teenager. Instead of being plagued by classic high school worries, he is driven by rubber traces of the race car and engine vibrations, which are not only noise but the rhythm of the future.

It all started in Mexico, where his father gave him an electric car for his first birthday. The toy became his first « automotive accessory », as he also made the first steps. Not far from home stood a local cartodrome – the first starting flag of his life circle fell there. At the age of four, he has already won his first race – although he no longer has that memory, the story anchored into his personality: to accuracy, devotion and determination that sports require.

Karting: The first school of speed and character

Alexander won the title of Mexican Karting Champion twice and later became a Slovenian champion. In 2022, it was proclaimed the best kart driver in Slovenia – not only because of the trophies, but because of its exceptional discipline, systematic work and mental power, which are often more decisive in this sport than technical abilities.

His family plays a key role in this. Although none of the parents never sat in the race car, they accepted their son’s dream as their own. Father Alexanderthe director of the Postojna company Fluidmaster, became his chief strategic partner. Twin Elenawho sometimes helped him with his homework, is now his silent ally. From logistical and financial support to emotional support – the family remains a stable axis of a young man who believes that he has « the best family in the world ».

Entering Formula Four: When Talent becomes a profession

Signing a contract with the Spanish TC Racing team owned by a football star Thibaut Courtoisit was a turning point – for him and for Slovenian motorsport. Formula four (F4) is the initial professional category in this sport. This is where the true talent of illusions is separated.

The F4 vehicles weigh barely half-tonnes, powered by an 180-horsepower Abarth, and the races are uncompromisingly accurate. Without ABS, without traction control, no air conditioning – just a driver and a machine. Everything is subordinated to hundreds of seconds. Everyone has their own team: mechanics, engineers, coaches. But the key tool remains communication – only if the driver knows how to describe to his engineers what he or she feels in the steering wheel, can they adjust the vehicle to perfection.

Its preparation is not limited to the track. It continues in silence. Meditation, visualization, reflex exercises, physical strength – everything is part of the regime that maintains it for full focus. In a cabin where temperatures exceed 50 degrees Celsius, every second means endurance test. Training in an airtight dress is not a specialty, but a necessary routine.

His racing career began at the age of four, and now many see him as up to the Slovenian motorsport. Photo: Personal Archive

But racing is not just a battle against time or competition – it is also a constant struggle with itself. When the helmet visor is dropped, expectations, cameras, pressures disappear. Only asphalt, steering wheel and feeling remain.

Future technology: Thinking faster than bend

Part of Alexander’s daily preparation is also a simulation – first at home, then in a professional team simulator. This is not a game, but a tool by which the brain « teaches » the body to respond a second before reality. Reflexes overtake consciousness. And that is the difference between good and excellent.

His greatest role model is Ayrton Senna – speed and concentration icon in the rain. Inspires him too Fernando Alonsoa veteran that persists on the track from pure passion. With Senn’s instinct and Alons’s character, Aleksandar Bogunovic builds his own racing identity: a driver who thinks with the wheel, feels tires and wins his head.

Preparations also include meditation, visualization and work in the simulator – all for a complete conception of 200 miles per hour. Photo: Personal Archive

For its greatest advantage, it cites the ability to predict – the ability to detect the event on the track before it happens. This is the separation of an instinctive winner from the jet rival, he says.

Next towards Formula One

Formula four annual budget is one to 1.2 million euros – a number that reveals the reality of the elite motorsport. But Alexander does not stop. His path leads to the formula three, then two and finally – to Formula One. Perhaps within one of the academies of big teams such as Red Bull, Mercedes or Alpine.

Dreamy? Undoubtedly. But Aleksandar Bogunovic has already proven that nothing is impossible for him. It is just a matter of time, willpower and the next bend.