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“Rush” (2013), directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Peter Morgan, is a sports film. But it is surprisingly well suited to understanding Carl von Clausewitz’s paradoxical trinity. Here the three forces have faces: James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) embodies passion, Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) reason, and chance comes in the form of weather and machinery.
Two temperaments
Situation
The film begins with the two men’s rivalry in Formula Three. Hunt lives loud, risky and pleasure-seeking. Lauda is sober and meticulous and buys his way into Formula One with a bank loan. He moves to Ferrari and becomes world champion in 1975. After the end of his Hesketh team, Hunt joins McLaren. The film sharpens the rivalry. In real life, Hunt and Lauda shared an apartment early in their careers and were friends.
Link to the principle
The film sets two of the three forces against each other as people. Hunt drives from the gut, Lauda from the head. Both are successful. Neither can do without what the other embodies. Even here it becomes clear that passion and reason are not opponents, one of which has to win, but forces that work together.
The Nürburgring in the rain
Situation
In the 1976 season, Lauda leads clearly for a long time. Before the German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring, it is raining heavily. At a drivers’ meeting, Lauda proposes canceling the race because the track is too dangerous. In the film, Hunt argues against it, and the majority votes to race.
Link to the principle
Lauda calculates. He assesses the risk and considers it too high. But in the group, ambition wins out, and Hunt insinuates that Lauda only wants to gain an advantage. Here reason loses to passion, not because it is wrong, but because it stands alone.
The accident
Situation
During the race, part of the suspension on Lauda’s Ferrari breaks. The car crashes and catches fire. Lauda suffers severe burns to his head and lungs. While he is in the hospital, Hunt wins race after race and closes the gap in the standings.
Link to the principle
This is chance in its harshest form. A technical failure, in the rain on a dangerous track, changes the entire season. Neither Lauda’s caution nor Hunt’s daring caused it. Clausewitz speaks of the play of probabilities and chance within which courage and talent have to operate.
The comeback
Situation
Only a few weeks after the accident, Lauda returns against medical advice at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza and finishes fourth. Hunt retires from that race. Lauda thus still has a lead going into the final races.
Link to the principle
This shows that Lauda, too, has passion. His comeback can hardly be explained rationally. It is will. The film thus shows that the three forces are not neatly distributed among people. They work in every person at once, just to different degrees.
Fuji: two laps and a decision
Situation
The last race takes place in Japan, at Fuji, again in heavy rain. Lauda pulls out after two laps. He considers the risk too great. Hunt drives on, struggles with tire problems, finishes third and wins the world championship by one point.
Link to the principle
In the end, all three forces decide together. The rain is chance. Lauda’s withdrawal is a decision of reason that costs him the title and that he nonetheless considers right. Hunt’s decision to keep going is passion. If you look at only one of these forces, you won’t understand the season.
Key takeaways
Key lessons
- Passion and reason need each other; neither wins alone.
- A correct assessment does not automatically prevail.
- Be prepared for a chance event to change everything you have built.
- Recognize which of the three forces is strongest in you right now.
- Sometimes it is wise to forgo a victory.
Summary
“Rush” shows the 1976 Formula One season as an interplay of passion, chance and reason. James Hunt stands for passion, Niki Lauda for reason, and rain and machinery for chance. But the film also shows that the three forces work in every person. That is exactly what Carl von Clausewitz meant by his paradoxical trinity.
Sources
- Carl von Clausewitz: Vom Kriege (in German). Berlin: Ferdinand Dümmler 1832–1834, Book I, Chapter 1.
