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Tree Drawing Analysis

Tree drawings?! Are you kidding? One of the most basic projective psychological tests? Leave it to Seb to get everyone revealing more than intended!

Obviously, this is all for fun. Psychological tests are silly and fake, and personality isn't static. Our brains are just pattern-making prediction blobs. This happens to tap into some of my niche work-knowledge, though, and will be entertaining.

I'm primarily following common interpretation of the Baum Test (by Koch), often called the Tree Drawing Test. There are others, including House-Tree-Person, that are also used in clinical settings. But we only got trees, so we're going with trees!

We can assume this wasn't presented as a psychological test with instructions. We know it wasn't done in a quiet, private place. We don't know all the tools they were given to choose from (though it looked like maybe just colored pencils). We also don't know their demeanor or what they may have said during the process. All of that limits interpretation capacity. But again, the tree drawing test is projective and subjective anyway. And, nothing is real, even what we consider reality. So give this about as much weight as a horoscope.

Anyway. Let's get analyzing!

I'll be discussing many elements: sizes and proportions, placement, style, and specific details related to the trunks, tree tops, and roots. I'll start with a general review of the drawings, and then zoom into specifics.

The size of tree someone draws in proportion to the paper is thought to indicate self-perception. This includes things like confidence, self-esteem, introversion/extroversion, and sense of self-importance.

The standard range of tree sizes (on an 8.5 × 11 inch paper) is between 5-9 inches tall and 4-7 inches wide. I assume this was A4 paper, but we lose a about an inch (2.54 cm) on the top and bottom, due to the printed words and margins.

Taking all of that into consideration, I'd interpret Carlos' tree to be large and Lando’s tree size to be average or medium.

Large trees reflect belief in oneself, and can also suggest a desire to be seen or recognized. Carlos' tree is large, filling a good amount of the paper, but not quite extending beyond it (which would suggest over-confidence and self-aggrandizing). We see this reflected in his confidence and self-esteem. He believes in himself, and we hear that consistently in interviews and PR. I do think he has a desire to be noticed or seen. The competitive environment requires success, yes, but you also need people to back you. To remember you. To consider you. He truly thought Ferrari might be the end of his career, and, based on what we've heard from various sources, perhaps he'll only be at Williams for a couple of years before potential plans to move to Audi or a more competitive team. He needs to be seen so he is not forgotten as a top-teir option. I'd go a layer deeper and say the desire to be seen is also personal, particularly in relation to how he grew up, his father, and his father's success. (Remember him mentioning the parade where he realized his dad was famous and loved by so many people?) Since being seen in his personal life is important, too, his constant entourage makes sense. We also hear the importance of being seen through his noting he wants and needs to be "loved" and appreciated by his team.

Lando's tree is solidly medium-sized. I interpret that as reflecting his growth in confidence and self-esteem. We hear that from him consistently, and it appears here. Smaller trees can reflect introversion, vulnerability, and feelings of inferiority. His tree is not imposing, hiding, or exaggerated in size in either direction. He is self-critical, but does know he is capable. I think the size suggests he is finding balance between the self-doubt and self-belief.

Positioning of the tree on the paper is about social attitudes. Carlos' tree is based near the bottom of the page, but not at the bottom edge, and includes a ground line. This suggests an internal sense of being grounded, practicality, and sensibility. The trunk is centered, but the crown is skewed to the side. Trunks are related to the self and being, and crowns/canopies/treetops are about relations with others, the psychic self, and the future. The slighlty skewed canopy suggests a small potential sense of marginalization, feelings of being out of place, and uncertainty about the future. The combination of the tree near the bottom of the page, and the slightly skewed canopy, could speak to his adjustment to life at Williams—he doesn't have senority with the team, his results have not shown his full capabilities, and he is not at fighting at the top. Though he feels positive about the future, it holds uncertainty.

Proximity to the edges is thought to be related to boundaries. The canopy of Carlos' tree nearly touches the left edge of the paper. That makes me curious about his boundaries in his personal relationships, and perhaps points to being slightly enmeshed or being discomforted while alone. (Again, hello entourage.)

Lando’s tree is nearly centered, but slightly higher on the page. Drawing higher on the page suggests aspiration and ambitions, which is obviously appropriate given his situation and line of work. Though somewhat higher than center, it is not super skewed, suggesting a striving toward balance in his self-perception and assuredness. We have seen him grow in this from his first year in F1. We also hear it consistently in how he speaks these days. "Just ignore everyone who talks crap about you." There is also a decent margin around the tree, especially the trunk. This could suggest tight boundaries around who he trusts and allows to be truly close to him. Though he is clearly personable, he seems to keep a tight-knit circle, and has also spoken of feeling lonely in this time-consuming job. I see that reflected here. (I would love to see tree drawings from different points in their lives and careers to compare!)

The shape of both of their trees is similar. They are generally symmetrical and are fully-formed. They are both upright, which suggests strength and aspiration. Would they be doing this job if they didn't have those things in spades?

They both used solid, clear lines, again pointing to their self-assuredness. They committed and followed through in their line strokes. It can also suggest positivity—a belief that things will turn out and be okay. I would offer that this is not job-specific. Their privilege offers a bubble that things will very likely be okay. They have wealth and privilege that extends way beyond their number of podiums or seats in F1. If lines are very firm it can suggest aggressiveness, but I don't see that here from either of them.

Carlos' drawing includes the ground, while Lando’s tree is floating on the page. Including the ground suggests a strong trend or need for planning and the seeking of stability. Floating trees suggest a general sense of spontaneity and ease in going with the flow. This is almost laughable to me, as it's so incredibly clear in how they both just...exist. Carlos talks of needing everything planned out and regimented. Lando appears a bit more flexible (physically and mentally?!).

Neither one include obvious roots on their trees, though I would say there is a slight suggestion of them in each. Lando extends a couple of lines, and Carlos has the tree dipping into the ground area, with no line or cutoff on the bottom of the tree trunk. Roots speak to a connection to the past and being rooted in reality. No roots suggest feelings of instability and disconnection, and shallow roots can be related to vulnerability and insecurity. I think the minimal roots reflects their lives—they travel a lot and likely feel somewhat disconnected in various ways: from many relationships, from home base, and from the larger world due to their high-performance, wealthy, privilege bubble. They are both in different types of vulnerable situations that can create insecurity, too. Lando in his WDC contention and Carlos struggling to adjust to the midfield and underwhelming results. They also have to navigate being public figures and surviving a brutal sport in general. Slip-ups and mistakes can be costly, on and off track.

They both drew realistic trees, not fantasy trees. This reflects groundedness for both of them, which I do see in the limited ways we know they operate personally and professionally.

Both trees have some detail, and are more than just outlines. That speaks to the fact that they like to be involved in the details of the things they do, but balance that with also caring about bigger picture concepts. Carlos is a planner, as noted. They're both into the data. (Remember the story of Lando combing and finding important data points before he was even in F1?) All of this tracks!

The fact that they chose to use colors, and colored them in, suggests they are both positive and serious. We see that—they take what they do seriously, and are also goofy and silly. Carlos' lightly shaded top points to potential concern for the future, as does, even more so, Lando’s highly shaded top. I think that's completely fair given the status of the WDC, though, the tree aspects are not only related to their professional lives. We just don't know all the personal ways it could apply as well (thankfully—it's none of our business!). The shading on Lando's trunk can be connected to dissatisfaction with "home-life." I won't speculate further than the fact they don't get to spend much time at home, but it can also relate to how they experience relationships.

Trunks are about relation to self and being. Carlos' thicker tree trunk suggests strength and resilience, facing and overcoming adversity. Again, we see that in Williams, but really in his whole F1 career. Even his family life, perhaps, growing in the shadow of his father. All of them had to sacrifice a "normal" childhood to pursure their dreams. Lando's thinner trunk could suggest some feelings of vulnerability, but also adaptability.

Both trunks have straight, unknotted sides, which can suggest organization and focus. The texture lines both included suggest potential ongoing struggles. I'd definitely relate that to the nature of being in an incredibly competitive, high performance sport, and in the public eye, though it can also be personal, as previously noted.

Treetops are about relations to others, the psychic self, and the future. I consider Carlos' tree top to be fairly simple and rounded, without branches, and with a lot of foliage. That suggests a well-rounded person who is an optimist, high energy, and deeply invested in both the means and the ends of all he does. I can see how the high value he places on friendship might be in here somewhere, but it's a combination of all of it more than the treetop alone. He experiences abundance and expects the future to be full of abundance, even if it is uncertain.

I consider Lando's tree top to be rounded, with no braches, and a lot of foilage and lines. That suggests, again, a well-rounded person who is invested in both the means and the ends. The bunch of lines suggests movement and a desire to stay busy and occupied. The entanglement of the lines suggests uncertainty about where life is headed, and that feeling of spinning your wheels. This tracks in what he has shared about his mental landscape. He's also kind of standing at a precipice, and really doesn't know where life is headed professionally. Will the WDC results change anything or everything?

Including extra details in a tree drawing suggest an awareness of whats going on around you. The extras included in their drawings are the grass in Carlos' and the heart in Lando's tree top.

The grass suggests a desire for comfort, especially having a comfortable home and home-life. Carlos has mentioned his connection to a home and home base(s) as important to him. The heart, while uncommon, could speak to Lando's sense of a burgeoning future full of love and adoration if he wins the WDC, or a future of love personally—self-love and love for those around him. Regardless of the WDC outcome, it suggests he feels loved and loves others well.

Thanks for coming along on this ride! Though this is all for fun, a lot of stuff does seem to line up with the little we know from the outside!