F1 DRIVER FITNESS - HOW TOUGH ARE THEY?

Imagine, and I’m sure you have, trying to drive an F1 car around Silverstone in front of a 50,000 strong crowd, revving the nuts off the car and reaching blistering speeds down the straights. Sounds like the dream job. But then imagine trying to maintain a much needed high level of concentration whilst threading the car through the perfect line at Copse Corner at over 150mph, not to mention having to fiddle with the infinite amount of settings on the steering wheel and relaying vital information back to the team in the pits. Dream job sounds like a bit of a nightmare now doesn’t it.

F1 drivers need to keep up their attention levels throughout a race and never let them drop when behind the wheel of the 200mph machine. Failure to do so results in the obvious; shards of carbon fibre flying everywhere and Silverstone’s fences being re-designed by a multi-million pound racer.

 The stresses and strains that the drivers must endure are extremely harsh, in some cases they are exerted to four times their own body weight when speeding around corners and some even finish the race 5kg lighter because of their vast amounts of sweat. 

The serious demands of the sport require serious fitness levels from the drivers. So much so that there are considered some of the fittest sportsmen on the planet. Indeed, fitter than Ronaldo, Wilkinson or Sir Redgrave. So what exactly do F1 drivers do to keep up their fitness and stamina levels for a race?

The physical endurance needed is worked on through intense cardio vascular training, usually by running or swimming, however some drivers even take up roller blading, which seems to do the trick. But the intense loads experienced by the neck and chest muscles cannot be replicated in the gym, so specialist rigs are designed for them to train those certain muscles. Strength in the neck is especially important, as the driver needs to be able to support both their head and their helmet in high-speed corners.

One particularly interesting aspect of preparation is the mental training they go through to prepare themselves for a race. I’m not talking about seeing a shrink for their marital troubles, I’m talking about seeing a professional psychologist to train their mind. Train their mind to block out all of the outside world while sitting there on the grid. Concentration is the key to driving a Formula One car, so they train their mind to block out distractions. Some even consider the sound of their seatbelt clicking into place a form of relaxation.

So if you thought that Wayne Shrek Rooney went through a lot, or indeed Hussein Bolt indulged in too much gym work, then you’re unmistakably wrong. Hamilton and Button are the new benchmarks.