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Racing Form - why F1 drivers are the fittest athletes on earth.
Author: Channel 4 website.
Source: Autoindustry Publication Date: 15th June 2005


Fitter than footballers and leaner than athletes: the word on the Formula One circuit is that racing car drivers possess the most finely tuned bodies on earth.
Medical studies consent. During a race a driver must remain calm, focused and in constant communication with a technical team whilst perfectly manoeuvring a highly complex vehicle around an unfamiliar track alongside competitors travelling at speeds of up to 300 kilometres per hour.
All this in an environment where one wrong move can cost lives calls for a sportsman at the very peak of physical – and mental – strength. Fifteen years ago drivers achieved this by visiting the gym twice a week. These days they know better.

The heart:

A fit human being has a resting heart rate of around 60 beats per minute, rising to around 150 during a run on the treadmill. David Coulthard has a resting heart rate of 40 beats per minute rising to 198 beats per minute during a two hour race, a figure - roughly the same as that of a Marathon runner crossing the finishing line – which initially stunned medical researchers. Dr Riccardo Ceccarelli, from Italian sports medicine clinic Formula Medicine explains why a high speed drive can be as challenging as a 26 mile run: "The difference is one of mental stress. There is no sport that demands such intense concentration. A huge amount of adrenalin is being pumped, and this - as well as the physical strain - causes the high heart rate.”

The body’s ability to cope with such extremes is a result of intensive workout, and so drivers undergo cardiovascular exercise for up to four hours a day – jogging, cycling, even rollerblading. This also helps to keep weight in check - drivers such as Heinz-Harald Frentzen and David Coulthard maintain a body fat ratio of 7%, similar to that of a runner at the start of a race.

The neck:

"I know of no other sport that places such big demands on the neck muscles,” says Riccardo Ceccarelli. “A head and F1 helmet together weigh about 6kg. Add about 4G-Force as experienced when cornering in a Grand Prix, and the neck has to support 24kg." The neck, then, is a driver’s most important muscle. During training, large elastic bands are used to simulate the demands of high G-Force. Drivers also incorporate resistance work into their exercise regime – rowing and weight lifting. But they have to be careful not to go overboard: Formula One cockpits are very small and don’t accommodate someone with the physique of a weight lifter.

Diet:

Formula One drivers eat much like track and field athletes – carefully regulating their carbohydrate and protein intake. In the lead up to a big race they’ll gorge on carbs – pasta and bread – for energy. Immediately before the race and sometimes throughout, drivers absorb huge amounts of water. Failure to do so could bring on dehydration through sweating – the extreme heat found in a Formula One cockpit means drivers can sweat off up to 3kg of their body weight during the course of a rac

Mental health:

Racing car drivers don’t just take pristine care of their bodies; they look after their mental health too. Many teams work with sports psychologists to ensure that a driver can exert unwavering mind control during a race. Methods include reviewing track maps, visualising a route and a perfect lap, in order for the driver to feel he has driven the course many times before he even arrives there. Drivers also learn breathing techniques to stay calm at crucial moments, and techniques for shutting out the outside world – a driver getting into a car surrounded by a medical team, technical staff and thousands of screaming fans and members of the press may use the click of the seat belt as a trigger to block these distractions and get to work.

Formula One - vital stats:

A racing car driver has to be in peak physical condition. This calls for: A resting heart rate of around 40 beats per minute (the average, healthy human has a resting heart rate of around 60bpm) Being able to maintain a heart rate of up to 200bpm for the duration of a two hour drive (the average healthy human has a heart rate of around 150bpm during an intense gym workout) A constant body fat ratio of around 7%, similar to that of a marathon runner just before a big race. Neck muscles able to support up to 24kg when rounding corners at high speed. Hydration levels able to compete with the 3kg in weight a driver has been known to sweat off during a race.