The Science of Driving: How it affects driver fitness

By | -

Michael Schumacher was the first driver of the modern age to really step up his fitness game, becoming renowned for his ability not to break a sweat despite the intense physical workout that an F1 race gives a driver, something equivalent to running marathon at an elite level. And when you think about it, creating the perfect workout makes perfect sense. The teams spend millions of pounds and thousands of hours in the drawing office, at wind tunnels and on test tracks to reduce car weight or improve aerodynamics in a bid to shave a few tenths of a second off their lap times - and the driver's weight, fitness and performance is just as important as this.Inside the cockpit, the atmosphere is intense. Even sitting still can be uncomfortable, with seat belts done up so tight they make it hard to breathe and temperatures reaching 60 degrees Celsius in the cockpit.Out on track, concentration is crucial and lap after lap the body and its insides are relentlessly pushed around at up to five times the force of gravity, with vibrations that can rattle eyeballs so hard a driver cannot see a thing.Drivers train up to six times a week, sometimes three to four hours per day, combining activities such as cycling, running or swimming with gym work - and it is in the latter where technology can really help out.Just as teams have developed multi-poster rigs to put the cars through their paces in a realistic environment, so fitness experts have developed specialised training rigs for the drivers.Most drivers use a neck-training machine, which simulates the lateral g-forces the neck muscles must endure as the car corners and helps drivers keep on top form in the winter months.Drivers will also incorporate mental dexterity tests into their training regime, doing press-ups while playing cards, for instance, or using a Batak machine, which challenges drivers to hit touch pads on a metal frame when they light up at random. They average 115 hits per minute over 3 minutes, while a good normal rate would be 60 per minute.Some teams use psychological mood profiles to monitor how a driver is feeling during a race weekend, giving him particular words that he has to circle and rate out of five, which indicate whether his mood status has altered. Hydration is also important at the track, as drivers can lose up to 2kg of weight per hour in the car through sweating. Loss of water can also lead to a drop in plasma volume, which in turn causes the heart to beat faster and reduce the ability to concentrate, react and visually see or pick things out - and the less conditioned a driver is to take this kind of punishment, the less performance he will be able to give. It is for this reason that teams take a very scientific approach to fitness both on and off the track, developing different top-secret strategies for different drivers and different races. And with every element an equally important part of the jigsaw, F1 really is becoming a survival of the fittest.