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Formula 1 drivers live the life of riley, right? After all, it is only once every two weeks during the Grand Prix season between the months of March and October that they compete for the coveted title of World Champion – hardly taxing for them, some might say. So just how fit does one have to be to drive for Formula 1, and how much should they watch their diet?
The answer to that is: very. The above description does not take into account the stresses that a driver tolerates during testing and qualifying, let alone driving the race itself. For example, the temperature in the cockpit is such that it can turn a frozen drink to the equivalent of a hot cup of coffee within 90 minutes. Then there are the G-forces, where the neck muscles have to be capable of supporting the head – the bodies heaviest organ, with the addition of a helmet multiplied by the factor of four or five, on several corners of every lap, when a car with virtually no suspention is bounding over kerbs at two and a half times the UK national speed limit. To do all this, the human heart has to beat at something like 180 beats per minute.
Jerry Powell is the man McLaren have given the task of finding out just how fit the drivers are. This season, McLaren’s drivers are David Coulthard and Kimi Raikkonen. His fitness laboratory has extensive research equipment which is necessary to assess the fitness of the drivers. While much of it is familiar, such as a treadmill and exercise bike, much of it is bewildering, consisting of seats, belts and straps with obscure attachments to computer terminals and an overabundance of bolt-on bits.
“It’s an assessment centre rather than a training lab,” says Powell. “The drivers simply aren’t in the country long enough, or often enough to use it as a conventional gym. We’ve tested something like 20 drivers and we’re building up a picture of what a racing drivers physiology is like. The equipment we have is extremely versatile, and we can test the whole body in terms of cardiovascular activity, or we can test a single joint, even if it is only a finger. If there is any weakness, anywhere in the body, we can pinpoint it and do something to put it right”.
Most of Powell’s worth with Coulthard and Raikkonen is aimed at keeping them in good shape, and specifically counteracting the pounding their bodies take from driving racing cars.
“What we’re trying to do is take the pressure off particular joints, the places in the body that take a hammering from the car,” says Powell. “We’re strengthening the smaller muscles that hold the joints together. Its not like a bodybuilder, who works on the muscles that everyone can see. Most of what we do concerns the muscles you can’t see”.
So keeping fit is absolutely vital to success in formula 1. World champion Michael Shumacher keeps his weight between 70 and 71 kilograms by a mixture of sport and diet. “I go mountain climbing and do boxing – that’s not as boring as jogging or weights,” he said recently. “Driving also makes you hungry, and I watch the amount of fat I eat in my diet. When I’m eating meat I cut off every bit of visible fat. It’s enough just to imagine that this fat I’m eating would attach itself to my body”.
Playing soccer also helps Schumacher develop his lower body. “Since I’ve started playing football, my legs and backside have got more powerful,” he said.
For racing drivers, diet and nutrition is as important as how fit they are when it comes to racing, and is especially important during a race. Professor Benigno Bartoletti has done extensive research on the best type of diet for Formula 1 drivers, one that will help improve athletic performance, especially during a long and fatiguing race.
Bartoletti concluded in his research that a racing drivers diet should be as varied as possible. In the past, they used to eat eggs, hamburgers, fried foods – anything tasty but not easy to digest. Now, drivers are encourages to follow a very healthy diet – light foods that are rich in energy. Also, another problem that drivers face is rehydration. A Formula 1 racing driver can lose up to four kilos during a race, of which three are made up of water. The best form of fluid for rehydration is mineral water with mineral supplements.
So the fundamental question to be asked is – is it all worth it? “For sure,” says ex-McLaren driver Mika Hakkinen. “Formula 1 is an area where nobody has ever really put maximum concentration into what muscles you need to work on, and how to get into the right shape. Now, we’re starting to work on that”.
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