part 1
F1 Driver Physical - fantastic video
part 2
F1 Simulator to Race TrackThe facts about F1 driver's fitness
Most people think that, Motor sport drivers especially formula 1 drivers, just sit in the car, but their fitness level is as good as a marathon runner, which will go into depth later. Rugby players are big, especially the front row, so many people do not think they have to fit just heavy enough to hold back the scrum.
The components formula 1-driver needs are Strength, Speed, Suppleness, Stamina and Spirit.
Strength is important in a driver's fitness has a drivers strength is, "the max force that can exert against resistance" (Dr. Jutley, 2003). A drivers head and helmet weighs about 6kg, "add about 4g, as experienced in a grand prix, the neck has to support 24kg" ([WWW], Channel 4 feature- F1 fitness, 2004). A race usually lasts between 50-70 laps with 12 corners a lap, In heat and humidity, that can drain away most of a drivers energy. Most corners of a track are right handers, but the Interlagos track in Brazil, it is mainly left handers, so drivers will have to concentrate in strengthening their neck, during the run up to the race, some drivers will add extra padding in their helmet, to help support the neck.
Stamina, also known as aerobic endurance, is important as, "an athlete can do a strenuous activity for any length of time" (Dr. Jutley, 2003). According to Dr. Ceccarelli (2004), a formula 1 driver can maintain his heart rate between 150-170 bpm for 1 hour and 45 minutes (a typical length of a grand prix), he can maintain his heart rate for so long is because of their concentration level and the huge amount of adrenaline being produced in the body. ([WWW] Channel 4, 2004).
Cycling is a very common activity for formula 1 drivers. Drivers like Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Juan Pablo Montoya prefer outdoors training rather than in a gym. Schumacher, living in Switzerland, likes to train for 2-3 hours every day (during off-season), cycling at an altitude of 1,000- 2,000 metres, which helps to increase the oxygen intake (Sport.de, 2006).
Suppleness, also known as Flexibilty, is, "the range of movement you have in your joints and the ease with which you can bend without causing damage to muscles, tendons and ligament" (Dr. Jutley, 2003). Suppleness in the neck, back, shoulders and arms are important in Formula 1, as these are the parts that will be used most during the race especially in the corners. As mentioned above the neck has a lot of force on it during the race, having flexibility will help prevent injury during an impact or crash and if an injury is sustained, it shorten the recovery time.
Speed, is not only important on the track during race, but also the drivers reaction speed/time is important. A formula 1 car goes form 0 to 100 mph in 5.4 seconds. In that time, a lot can happen. A driver needs to react quickly to avoid serious incident. "A faster reaction time to the lights on the starting grid of a track race will determine who gets to the first corner in the lead" (Dr. Jutley, 2003).
Spirit, is a, "connection between the state of mind and performance of a competitor" (Dr. Jutley, 2003). In motorsport nowadays, drivers have similar cars, fitness levels and skills, so only the best have a good state of mine and focussed before a race. The state of mind is also called being in the zone'. Before a race, a driver sits in his car, you can see the concentration on their face and are going through the track and the corners in their mind. Ex- formula 1 Damon Hill was well known for doing this.
http://www.helium.com/items/90340-the-facts-about-f1-drivers-fitness
