Those magnificent men in their flying machines: Did you know that F1 drivers possess the most finely-tuned bodies in world sport - fitter than footballers and leaner than athletes? An F1 race puts immense strain on the body.
Travelling at speeds up to 300 km/hour, a driver must remain calm, focused and in constant touch with the technical team for perfectly manoeuvring a highly complex vehicle around an unfamiliar track alongside competitors.
One wrong move can cost lives. It calls for a sportsman to be at the peak of physical and mental strength. Fifteen years ago drivers achieved this by visiting the gym twice a week. But now it is very different story...
Constraints faced by a Formula One driver
Gravitational Force
G-force is associated with object's acceleration relative to free-fall. It can also be expressed as a vector acceleration.
Examples of G-force
Moon - 0.1654g
Earth - 1g
Space Shuttle (launch & re-entry) - 3g-7g
Roller coasters - 3.5-6.3 g
A Formula One driver faces 4-5g of lateral & longitudinal force Acceleration to 1G, braking up to 4.5G, cornering up to 3G.
F1 drivers can sweat up to 3kg of their body weight during a race as the temperature in an F1 car cockpit reaches 50�C.
F1 cars can brake from 185kph to a standstill in 3.5 sec & 80 metres (rate of deceleration will be around 4G).
Blood pressure can increase up to 50% while racing.
Drivers have to be very careful about their diet & exercise as the cockpits of F1 cars are very small and can't accommodate someone with the physique of a bigger man.
Average weight 65kg
Average height 5ft 8in
A head & helmet together weigh about 6kg. While turning, a force of 4G is exerted on the driver's head so the neck has to support 24kg.
Wrists & Arms: The steering wheel of a Formula One car turns three-quarters of a revolution compared to three on a typical car. Huge mechanical and gravitational force act on the arms and wrist. So they have to be in perfect shape.
The Heart: The beat rate of a normal human heart is around 60/min. During a race, the driver's heart rate can go up to 150-200 beats per minute. F1 drivers undergo cardiovascular exercises for up to four hours a day. These workouts make heart & body strong enough to cope with such extremes, and also helps to keep weight in check.
The Neck: It is the most important muscle in a driver's body. No other sport places such big demands on the neck muscles. During training, large elastic bands are used to simulate the demands of high G-Force. Drivers also add resistance work into their exercise regime - rowing and weightlifting. But they have to be careful not to go overboard.
Mental Health: Many F1 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, so that driver feels 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.
Travelling at speeds up to 300 km/hour, a driver must remain calm, focused and in constant touch with the technical team for perfectly manoeuvring a highly complex vehicle around an unfamiliar track alongside competitors.
One wrong move can cost lives. It calls for a sportsman to be at the peak of physical and mental strength. Fifteen years ago drivers achieved this by visiting the gym twice a week. But now it is very different story...
Constraints faced by a Formula One driver
Gravitational Force
G-force is associated with object's acceleration relative to free-fall. It can also be expressed as a vector acceleration.
Examples of G-force
Moon - 0.1654g
Earth - 1g
Space Shuttle (launch & re-entry) - 3g-7g
Roller coasters - 3.5-6.3 g
A Formula One driver faces 4-5g of lateral & longitudinal force Acceleration to 1G, braking up to 4.5G, cornering up to 3G.
F1 drivers can sweat up to 3kg of their body weight during a race as the temperature in an F1 car cockpit reaches 50�C.
F1 cars can brake from 185kph to a standstill in 3.5 sec & 80 metres (rate of deceleration will be around 4G).
Blood pressure can increase up to 50% while racing.
Drivers have to be very careful about their diet & exercise as the cockpits of F1 cars are very small and can't accommodate someone with the physique of a bigger man.
Average weight 65kg
Average height 5ft 8in
A head & helmet together weigh about 6kg. While turning, a force of 4G is exerted on the driver's head so the neck has to support 24kg.
Wrists & Arms: The steering wheel of a Formula One car turns three-quarters of a revolution compared to three on a typical car. Huge mechanical and gravitational force act on the arms and wrist. So they have to be in perfect shape.
The Heart: The beat rate of a normal human heart is around 60/min. During a race, the driver's heart rate can go up to 150-200 beats per minute. F1 drivers undergo cardiovascular exercises for up to four hours a day. These workouts make heart & body strong enough to cope with such extremes, and also helps to keep weight in check.
The Neck: It is the most important muscle in a driver's body. No other sport places such big demands on the neck muscles. During training, large elastic bands are used to simulate the demands of high G-Force. Drivers also add resistance work into their exercise regime - rowing and weightlifting. But they have to be careful not to go overboard.
Mental Health: Many F1 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, so that driver feels 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.
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