14 replies to this topic

[Shiftin]

Hi there,

There is something I have been thinking about. How exacting is F1 (driving a full race-distance) compared to other sports. How about condition/form/shape, can it be compared to a football-player for instance or a speed-skater. How much do you need to train/workout and what about the concentration?

Are there any numbers on this? Cause I feel that people who don't know much about F1 don't think the drivers are real athletes, they just think they are driving "a car" . I often say they are, but examples are hard to give.

In other words....how does F1 rank in terms of effort/performance compared to other sports?

Anyone...?

[alain]

Its one of the toughest along with Triatlon..A f1 driver is usually fitter than a footballer..

[CeCe]

Their heart rates are one of the highest in athletics over the course of a two hour race—comparable to endurance bike racing. Plus they endure massive G-forces that require increadable strength in the neck. There is most certainly an athletic aspect to the sport.

[vtpachyderm]

forgive my skeptisim on the matter, I do think that F1 drivers are fine athletes, but comparing them to triathletes and footballers? I know the drivers need to be able to withstand the G-loadings, and they lose a lot of water during a race, but how physical is it really?

While the heart rates are very high, isn't that more due to adrenaline and the sense of "fear" that gets the heart racing. And the fatigue that they feel, isn't that more due to the fact that you have to keep your concentration level so high, it is that which drains you, and not the physical beating you take in the car? The Renault team run this incredible fitness regiment, and their drivers are as fit as any runner or endurace event, but I think its because you need to be in good shape to keep your concentration up, and not merely for the physical nature of driving, even though they are all intertwined...I seem to be going around in circles with this one...

Please prove me wrong, as I also get into these arguments with friends who think race car drivers are not athletes (they base their arguments on the Nascar drivers, and I can't blame them). Lets just say I'm playing devils advocate here...

[lateralforce]

Originally posted by vtpachyderm
forgive my skeptisim on the matter, I do think that F1 drivers are fine athletes, but comparing them to triathletes and footballers? I know the drivers need to be able to withstand the G-loadings, and they lose a lot of water during a race, but how physical is it really?

While the heart rates are very high, isn't that more due to adrenaline and the sense of "fear" that gets the heart racing. And the fatigue that they feel, isn't that more due to the fact that you have to keep your concentration level so high, it is that which drains you, and not the physical beating you take in the car? The Renault team run this incredible fitness regiment, and their drivers are as fit as any runner or endurace event, but I think its because you need to be in good shape to keep your concentration up, and not merely for the physical nature of driving, even though they are all intertwined...I seem to be going around in circles with this one...

Please prove me wrong, as I also get into these arguments with friends who think race car drivers are not athletes (they base their arguments on the Nascar drivers, and I can't blame them). Lets just say I'm playing devils advocate here...

I agree. I bet if you compare kilo calorie wise, a footballer uses more energy and power than a race driver. But concentration wise, I think F1 beats all of em.

[Inness]

Fitness is obviously debatable. The key is there is a much smaller margin of error in F1 than any other sport. What other sports beside rodeo is fatality a realistic consequence of error.


F1 RULES! every other sport is secondary.

[ehagar]

Each sport places different emphasis on certain muscle groups. Sports are also aerobic or anerobic activities.

I think in terms of most demand on the human body (most muscle groups used), F-1 is somewhat of a specialist athlete. Motorcross requires more of a general fitness.

Right now I'm reading 'Jackie Stewart's Principles of Performance Driving'. While I don't reccommend the book, there were a number of interesting passages on driver fitness (remember he is talking from a 70's, early 80's perspective)

there are many sports where durability is a major issue. And in some of those sports it's not even acknowledged that the people involved are athletes. There have been many occasions, particularly in the USA, where strong arguements have been put forward against racing drivers being considered athletes at all. It is quite wasy to understand why some critics would consider that factor. If you look at some of the good old boys in the Southern Stock Car trail, you might ask 'now how can a man carrying that much weight be classified as an athlete?.....

They have to sit in what is almost an oven for 500 miles. They lose extraordinary amounts of weight due to dehydration, and in their 'hot boxes' they have to use considerable physical effort to drive their cars. I've only driven a stock car for a few laps, but I can tell you that even I was surprised by what was involved.

There was a bit on how physically hard he found it to drive a stock car (he was a bit too weak to drive it at its maximum) but I can't find the passage right now.

Another exerpt about F-1 driver fitness):

The Formula 1 driver is the most physically fit that I see on the car racing circuit - although the best in motorsports are in fact on motorcycles, particularly in motorcross where many riders have fine physiques. This is because the entire body is being used, and a form of isometrics and strength exercises is being demanding of their bodies. This not only includes the arms, neck, shoulder and upper body muscles, but also hips, legs, and even the feet. Most of the time they are standing on foot rests, taking enormous punishment, needing fexibility worthy of a shock absorber in terms of vertical movement.... Nobody can dispute that those men are athletes in the fullest sense of the word....

[TazioN]

It's difficult to compare. F1 drivers have some muscles highly developed, but most of their focus is on resistance and eliminating weight, so they are not particularly strong in some muscle groups. It is maybe easier today, too, since they have power steering, auto or semi auto gearboxes, etc. I remember reading that when Ayrton Senna changed gears, he had to push against the steering wheel to get leverage for the gearshift.

An F1 driver needs stamina and a good condition to resist stress for prolonged amounts of time. But a very good tennis player, for example, not only needs an excellent condition (ever tried playing for hours under the sun?) but needs more physical strenght than an F1 driver. I find tennis very stressful because it is stop then jump into action then stop for a few seconds then jump back, always trying to move as quickly and precisely as possible.

As for concentration, it depends on the driver. I have heard that Schumacher has the ability to carry out normal conversations while driving at race pace, while others surely can't even think under race conditions. It is a very different kind of concentration than that of, say, a chess player.

[MaxScelerate]

Originally posted by Shiftin
Hi there,

There is something I have been thinking about. How exacting is F1 (driving a full race-distance) compared to other sports. How about condition/form/shape, can it be compared to a football-player for instance or a speed-skater. How much do you need to train/workout and what about the concentration?

Woah.. And I've got just the right quote to answer (albeit only partly), your question...

From Motosport.com (or is it motoRsport.com?!)

Patrick Carpentier, a CART driver from Joliette, Canada, was asked about his speed skating experience of youth. (He was champion of North America indoor speed skating, in 1984)...

PATRICK CARPENTIER : Yeah, I skated for many years. I skated for eight years. I was a member of a team in Canada, but it was before indoor track speed skating was admitted into the Olympics. I used to train all summer and all winter. The reason I started racing cars was I thought I was never going to have to train anymore. I was wrong there, but it gave me a break for a couple of years.

LOL!!

Well, I guess that gave him an edge the first time he raced on an oval...

Max Scelerate

[Chui]

I think they have comparable cardiovascular endurance and VO2 Max, but they do not have the overall muscular strength [even on a per weight basis] of a soccer player and not even in the ball park of an American football player which is no where near a top-level judoka [i.e., Judo player]. Mental focus has to be extremely high, perhaps the highest of any except rally drivers.

So in some ways, yes, they are athletes. I've read that the pulse is around 200 bpm for nearly the entire race. And recall that the max heart rate is supposed to be 220 minus your age.

[KenC]

Originally posted by Chui
I think they have comparable cardiovascular endurance and VO2 Max, but they do not have the overall muscular strength [even on a per weight basis] of a soccer player and not even in the ball park of an American football player which is no where near a top-level judoka [i.e., Judo player]. Mental focus has to be extremely high, perhaps the highest of any except rally drivers.

So in some ways, yes, they are athletes. I've read that the pulse is around 200 bpm for nearly the entire race. And recall that the max heart rate is supposed to be 220 minus your age.

Why would a F1 pilot have a high VO2 max?!? He's not a marathon runner or Tour de France rider?

As for elevated heart rates, that's not an indication of anything. Fitness as it relates to heart rates, is determined by how LOW your heart rate is, relative to your physical exertion. I'd be much more impressed if the heart rate was low.

[KenC]

Originally posted by Shiftin
Hi there,
There is something I have been thinking about. How exacting is F1 (driving a full race-distance) compared to other sports. How about condition/form/shape, can it be compared to a football-player for instance or a speed-skater. How much do you need to train/workout and what about the concentration?

Are there any numbers on this? Cause I feel that people who don't know much about F1 don't think the drivers are real athletes, they just think they are driving "a car" . I often say they are, but examples are hard to give.

In other words....how does F1 rank in terms of effort/performance compared to other sports?

Anyone...?

In terms of "concentration" or reaction time, I believe there was a study done by a Human Performance Institute which showed that race car drivers are surprisingly, relatively average, compared to the average person.

As for fitness, there's no doubt that modern F1 drivers are very fit, and that there has been a fitness movement on, as epitomized by the very fit Schumi. However, I don't think drivers need to be very fit at all to perform. It certainly helps with the car, if the driver weighs less due to good fitness, as they can run more ballast. It might help marginally at the end of a race, but given how short modern races are now, it might only be a little help.

The primary physical challenges are to withstand the G-forces, as well as being able to press the brake pedal. This requires alot more force than the average fan suspects. Nevertheless, it's not that physically demanding relative to what a football player experiences on the soccer pitch. Sure, Nigel Mansell would disagree, but you know Nige!

[Shiftin]

Interesting posts, thanks.

[Arrow]

Originally posted by Inness

F1 RULES! every other sport is secondary.

Yep

[int2str]

I can't believe all the scepticism I read here... Funny that Ross Stonefeld or others havn't replied yet.

Personally I believe that race car drivers are indeed very fine athlets. And it takes physical fitness and stamina to drive fast.

When I first started racing Go-Karts, I was amazed by the physical punishement one endures. On long races unfit drivers would sometimes give up and throw up from exhaustment. Many would complain of muscle aches in various spots the next day. Countering the constant G-force changes whilst pushing a steering wheel exactly in the right place and moving your body into the right position whilst carefully adjusting foot pedals is quiet a challenge. Later experience in road racing tought me that it's not any better in a race car with power steering - it helps only so much...

F1 drivers are comparable to tri-athletes or at least cross-country skiers or marathon runners. While the overall muscle mass on all these athletes might not compare to an american footbal player, and the maximum force applied in a single "step" isn't comparable either, the sum of force multiplied by time will show that they work (f*t) much more than a american football player (to stick with the previously made example).

I invite you all to attend a driving school somewhere, or simpler yet, take your very own car - with power steering and automatic transmission (mine is manual, oh well) - to a wide open parking lot. Now start driving a (wide) figure 8 pattern with increasing speed. You'll start to get a glimps of what racing is about. My guess is that you're going to be exhausted long before your car reaches it's traction limits (don't try it on wet surfaces - cheating ).

Maybe an active driver (Ross?) can give some more insight into the topic and hopefully someone can dig up some data. Race car drivers are not represented well in this thread.

Cheers,
Andre