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Dreaming of Replacing Nikita Mazepin? Watch a Few F1 Drivers Do Fitness Training First

Red Bull has recently shared a video of several Formula 1 drivers during their physical training sessions. While it is not news that F1 drivers have specific training to help them deal with the forces they endure in a racing car, it is a good reminder of a portion of what it takes to race in the most expensive form of motorsport in the world.
F1 driver pre-season traning 31 photos
Photo: Screenshot from Facebook video by Red Bull
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One of the most stressed body parts during a Formula 1 race is the neck, which needs to be able to handle incredible forces. An F1 car may reach up to 5G, which is not a term for mobile network performance only, but also for experiencing five times your body weight. With a helmet on your head, by the way.

While most regular people might stand this for a brief period, Formula 1 drivers have to endure this throughout the race, which means almost two hours of neck-twisting action. For each race, every single time, you must also control steering, braking, acceleration, and also watch your mirrors.

Suddenly, racing in Formula 1 is not as easy as it appears, right? It is more difficult than watching it from the couch or even from the grandstand. In the case of the latter, fans get to experience a part of what the drivers are feeling in terms of air humidity and air pressure.

If the air pressure is extremely low, you might feel a bit dizzy, while high air pressure will result in a feeling similar to a headache.

F1 driver pre\-season traning
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by Formula 1
Drivers cannot train for that, but they do train for extreme temperatures, which is why most go to a sauna to accustom themselves to heat, not to mention the humidity. Both can take a toll on a human body, and the forces we described above still exist.

Moreover, drivers will also have to manage to steer while also maneuvering pedals, which is why they will work out in a custom device that blends both, but has weights at the end. Instead of attempting to become buff, drivers will focus on having stamina and strength, as having too much muscle mass will be detrimental to their performance. They must also watch what they eat.

Ideally, an F1 driver would be short and thin, but with incredible strength and stamina. You cannot change your height, so if you are tall, you will have to compensate somehow, if you ever manage to reach that level in motorsport.

Another important body area exercised by Formula 1 drivers is the core, which refers to both abdominal muscles and all the muscles on the torso.

F1 driver pre\-season traning
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube video by Formula 1
Drivers need to be able to withstand the forces that their vehicles take them through during each corner, and it does not stop until the checkered flag is waved, and the racing car is back in the paddock.

Even if you do not see this on the driver's social media stream, you should know that any driver involved in Formula 1 today, as well as in the last decade, if not even further back, has done at least one form of physical training.

Many have strict diets, which include restrictions not only in the holiday off-season, but also on Christmas day, so keep that in mind if you love eating fat on special occasions and also dream of being an F1 racer. It is not just Red Bull drivers who train this way, just in case you forgot.

F1 driver pre\-season traning
Photo: Screenshot from Facebook video by Red Bull
So, in case you were dreaming of replacing Nikita Mazepin, you should know that your issue is not just related to money, or to having limited (let's not go into detail) racing experience, but also being unfit to race. Is that sad? Maybe just a bit, but we suggest taking a look in the mirror and being honest to yourself about your abilities and your medical condition.

Before anyone is triggered by what I just wrote, I would like to remind you that this comes from someone who admits he would “probably” not fit in a Formula 1 car today. I am also too old to start racing in F1, as I am closer to Lewis's age than to Max's, if you know what I mean, so there's that.

With that being written, we now have an article to link whenever someone claims to be able to do a better job in an F1 car than any driver on the grid. Now, time to check out the 2022 liveries and rank them.


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Editor's note: For illustration purposes, the photo gallery shows screen shots from various videos regarding F1 driver training, as well as images of 2022-season Formula 1 cars.

About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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