The drive for F1 fitness

Being able to handle a car on the limit just isn’t enough; today’s Formula 1 driver needs the strength of a boxer, the reactions of a fighter pilot and the stamina of a long-distance runner.

“It’s very difficult to recreate the environment experienced by a Formula 1 driver,” says Gerry Convy, Juan Pablo Montoya’s trainer.

He’s not referring to the glamorous side of the job, either. Convy is talking about the physical and mental punishment experienced by Formula 1 drivers during a two-hour grand prix. The drivers’ bodies are pulled, yanked and squashed up to 15 times each lap by g-forces that would damage an unprepared body - and all the while they have to drive a Formula 1 car on the limit.

It’s survival of the fittest in the purest sense, because only those able to extract the maximum from themselves and their cars stand a chance of success. “There is nothing quite like driving through a high-speed corner in a Formula 1 car” says Juan Pablo. “There are so many sensations: the speed, the grip levels and the physical forces pulling on the body. If you’re not used to it, the lateral g feels like someone is trying to rip off your head!”

To deal with such extreme demands, a driver has to be physically and mentally prepared in a way that is unique in professional sport. He uses every major muscle group in the body, so he can’t train in one specific way, like a runner might train for the 800 metres, or a swimmer for breaststroke. He needs to have the upper-body strength of a boxer, the reactions of a fighter pilot and the stamina and aerobic fitness of a long distance runner.

”Formula 1 drivers are special athletes,” says Convy. “The physical requirements placed upon them are huge, particularly when you combine the g-forces with the heat that they experience at the hotter races. In Malaysia, for example, the cockpit temperatures reach more than 50 degrees C and the humidity can be 80 per cent, which is extremely demanding.”

A one per cent loss in body fluid seriously affects concentration levels, and in extreme cases drivers can lose up to three and a half litres of fluid during a race. Yet what makes the life of a Formula 1 driver seem so difficult is that compared to other sportsmen and women, who can train 24/7 if they wish, drivers have very little time to prepare.

”Usually,” says Mark Arnall, “Kimi Raikkonen’s Personal Trainer and Therapist, “we get about three or four days in which to work with the drivers during a two-week period between races. A lot of that work is geared towards recovery from the previous race - working out any aches and pains - making the main aim of training during the season maintaining fitness levels and keeping the driver injury free.”

When Kimi and Juan Pablo aren’t racing, they are either testing, travelling or carrying out commercial commitments for Team McLaren Mercedes. To ensure that they get some training continuity, Gerry and Mark travel with them in the hope of grabbing a few hours’ training.

”Sometimes,” says Mark, “we don’t finish training until 10pm. But I’m happy to fit in around Kimi’s schedule and my only concern is that we get whatever I have planned done.”

Kimi and Juan Pablo have very different training programmes, each individually tailored to suit their needs, but both drivers cycle as part of their training programme. The most intensive training period is during the off-season, when they spend more time at home, and it is then that they do lots of cardio and strength work. They look to make improvements year-on-year, with a view to maintaining that new level of fitness during the busier summer months.

”We get to know the drivers really well,” says Arnall. “I live near Kimi in Switzerland and spend a lot of time with him. It was the same with Mika Hakkinen before him: it’s my job to understand what makes them tick and to devise a training programme to suit.”

Convy began working with Juan Pablo in November 2004, when Juan Pablo joined the team. They immediately hit it off and made impressive progress. Through a special diet and exercise regime, Juan Pablo lost six kilos over that winter, but he barely had the chance to reap the benefits because two races into the 2005 season he had a debilitating fall on a tennis court, putting him out of action for six weeks.

”He did a lot of damage to his shoulder,” says Convy. “To begin with he couldn’t move because of the pain, so he went back to Miami to recuperate. The moment he had enough movement to begin training, we worked very hard to get him back in shape. We trained specifically for Barcelona and Monaco. Juan Pablo was in pain from lap one in Spain, but his great spirit and physical and mental strength saw him through.”

McLaren Technology Centre Partner Technogym was able to help Juan Pablo’s neck preparation by giving him a machine it has developed specially for Formula 1 drivers. It involved Juan Pablo sitting in a cockpit and wearing a helmet attached to pulleys. The machine pulls at the neck from different angles, simulating the stresses when on track. It also allowed him to work the stabilising muscles of his shoulders that were damaged.

”The Technogym machine is the only one that comes close to replicating the experiences in the car, as far as the neck muscles go,” says Pedro de la Rosa. “I started using it a year ago and , while nothing actually beats miles in the car to condition yourself, the Technogym machine is very good at giving you some means of preparation.”

The final word on driver fitness is going to come from ITV broadcaster and former McLaren Formula 1 driver (1995) Mark Blundell. He trained recently with Kimi in Switzerland for a TV piece and came away impressed.

”The game has moved on a lot since my day,” says Blundell. “Okay I’m not in the best shape of my life at the moment, but Kimi’s level of fitness was pretty awesome, particularly his aerobic fitness. He’s super, super fit.”

* DIET OVER A GP WEEKEND - The food that keeps the drivers going

Juan Pablo Montoya
Breakfast: High-fibre cereal with chopped bananas, semi-skimmed milk and vitamin tablets Lunch: Chicken with rice and tomatoes Dinner: Pasta with ham and shavings of Grana Padano

Kimi Raikkonen
Breakfast: Porridge with fruit
11am: Fruit and energy bar and protein shake
Lunch: Chicken or salmon with rice and vegetables
Tea: Wholegrain egg sandwich
Dinner: Fish, chicken or beef with rice

* From jet-skiing to bike trails why Kimi & Juan Pablo train outdoors

There is no such thing as a typical training session for a Formula 1 driver. Even when they have time to train regularly during the winter, no two days are the same.

As a general rule, the winter is dedicated to improving aerobic and strength levels, while the summer is spent maintaining them. Consequently, the drivers get fitter and stronger the longer they are in Formula 1.

“The secret is to find exercises that the drivers enjoy,” says Convy. “Juan Pablo always has to be using his brain, so we have done a lot of mountain bike trails. He doesn’t like just sitting on a rowing machine, he prefers to train outdoors. The intense mountain bike trails help him burn up to 1,000 calories in a single session and increase his cardiovascular fitness.”

It’s the same story with Kimi. He prefers the outdoors to being in a gym, so Arnall organises exercises to suit. “Some work has to be done in the gym,” he says, “but we also like to have fun, like standing on rubber balls to improve his core stability. He does a variety of sports like stand up jet-skiing which works all the major muscle groups and focuses on core stability”

* Inside the Fitness and Wellbeing Centre at the McLaren Technology Centre

The team’s drivers are unlikely to find a better gym within easy reach of the facility. With a state-of-the-art gymnasium developed in conjunction with Partner Technogym and a three lane training pool, they have the best equipment to hand.

There are machines focusing on cardiovascular work, upper body, lower body, and the different muscle groups. An assessment room ensures the drivers can concentrate on their individual needs, by creating the correct fitness routine. This is programmed into the Technogym Wellness Key System. By inserting the key into the Fitness Zone machines, the distance, speed and workload are automatically adjusted to the driver's fitness level, and all activity recorded to monitor their improvement.

“It’s a phenomenal set-up,” says Convy. “The Technogym machinery is the best on the market so the team has everything it needs.” But it’s not only the drivers who’ll benefit, as the Fitness and Wellbeing Centre sees Team McLaren Mercedes operating in close co-operation with Direxiv, to create a dedicated team of highly qualified and well resourced individuals with the sole objective of improving and optimising the fitness, health, wellbeing and diet of not only all of the Team McLaren Mercedes Formula One team and drivers but also the e mployees within the McLaren Group.

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