F1 is considered one of the most physically and mentally demanding sports on the planet. The extreme physical demands of driving an F1 car are due to the high speeds and G-forces experienced by drivers, which require incredible strength and endurance from the neck and core muscles.
It might, to the casual onlooker, seem like an easy sport with cars just going round and round a track but hopefully now you realise that it takes a lot of work to be able to do, making F1 one of the toughest sports in the world.
However a footballer always has 10 other guys to help out if he isn't 100%, whereas (assuming car and pit crew are up to the job) the F1 driver only has himself. So in that respect I'd say that that F1 is far more physically and mentally demanding than football.
An F1 driver needs strength to keep the car on the road. One area of the body that has to be strengthened are the muscles of the neck. With the G-forces pushing on the body it becomes harder for drivers to hold their heads upright.
F1 drivers need immense amounts of strength and endurance to withstand searing heat in the cockpits and control their cars at speeds of more than 200 mph. Their tough training regimes reflect this need – with lots of strength training, core conditioning, flexibility and cardiovascular workouts.
Some drivers even employ personal trainers and nutritionists to help them stay in peak physical condition. An F1 driver experience G-forces of up to 5g, which puts a lot of strain on their body. This high level of stress requires the drivers to have exceptional strength, endurance, and reaction time.
A race takes almost 80 to 100 minutes to complete. Imagine the continuous stress and alertness a driver has to maintain throughout the laps on the track! This is why Formula 1 drivers are considered to be the fittest in the world. At that speed, the human body receives huge gravitational force.
According to Sports Virsa, the top 10 hardest sports in the world to play in 2022 are as follows: Boxing (hardest), American football, mixed martial arts, ice hockey, gymnastics, basketball, soccer, wrestling, rugby, and water polo.
Is Formula 1 harder than boxing? ESPN has listed 60 common sports and ranked them according to how tough they are. Boxing is the clear winner. Auto racing (F1) comes up at number 32.
During a race a driver is exposed to up to five times gravity pushing down on them, making it harder to breathe, pump blood around their body and move their arms and legs.
Formula One is traditionally perceived as a masculine sport, but an increasing number of women are busting stereotypes and beginning to reshape this largely male-dominated landscape. In January this year, Liberty Media, the sport's new owners, announced an end to the practice of using grid girls in the sport.
Soaring viewership means the sport is also reaching new audiences. The 2021 season, which featured one of the most thrilling championship battles in history, averaged 949,000 U.S. viewers, according to ESPN. The 2022 season beat that by 28%, topping 1 million viewers on average per race for the first time.
A history of Formula One, the world's most prestigious car race.
An average person's resting heart rate is around 60-100bpm. However, during an F1 race, drivers' heart rates can increase to around 160-200bpm, meaning a driver must be able to handle this kind of strain on their cardiovascular system.
#1 Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton is the fittest, most stylish and iconic person on and off the race track. Hamilton believed that fitness sessions should be more of fun and less of stress exercises and maybe that is the reason he enjoys it to the level, that he maintains the best physique.
One of the body part that experience a lot of force is the driver's neck. Formula 1 drivers have very strong necks. Fernando Alonso once demonstrated how strong by cracking an almond with his neck !
But even he famously said that hitting a baseball is the hardest thing to do in sports. So why is that the case? For one, the physics are extreme. The velocity of the average fastball in the Major Leagues is more than 90 miles per hour.
A race takes almost 80 to 100 minutes to complete. Imagine the continuous stress and alertness a driver has to maintain throughout the laps on the track! This is why Formula 1 drivers are considered to be the fittest in the world.
Drivers should consume mainly wholegrain complex carbohydrate, which provide more sustainable energy to be used throughout longer training days and racing. Foods like oats, brown rice and some cereals are wholegrain and provide a source of fibre, in addition to vitamins and minerals.
Put simply, no they don't. Interestingly it is not actually banned in the official rules but it is not done by any driver due to the safety risks surrounding it. F1 cars can accelerate from 0–60mph in just 2.6 seconds so listening to music would distract them from driving at such high speeds.
Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium
Eau Rouge and Radillion are the most dreaded corners of F1. This track is known for its high-speed corners and unpredictable weather, making it a challenging circuit for even the most experienced drivers.