Why F1 Drivers Are the Fittest Athletes in Sports

Formula 1 drivers are not just drivers. They are elite athletes.

A lap of Monaco pushes a driver heart rate to 170 beats per minute for 90 minutes. The cockpit reaches 50 degrees Celsius. The G forces pull their heads sideways with 5G of force. That is like having a 30 kilo weight pulling your neck sideways for two hours.

They train for this. Neck exercises every day. Cardio to maintain heart rate under stress. Core strength to control the car. They lose up to 3 kilos of water during a single race.

Lewis Hamilton trains like a decathlete. Max Verstappen does endurance cycling. Charles Leclerc does mixed martial arts. They are not playing golf on race weekends. They are working.

The idea that racing drivers are not athletes died when fitness became a performance factor. In the 70s, drivers smoked during races. Now they have personal trainers and nutritionists. The sport evolved.