Are F1 drivers elite athletes? Fitness discussion.

Moderation note: discussion about the fitness level of F1 drivers extracted from the Schumacher Injury thread.

Health is #1.

Neither MS nor any current F1 drivers are in super physical condition, lean yes, but nothing special at all. If his caregivers know what they are doing, his weight should not be a major problem, though what muscle he had will certainly atrophy.

 

BS alert!

 

+1

They're unquestionably among the fittest folks on the planet.

'Once upon a time' there was a tv show called, IIRC, 'Superstars' that pitted all kinds of sporting stars from pretty much all disciplines against each other over two or three days of physical challenges. F1 jockeys were consistently among the winners; Speed, strength, agility, endurance etc were all tests that they generally beat out the soccer players & swimmers etc. Much to the surprise of many.....

Further, they're at a much higher fitness level now than when the show was running 30 years back.

Cheers,
Ian

 

I drove a F-1 Driver and his bike from Monaco to Toulon, which is a little over 100 miles. He then biked back from Toulon. After he arrived, he went to the gym and worked on upper body and neck exercises for another 45 minutes. He was tired, but my guess is that he could have then played 3 sets of tennis if he wanted.

These guys are in amazing shape. And it is a full body athleticism. Core, arms, neck, lower body, etc.

 

Wrong and wrong. Many things depend on one's own biased viewpoint and life experience. You guy's are showing yours. 2 points ------ point 1 ------ F1 drivers of today are physical lightweights in more than the obvious way............. point 2 what is needed in MS condition is body mass, mostly trunk muscle and some amounts of fat.

Trunk muscle because it lasts the longest and some fat to sit between the skin and the bone when lying flat constantly, F1 drivers have neither. I happen to be an expert at both these subjects.

for the visual proof of point 1;

F1
http://www.siamsport.co.th/_PicOther/O101230I2P1M.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/14/article-2188255-148A5B00000005DC-458_634x806.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/08/08/article-2023717-0D593EF700000578-708_634x436.jpg

other sports
http://images.dailystar-uk.co.uk/dynamic/63/photos/873000/6873.jpg
http://sp.imgci.com/PICTURES/CMS/22300/22333.jpg
http://images.t-nation.com/forum_images/c/e/ce9dd-football_2.jpg

 

Skinny F1 drivers aren't the strongest athletes, certainly, and I'll leave it to others to argue about which is the most advantageous body type for lying in a coma. "Fitness" has many metrics.

However, as to the question of what do the greatest endurance athletes look like - they look like the guy in this picture. This is the body type of the individuals who make the most watts per kilogram and the most joules per day.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Looks like he is in an advanced stage of AIDS.

I don't care if he could run 100 miles non-stop...he looks like hell.

 

You claim to be an expert, and yet you doubt the simple statement that F-1 drivers are among the fittest people on the planet? Have you seen the WalMartians? Have you walked into the nearest mall, or just walked the street of any town or city in the world? When considering overall fitness, I'd say that F-1 athletes are in the top tenth of 1% of all people on the planet. Maybe the top 1/100th of one percent.

You say that F-1 athletes are "physical lightweights?" Come on man.

Have you ever driven any type of race car for more than a couple of laps? Hell, just drive a Go-Kart for 10 laps, and then tell me you are not exhausted.

Of course, F-1 drivers are not sprinters with muscles like Usain Bolt or Tyson Gay. Nor are they "specimens" like Larry Fitzgerald or Jadaveon Clowney. But they are world class athletes who are among the fittest people on the planet. Most "experts" would recognize this.

 

You are not that far off. The ravages of a disease, or the ravages of an endurance sport (ultra marathon, century bike ride, etc) appear very similar. Zero body fat, dehydration, malnutrition... some of the things are the same. Difference of course being, the athlete will recover after their body is subjected to the endurance test. And the athlete's body is accustomed to the recovery process. In that sense, MS has a definite advantage IMO.

 

+1

Hambone:

Instagram
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Schumacher (BIG):
http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--ptIxxFU5--/18n3hta0j5osyjpg.jpg
http://imalbum.aufeminin.com/album/D20080508/423462_P1Y4PWU5VZ45UF4IUKKTB62OSLCM5G_0070724_H145421_L.jpg
http://literalf1.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/KGrHqQOKpUE7G+V8BRBPSWRvwkw60_35.jpeg

 

He does look like hell, it's an extreme and NOT healthy or appealing. Spend a litle more time in the H&F section. https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/143052103-post13.html

I know about people lying in a bed in a coma like state for extended periods of time, I know everything about it and how to overcome the challenges it poses.

 

You don't know who you are talking to. You seem to assume we are in the same boat. Like I said I am the expert on this subject. I did not stay in a Holiday Inn last night but I did ride my R1 for the length of the typical F1 race yesterday morning.

Lewis is probably the best of F1 today, top of the F1 field, but I didn't choose pure strength athletes in my pics, just impressive athletes from other sports. The gulf could be even wider if I did. F1 guys as a group are not impressive, for strength, musculature, or endurance except maybe for neck muscles.

 

Glad to hear that since you are apparently not an expert in English grammar.

 

I would say all current f1 drivers are within 5% of each other strength/endurance wise. They are incredibly fit. Not for endurance? How are we comparing exactly? To a marathon winner? Someone that can finish one?

It makes no sense for an F1 driver to be able to lift 150kg, nor does it make sense for them to be able to run 10 hours continuesly. They need to be able to perform for 2 hours in 40 to 60c degrees at 100% concentration (fitness).

They all have very specific diets, training routines, bedtimes...you name it. The average F1 driver puts in between 5 to 6 hours of fitness a day.

 

Please feel free to enlighten us on your credentials.

I will happily tell you that I am not in any boat.

And, if you really think that F-1 drivers are not among the fittest people on the planet and if you think that F-1 drivers are physical "lightweights" then perhaps you should stay in a Holiday Inn Express.

Or, perhaps you are just bad at math. Right now there are probably 40 people who have a F-1 Superlicense. And there are over 7 billion people on earth. Among the fittest seems to be understating it.

 

If true about the 5-6 hours, then they are wasting a lot of their time. The average infantryman needs to do more work than what you say above, and probably has more muscle mass. F1 guys are just not very impressive when compared against elite athletes. But yes they are lean and fit and compare favorably to the Walmartians. Botton line for this thread is MS is not in an advantageous position for what he is dealing with vs. a truly top athlete.

 

They certainly are some of the more fortunate folks on the planet, with parents that brought them to a track as little tykes and caught someone's eye, but don't confuse that with some form of fitness. I think that is enough fitness talk for this thread.

H&F section is always open.

 

Well said. I think it's obvious that F1 drivers are some of the fittest and most well-rounded athletes out there.

Who was it?

 

I have to assume that teams that go so far as to run wind tunnels 24/7 and retain an army of exceptional engineers in search of that 1/100 of a second, make absolutely certain that their drivers aren't in the best possible physical condition for the task at hand.

 

Perfect explanation +1

 

Your points are laughable. You're comparing football players to F1 drivers. Two different goals and 2 different body types altogether. Physical conditioning has absolutely nothing to do with body mass. Just because someone has bulked up doesn't mean their in better health than a race car driver.

F1 drivers have to be a certain size and weight. Just because their abs dot show doesn't mean they have a weak core.

Unless yourwe just not explaining yourself well, your claim is just flat wrong. And MS weighed, what 145-155 lbs. That's what he should weigh for a healthy person for his size. It makes no sense for him to weigh any more.

 

just my quick input on this-
The forces the F1 the drivers work against are amazing. Who here has actually raced in a race kart... not in just practice or having fun, but in actual competition against others? Those are the ones who'd best -in my opinion have some of the most appreciation of what F1 drivers and the like physically must do. My first time in a race prepped kart I lasted only 6 laps before I got literally- worn out and I've always been 'fit'. Your mind and body must be synchronous while each part needing to be able to function at its highest for that entire period of time. The mind must not tire out or be over-taxed if the body cannot keep up and visa versa. Once the body starts to fatigue due to the g-forces applied to the body and complete motions cannot be made to turn & etc or the mind slips concentration- that's it. Those of privilege who race F1 and on the highest levels choose to push their minds and bodies to that higher level. I've had several 'fit' friends run in my kart at our local track and always get the same response of how much they underestimated how 'easy' it was going to be.

back to MS updates.....

 

Check your pm.

 

Wasting their time? Are you serious right now? F1 drivers have the best, most highly trained personal trainers, Dietitians and whoever else in their employ to simply have them in top physical shape...and you find that they're all wasting their time?

You either need to send your resume to all F1 teams and rake in millions creating free time for drivers yet be in the right shape for F1, or you need to reevaluate yourself as proclaiming that you're ''a real expert on this subject''.

F1 drivers don't spend 6 hours a day working out because it's fun. It's pure necessity.

 

Wow man.....crazy comments. Relax.