Formula 1 is the pinnacle of international single seater car racing. It is a sport where every thousandth of a second counts.
There is a common belief that competing in formula 1 does not require as much athleticism as sports like football or basketball do because it is just racing a car. This however is completely untrue, since Formula 1 is easily one of the most physically strenuous sports to exist.
Formula 1 drivers lose up to 4 kilograms of weight in a single race through sweat alone. They face about 2Gs of force when accelerating the car from a standing start and about 4 - 6Gs of force at every corner of the track since they are braking at the end of long straights and making sharp turns at a speed of around 270km/h. Along with these prolonged forces, the intense heat in the cockpit of the car produced by the engine contributes to the weight loss of the drivers. Drivers have their bodies trained to withstand such tremendous forces for up to even 2 hours, while for any average human bearing these forces for even a few seconds would be intolerable!
F1 drivers are also known to have superhuman reflexes. They have a reaction time which is generally 3 times faster than an average human. This reaction time is needed to make swift turns and avoid crashes. Having speedy reflexes also assists a driver in gaining an advantage during race starts. The drivers also need to be aware to interpret and react quickly to the flags waved by marshals on the side of the track (such as a yellow flag which indicates hazardous conditions on the track).
Drivers also have to maintain their weight and remain on a strict diet throughout the year since carrying less weight will help the car accelerate faster, even if the weight of the paint on an F1 car is too much it can slow the car down by a few hundredths of a second, so you can understand the effects any extra weight on a driver would have on the acceleration of the car! Therefore, it is vital for drivers to be at the peak of their physical fitness and maintain an optimum weight.
Just driving a formula one car is so physically and mentally taxing, racing it requires another level of talent. To face an extreme amount of force while simultaneously placing your car strategically on the track, being completely aware of your surrounding cars, keeping an eye on the flags being waved by marshals and communicating with your team on the pitwall is not something an average human is equipped to do.
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