Scribd
Upload
28 views1 page

Physiological Demands of Auto Racing Drivers

The document discusses the physiological and environmental demands faced by auto racing drivers, highlighting their higher maximal oxygen consumption and strength compared to non-drivers. It addresses factors such as fatigue, cardiovascular responses, heat risk, hydration needs, and the impact of sleep and jet lag on driver performance. The authors call for further research to optimize training and health for drivers in extreme motorsport conditions.

Uploaded by

Alex Buoite Stella
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
28 views1 page

Physiological Demands of Auto Racing Drivers

The document discusses the physiological and environmental demands faced by auto racing drivers, highlighting their higher maximal oxygen consumption and strength compared to non-drivers. It addresses factors such as fatigue, cardiovascular responses, heat risk, hydration needs, and the impact of sleep and jet lag on driver performance. The authors call for further research to optimize training and health for drivers in extreme motorsport conditions.

Uploaded by

Alex Buoite Stella
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Alex Buoite Stella1, Andrea Ferrari1, Gamal Soliman1, Chris J.

Tyler2
1 Department of Medicine, Surgery and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Italy
The exercising body
over 300 km/h:
2 University of Roehampton, London, UK

physiological and environmental


demands in auto racing drivers
ሶ𝑽O2max
McKnight et al. (2019) reported that
F1 (62 ± 6 mL·kg-1·min-1) and
IndyCar (58 ± 6 mL·kg-1·min-1)
drivers have higher
maximal oxygen consumption
values than IMSA GTD drivers (45
± 2 mL·kg-1·min-1) Strength
Backman et al. (2005) reported that
open-wheel drivers had stronger
right and left flexion (283 ± 62 N
and 273 ± 46 N) than healthy, fit
non-drivers (222 ± 49 N, 234 ± 37

Fatigue N).

Considering the mass of the head and


helmet (~6.4 kg) (Reid and Lightfoot,
2019), the estimated lateral
load placed on neck and shoulder
muscles during a 4 g corner is ~251

Cardiovascular
N and this can increase to an antero-
posterior load over 320 N during
5 g breaking (critical load on the lower
limbs ~890 kg per lap)
In F1, mean HR was 73% of
HRmax, with HR peaking during the
“green light” phase at the start (92% of
HRmax). HR remained elevated 15
min after completion of the race,

Metabolic
averaging 147 beats·min-1 (Tornaghi et
al., 2023)

O2 uptake during driving


is often similar to that during
submaximal cycling (161 – 200 Watts)
and running (8.5 minute per mile
pace) (Ainsworth et al., 2011) but it can

Heat risk
be higher (~11 METS) during Indy Car
Road driving (Jacobs and Olvey, 2000;
Jacobs et al., 2002)

During the F1 GP2023 using the


estimated UTCI (Blazejczyk et al.,
2012), drivers faced a moderate
heat stress in 7/22 Grand
Prix and a strong heat stress in
Hydration 1/22 Grand Prix

Sweat rates of more than 1 L·h-1 have


been observed in F1 drivers (Walker,
Ackland and Dawson, 2001; Watkins,
2006) which would equate to ~ 2 L
during a race if no fluid was consumed

Sleep
Sleep deprivation and circadian
dysregulation may further impair
recovery and promote the
development of fatigue (Reilly et al.,
2007; Fullagar et al., 2023)

Jet lag
Among the jet lag symptoms,
appetite loss and gastrointestinal
distress might be present and
persist time after the arrival (Duboc,

Next steps
Coffin and Siproudhis, 2020).

Motorsports are characterized by


extreme conditions, requiring
specific capacities to the drivers.

High metabolic demands,


acceleration/deceleration forces,
thermal stress and frequent travels
recommend further research to
support and optimize drivers’
training and health

You might also like