Formula 1 drivers experience extreme conditions in the cockpit of their cars during races, which is why is is very important to stay in peak physical fitness.
During a race, drivers can lose up to five kilos of their body weight which is why it is very important that they take on fluids beforehand.
In between the races they have intense fitness schedules to keep them fit for the season, while most F1 drivers will also have a performance coach alongside them.
Lewis Hamilton has recently reunited with longtime fitness coach Angela Cullen at Ferrari, who he has beside him trackside helping out with his needs. While the drivers can do as much training as they can to prepare for a race, sometimes they can experience extreme conditions during a race.
In the latest season of Drive to Survive, which airs on Netflix on 7 March, George Russell can be seen having a ‘serious’ medical issue during the Singapore Grand Prix.
George Russell has ‘serious’ heatstroke moment in latest Drive to Survive series
One of the toughest races on the F1 calendar for drivers is the Singapore GP, which can see cockpit temperatures reach up to 60°C.
At last years race, Mercedes had to cancel the media commitments of both Russell and Lewis Hamilton post-race because both suffered ‘borderline heatstroke’ due to the excessive temperatures in their cockpit.
Netflix cameras capture Russell, who for all his 128 starts in F1 had never experienced anything like this, as he rushed to an ice both post-race. The Briton said: “My whole skin is tingling” before cameras were sent out of his room and microphones picked him up doing breathing exercises with a team member.
“It was 60 degrees in there. My whole body overheated. I lost 4kg in that race. It’s only afterwards that you realise how serious that was,” said Russell.
The Mercedes cockpit was the subject of controversy last year after Russell and Hamilton complained of excessive heat. The team traced it back to electronics overheating next the driver’s seat, which Mercedes appear to have now rectified in their 2025 challenger.
FIA introduces F1 driver cooling aid for 2025
In a bid to combat excessive cockpit temperatures and as part of the rules introduced to F1 in 2025, the FIA has stipulated that new driver cooling aids must now be used to combat heat exhaustion.
The technology was developed in the wake of the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, when drivers suffered in the heat and humidity with some passing out or vomiting while in the car.
Cooling technology developed by Chillout Motorsport has been homologated by the FIA for use in the cars, with the governing body obligated to increased the minimum weight of the cars by 5kg if the system becomes mandatory.
If ambient temperatures exceed 30.5°C, the FIA can enforce the use of the system by notifying teams 24 hours before the start of a sprint race or race.
Leave feedback about this