“I’ve asked them to turn the heating up because it can get up to around 60 degrees in the cockpit,” says Formula E driver Sam Bird to a group of open-mouthed, anxious people in workout gear. I am one of them – and I’m already sweating buckets. It’s 9am on a Monday morning and I’m about to learn how to train like Bird. As a Formula E driver, he is legitimately one of the fittest people on the planet.
You wouldn’t think driving a car around a race track over and over again required such physical stamina. At least, I didn’t. “They’re drivers, how hard can their workout regimes be?” I texted a friend on my way to upmarket gym BXR, which was hosting the session. “They’re literally sitting down.” It transpires they’re actually doing quite a lot more than that.
“The drivers in Formula E have to maintain a high level of both strength and conditioning to succeed at the top level,” says BXR director Alex Nicholl, who co-created the Formula E workout with Bird. “With no power steering in Formula E’s current race cars, strength is a must. Alongside this, the duration of the race, the high temperatures they experience in the car and the concentration needed are all integral to a high level of conditioning.” While in the car, a driver’s heart rate can soar up to 200 beats per minute – a normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60bpm to 100bpm. “If your conditioning isn’t up to scratch, drivers run the risk of early-onset fatigue and impacting their focus and overall performance on the track,” adds Nicholl.
Denne historien er fra July 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra July 05, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
NFL faces compelling decision as London Games return with Jets vs Vikings
The London Games are back with perhaps the finest NFL quarterback of the last decade and the highest-paid wide receiver in the league set to feature.
Jota seals Liverpool win but talisman Alisson limps off
Alisson Becker remains the king of Selhurst Park, but if he and Virgil van Dijk showed what Liverpool’s title bid will be built on this season, a win at Crystal Palace was perhaps also another indication of why the Reds spent part of this summer looking at the future.
Kovacic's new eye for goal hides Man City's fragility
No prizes for guessing who Manchester City’s top scorer is. Yet the identity of the man second in their standings comes as more of a surprise.
Dominant Saka shows he can lead Arsenal to the title
A classic case of a goal being the worst thing a lesser team could do. Southampton’s joy in Cameron Archer giving them a shock lead only served to awaken Arsenal, who went from a very flat display to one where they came at the visiting side from all angles.
Taliban profits as flights return to Afghan airspace after Iran missile attack
The number of international flights passing through Talibancontrolled Afghan airspace reached a record high this week in the aftermath of Iran's missile attack against Israel.
Villagers torch police camp after claim girl, 9, was raped then murdered in India
A local police camp in India was set on fire by a mob yesterday, just hours after the alleged rape and murder of a nine-year-old girl came to light.
Israel expands airstrikes to bombard northern Lebanon
More than one million people flee homes as fate of man thought to be replacement for Hezbollah leader unclear
Palace 'checking in daily' on teenage cancer patient who shared a hug with princess
A teenage cancer patient given weeks to live is being checked on daily by Kensington Palace after she met the Prince and Princess of Wales last week, her mother has revealed.
Parkrun celebrates 20 years
Event has grown from 13 runners to cover 2,500 locations
Hurricane Kirk aftermath to batter England and Wales
Britain is bracing for the aftermath of a hurricane currently intensifying in the Atlantic Ocean after the Met Office warned its influence will create a period of unsettled weather.