How difficult is the daily training and racing of an F1 driver? How hard is it to drive an F1 car?
To be honest, it's difficult for the average person to drive an F1 car, even to get started.
As we all know, F1 is the top of the sport.
Since it is the top, the demands on the drivers are also quite high.
First of all, an F1 driver must be extremely physically fit.
Because F1 cars don't have any electronic power systems, like steering power, anti-lock brakes, body stability control, that sort of thing.
This means that even a simple operation such as turning the steering wheel requires at least 30 kilograms of force. So, you better have a pair of very powerful arms.
Similarly, braking is also quite challenging, each brake needs to use 100 kilograms of strength, ordinary people standing may not be able to do it.
In a race, there are hundreds of brakes.
In addition, the rider's heart and lung function should also be very strong. When starting, the driver's heart rate can be as high as 190 beats per minute, and it can also maintain a high speed of 160 beats per minute during the race.
In comparison, the average person's heart rate is usually only 70-90 beats per minute.
But that's not all.
What's more, the driver has to endure extremely high acceleration.
Since F1 cars often reach speeds of around 300 kilometers per hour, the lateral centrifugal force generated during corners is as high as 4 to 6 G.
This means that when turning a corner, the driver is subjected to four to six times their body weight, which causes blood to flow to one side of the body.
By comparison, the overload of a normal roller coaster is only 1.5 gigabytes.
Such a strong centrifugal force puts tremendous pressure on the rider's body, especially on the neck and upper body.
For example, on a high-speed corner, the driver needs to go full speed, turn the steering wheel slightly, and feel 40 kilograms of force trying to twist their head and neck, and the driver must resist this force at all times.
Because of this, racing drivers usually need to carry out a lot of physical training, especially to strengthen the strength of the neck muscles.
Hamilton and Alonso's neck circumference reached 45 cm, while the average person usually has only 38 cm.
In addition to physical fitness, drivers also need excellent driving skills.
If the starting control ability is not strong, the car is easy to stall because of insufficient speed. After all, controlling a starting speed of up to 6,000 RPM is not something that ordinary people can do.
On the track, you have to go fast enough to be safe. Yes, you heard right!
Because only if the speed is fast enough, the tires can generate enough tire temperature downforce to better cut through the air and keep the car on the track.
If the tire temperature is not enough, the grip will be insufficient, it is easy to slip and other problems, if serious, the vehicle will even crash into the guardrail when turning the corner.
Finally, there is no air conditioning inside the race car and the engine is just behind the cab, resulting in temperatures inside the car often exceeding 60 degrees.
For safety, the racers wear a special fireproof suit, but the car is extremely hot. After a race, the total body fat consumption and dehydration will exceed 4 kilograms.
An F1 car can go from 300 km/h to zero in four seconds, and from 100 km/h to a standstill in 1.4 seconds.
Most of the F1 drivers have been in contact with karting training since childhood, and after decades of training, only a few people can finally get on the F1 car.
Therefore, the number of people who become top F1 drivers is very limited.
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