Driver fitness training

WE TALK TO ANDREA FERRARI AND PIERLUIGI DELLA BONA, FITNESS TRAINERS FOR CHARLES LECLERC AND CARLOS SAINZ

Physical fitness is a key contributor to a Formula 1 driver’s performance on track. The top level of racing requires not only natural ability, but also extraordinary physical and mental strength. Therefore, there’s a team of experts working with the drivers to manage hard training sessions, recuperation therapies and constant management of their general health, starting with their diet. Andrea Ferrari works with Charles Leclerc and Pierluigi Della Bona with Carlos Sainz to help them operate at the optimum level throughout the season, especially in the toughest races, such Singapore, the second of the upcoming back-to-back pair of races.

What forms the basis of a driver’s preparation?

As in every sport, physical preparation is based on condition and coordination skills. Then, particular attention is paid to aspects specific to motor racing and the specific needs of each individual driver. Cognitive work is also important, such as speeding up reaction times and managing performance anxiety.
PDB. We work on physical condition and cognitive areas. Condition means working on strength, resistance and joint mobility or flexibility. The cognitive elements are a bit harder to train and improve, but they are worked on constantly while preparing the driver. They concern the speed of reflex, speed of execution and adaptation to any external stimulus. At speed in the car, these elements can make the difference and lead to one driver being able to react quicker than another. Concentration can be improved by combining these two types of skills. The idea is to stress the driver, making him run, while at the same time getting him to do exercises that stimulate reflexes, quick thinking and concentration.

What are the differences in how a driver trains away from the races and at the races?

AF. Most of the preparation is done away from the races, when there is more time for in depth and targeted training. This approach allows for more detailed work on all aspects of a driver’s performance. At the race track, it’s about fine tuning, a precise job that aims to remove any distractions so as to allow the driver to focus completely on driving. Apart from that, at the track there are specific sessions built around the driving, such as physical and cognitive activation exercises along with recovery sessions involving massage, cooling prior to going out on track and recovery.  
PDB. At the track, there’s usually a 30 minute session involving stretching, mobility and light activation of the abdominals, then a full 10 to 12 minutes of real activation prior to every session, combining everything: muscular and mental work and awakening reflexes. Away from the track, training is more rigorous, including a lot of gym work, cycling, strength resistance and cardiovascular work and specific exercises aimed at the neck and abdomen. With Carlos for example, the work carried out on his core proved valuable at the time of his appendectomy earlier this year. Apart from time spent on the simulator, there is always light work on mobility, muscle stretching and training aimed at reflexes, speed and various cognitive abilities.

What do the recovery sessions consist of?

AF. These are aimed mainly at rapidly restoring a driver’s physical condition after intense effort, trying to reduce recovery time as much as possible. These involve several essential components, such as massage sessions to alleviate muscle tension and promote circulation, a balanced diet aimed at replenishing spent energy and sufficient night sleep to promote physical and mental regeneration. In addition, physiotherapy sessions and low impact training are included, specifically designed to maintain physical activity without further stressing the body. All these methods together ensure the driver recovers well, ready to face new challenges.  
PDB. There are various types of recovery: nutritional, hydration and physical. In terms of nutrition, a driver must be taught how to drink to replace fluids lost and he also needs an intake of protein in the form of sugars mixed with milk or yoghurt after each session. Massages focus mainly on the neck and lumbar area, after which we do mobility and stretching because flexibility and muscle plasticity means you feel less pain. Then, at the really hot races, recovery sessions involve ice baths as cooling is one of the best ways to vascularise muscles and the entire cardiovascular system.

A driver’s diet is very important: how is it structured and how strict is it in terms of maintaining an ideal weight?

AF. Diet is crucial when it comes to optimising performance and speeding up recovery. It’s important for the driver to maintain a constant weight over the course of the season and over a race weekend, without fluctuating. The diet is worked out in conjunction with a nutrition biologist. There has to be a constant dialogue between the driver and his team, because while we try and fit in with a driver’s preferences and tastes, the plan still has to be based on energy needs and on limiting weight fluctuation. So, while giving the driver all the energy he needs, at the same time one has to control the amount and type of food so as to help him maintain and control his weight.  
PDB.  In my opinion, diet is as important as physical and mental strength and maybe even outweighs physical training. I believe it’s vitally important to get a driver used to eating properly. His diet is like that of any other athlete, with protein intake the main element, while not ignoring all the other nutritional elements such as sugars, carbohydrates and saturated fats. This diet also pays close attention to mineral salts and vitamins with the use of supplements. We work with a team of professionals when it comes to nutrition. Carlos and I work with the dietician Andrea Masullo with whom we agree a diet plan at the start of the year based on the driver’s tastes and needs which we then stick to at the races and in Maranello.

What are the trickiest races and why?

AF. Without a doubt the toughest races are those where the weather has a significant effect on driver performance, in other words where it’s very hot and humid, such as Singapore or last year in Qatar. Another area of difficulty in my opinion are those races in a time zone very different to Europe. Here sleep management is vital as sleep deprivation can have a serious impact on a driver’s performance and so we try and prepare to adapt to this challenge as much as possible. 
PDB. I believe each race has its own set of challenges and difficulties to deal with and we have to be ready to face whatever each track throws us. The driver is used to driving for a maximum of two hours and, that apart, some tracks are long and others are short, some are hotter and more humid than others. On very long tracks where there are not too many gravitational loads because there are fewer laps in a race distance, concentration is much more important than physical abilities and strength. On shorter tracks where the driver tackles more laps and therefore more corners, gravitational loads on the core and the abdomen are higher, so apart from concentration, muscular strength comes into play.

How do you help the drivers deal with major time zone changes?

AF. Time zone difference can make some races harder to manage and one has to organise things so that the driver gets the right amount of rest. Before the start of the season, we work carefully with the Scuderia Ferrari HP Logistics Department to choose the most appropriate flights. On the long haul flights we pay close attention to nutrition and hydration, also avoiding too much exposure to light sources from computers and other devices.  
PDB. The main thing is to rest prior to, during and after going into a different time zone. Thankfully we work with Med-Ex, the team’s health partner and so we can count on their large and well prepared team, which also includes a neurologist who is a great help with this topic. There are some techniques to deal with long flights and jet lag such as exposure to sunshine, adapting to the new time zone while on the flight, reading a book rather than looking at the blue light from devices and phones; eating at the meal times of the destination country as much as possible; using supplements such as melatonin for the entire trip so as to get used to the time zone and then back into your normal rhythm at home.

How often do you update your methodologies?

It’s always important to keep on top of developments. New research and studies are always being published that lead to new methodologies. The technology we use is also constantly evolving and you have to keep up to date. As I also teach at a university I have access to a wide range of information, studies and technology and I can put this to use in my professional practice.
PDB. In any job, it’s important to keep up to date. At Med-Ex we have dedicated training days and working with specialist doctors such as Fred Fernando and Alessandro Biffi, I can collaborate with many sports doctors, who specialise in various disciplines, cardiologists as well as other physiotherapists and sports trainers. I also think it’s important to take an interest in the type of training the driver does, getting away from the usual routine, so that even walking around the city where the race is held, or playing padel, tennis or 7-a-side football are useful, the latter also as a team building exercise.

You run the driver’s training but what do you do to keep fit?

AF. I definitely embarked on these studies because I love sport and therefore I’m happy to train and don’t consider it a burden. For example, I put my training to use to fuel my love of triathlon with non-competitive sessions as well as taking part in actual races.  
PDB. I have always thought, especially when working with younger drivers, that if I want them to do what I say, I have to set an example, so I train as much as they do, if not a bit more. I do that because Carlos and the other drivers compete in a sport with a lot of stress, undergoing pressures that go beyond those experienced in everyday life, so generally they are stronger than us. How do I train? A bit of triathlon, crossfit, some long distance work and a bit of snorkeling. Actually, I practice several sports but these are my favourites, these and football, a sport which I’ve played for 26 years. 

 

45 year old Andrea Ferrari was born in Viareggio, Italy. He graduated in Motor Sciences in Florence and has a Masters Degree in Clinical Posturology. In 2000, he started working at a driver training centre in Viareggio, with youngsters in junior racing categories, following them up the racing ladder, eventually working in Formula 1. A key moment came when he started working with the late Jules Bianchi and this led him to join Ferrari in 2010, working with the students in the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. Apart from this work, Ferrari also lectures on athlete preparation in the University of Pavia. He met Charles Leclerc when the Monegasque was just 11 years old and began working with him in 2015 when he was in Formula 3. The following year, Leclerc joined the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy. Over the years, Andrea’s work with Leclerc has evolved as the driver’s needs have changed as he moved to higher categories, having to adapt each time to a different type of car, longer race weekends, with more time in the car requiring a change to the physical and mental requirements. Andrea has been on this journey with Charles, meeting these new challenges.  

31 year old Pierluigi Della Bona lives in Ceprano, Italy. He has a degree in Motor Sciences, with a specialty in preventative and adapted motor activities, as well as a diploma in masso-physiotherapy, a modern branch of physiotherapy. In 2014 he worked in the field of football, as a motor trainer and athletic coordinator in a sports club. In 2018, he joined Med-Ex, Scuderia Ferrari HP’s medical partner. At first he worked as a clinician in the performance laboratory and began working with the Formula 1 team, supporting colleagues at employee medical appointments, while working on his physiotherapy skills. In 2019, he began working at the Scuderia Ferrari Driver Academy training camps for junior drivers and in 2021, he attended races to work with its drivers including Arthur Leclerc, Oliver Bearman and Dino Beganovic. 
In 2021, during the pandemic, Carlos Sainz’s then trainer was unable to leave the UK and so, through MedEx Della Bona was tasked with overseeing Sainz’s pre-season preparation and has worked with the Spaniard since his first year with Ferrari. 

“Working with a new driver is challenging, especially in adapting to their behavioural and mental habits. It is important to find the right approach for each athlete, finding out how best to understand their mentality and character.”