Nearly five months after the Brazilian Grand Prix, Lewis will be getting back to racing as the 2009 Formula 1 season gets underway this coming weekend in Australia. With four long-haul races over the course of one month to kick-start the season, the physical demands placed on Lewis over the next few weeks will be immense. Before leaving for Melbourne the reigning World Champion outlined for readers of f1.renewappenhans.com how he has prepared his body for the challenge.
Lewis, when did you start training in earnest for the 2009 season and what does your programme entail?
"Straight after the end of the season I had a bit of a break, probably around a month, which is important to have to give your body a rest. After that we started to build the programme back up again with the really hard work beginning in January. The Formula 1 schedule is very demanding, whether its the travelling, racing, promotional work and so on, so during the course of the year the opportunities to train are not as frequent as pre-season. As a result the winter period is when I train intensively to build up a base level of fitness that I then continue to build on that during the season.
"Pre-season I will train six days a week up to, and sometimes over, four hours a day. This can range from gym work, mountain biking, cross country running, snow shoeing. We try to get outside as much as possible. These are some pictures that my trainer took earlier this year of us in the mountains."
Why is training such a key element of your preparatory work as a racing driver?
"As a racing driver, you have many different demands that are put on your body and my training programme is designed to minimise these to allow me to perform to the best possible level. These demands range from the cockpit environment, which is tight, cramped and very, very hot to getting over jet-lag. For example, at the Malaysian Grand Prix the temperature in the car is over 50 degrees Centigrade and that is before you take into account the layers of fireproofs and overalls I have on. Australia won't be so warm this year as it is a twilight race, however in this heat, you have to make sure you don't get dehydrated as this can see a drop in concentration and performance levels. We take measures to avoid this, such as carefully monitoring fluid intake to make sure my body gets used to taking in greater amounts of fluid to replace what is lost through sweating in the heat of the cockpit. We also spend time acclimatising to the local time and environmental conditions, when we arrive in a country I will work out as soon as possible with my trainer, Adam, to start this process immediately."
So perhaps people can under estimate the level of fitness that is required to be a Formula 1 driver?
"There does tend to be the perception that Formula 1 drivers don't need to be as fit as any other athlete but I can understand why the perception might be you don't need to be that fit to drive a car exists. But the reality is that Formula 1 drivers are as fit as most Olympic athletes and often our event lasts for much longer. If you take the 100 metres as an example, that is 10 seconds of speed, agility and mental focus and the athletes train appropriately for those requirements. We are under the same pressures for up to two hours and need to maintain the same consistency of performance of the body and mind throughout, and as a result Formula 1 drivers also train appropriately. On top of the general demands, we also have to deal with factors such as G force under braking and accelerating. You might have up to 18 different corners, left and right, on each lap and we have to repeat this over 50 - 70 laps. The resulting stress placed on your body is huge, particularly your neck during a race, as it is not a muscle that tends to be developed in general training."
What is G Force, how does it impact your body?
"Put very simply, G Force is a multiplication of your body weight pulling on your body and the only way I can really describe it is that it can feel like someone is trying to rip your head off. So when the commentator says the drivers are pulling 4 G through this corner it is four times the weight of your head on your neck for the duration of the corner, which can be a couple of seconds or much longer. It has this impact on the whole of your body, the head and neck is just an easy example to explain."
As a reluctant gym go-er myself, can you tell us honestly that you enjoy this part of your job?
"I can honestly tell you I enjoy this part of my job, which is lucky as it takes up a lot of my time! I actually enjoy every part of my job, I am very fortunate to be doing what I have dreamt of doing since I was a kid. I have always liked feeling fit, as I was growing up I was always doing sports. I have a trainer, Adam, who is in charge of my training programme. He travels with me to make sure I can train wherever I am. He also makes sure it is kept interesting and that I am not spending my time cooped up in a gym for hours on end. Training with someone is also very motivation, especially when they are as competitive as Adam! A bike ride is never just a bike ride, it is about getting home first, my competitive streak doesn't only come out on the race track!"
Finally Lewis, do you have a message for all your fans on f1.renewappenhans.com?
"Yes definitely! I want to say a big thank you to everyone for their continued support, it gives me such a positive vibe and I hope everyone is as excited about the start of this new season as I am. Keep checking out the site for regularly updates."
