Carlos Sainz has given an insight into his increased pre-season training schedule which will help him handle the faster 2017 Formula One cars.
New car designs are in place for the 2017 Formula One season, with a change in the regulations resulting in wider cars with increased levels of downforce. This will lead to faster cornering speeds and higher G-forces.
With drivers increasing the intensity of their training to handle the forces, Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz explained how he aimed to deal with the more physical cars.
Sainz told Formula1.com: “F1 in 2017 is making a big change, and that means the drivers need to prepare a bit better in terms of physical preparation because what we had last year will just not be enough. We now must go some extra miles so to speak.”
“Instead of sessions of 50 minutes, which is normal, mine are between 1.5 and 2 hours – the length of a GP – and we’re working at around 180-190bpm heart rate.
“It also includes boxing and cardio work – it’s relentless and we never stop working during the entire session. It’s full-on physically.”
“We have two ways of training the neck,” he added. “Firstly, we pull and hold weights with it in the gym, which is very similar to what we will do on the track – resisting G-forces, that is – and secondly we are doing specific go-karting, which I do two or three times a week.”
The ‘specific go karting’ involves using a weighted helmet, which adds 1.5 – 2 kg. This helps simulate the increased G forces from Formula One cars.
“[This] corresponds to the kind of extra weight the G-forces will make me feel in F1,” explained Sainz. “[It’s] just one of a complete set of exercises I’m doing to work my neck fitness to the full.”
Whilst the Spaniard is confident in his fitness levels ahead of the new season, he believes some of the more experienced drivers will have the advantage of having previously raced with faster Formula One cars.
“On the one hand, I believe you get to the best physical form of your life when you’re 21 or 22 years old, and that could be good,” he said.
“But on the other hand, some drivers like Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen have already experienced in 2005, 2006 and 2007 the kind of G-forces we will have this year.”
Sainz will enter his third full season in Formula One and will continue to race alongside Daniil Kvyat.
