IS F1 REALLY A SPORT?

Stock Car

If you’re a lover of F1 then you’ve probably heard the words “F1 isn’t a true sport” more times than you may count – of course, if we all had a pound for every time, we could definitely buy our own Formula One team.

Physical Exertion

Is F1 physically demanding? As Formula One fans, we all know the solution. Of course, it is! However, outside of the motorsport bubble, you’ll see why it’d seem like all they are doing is sit and drive. Believe it or not, Formula One drivers are a number of the fittest athletes (yes, athletes) around! An intense amount of exercise goes into getting their bodies fit enough to deal with the stress of an automobile race and it’s time for that outside of the game to acknowledge not just the mental, but the physical strength that these drivers endure. an enormous focus area for fitness in motorsport is neck strengthening, the neck of a Formula One driver has to be able to withstand extreme forces which are adequate around 3-5 times the force of gravity. Adding the burden of their helmets, and therefore the weight of their own head, their necks have to withstand around 35kg of weight. A racing driver’s fitness is so unique, they have to create strength, great flexibility, and mobility, they sit in such a cramped position for a protracted time with only small movements from their hands or legs – cue Nico Hulkenberg saying “my right asscheek is getting a small amount numb.” after I say small movements, they’re still mighty – their legs must generate around 80 kilograms of downward pressure on the foot lever just to induce the car to cut down (a great example of this is often at The Silverstone Experience – highly recommended!) The pedals of an F1 car are ridiculously stiff compared to a standard modern road car. Let’s not chuck what proportion weight Formula One driver loses per race, the combo of maximum heat, humidity, and long stints on the car cause drivers to lose around 2-3 kilograms. Subsequently, each of them also battles dehydration thanks to the provision of liquid not matching up with the quantity of water they lose through perspiration.

Competition

Now, if you’re an F1 fan you most likely read the primary word and thought ‘ha, how on earth is she visiting explain this one!’ and you’d be correct. However, at the core of the game yes – it’s purported to be competitive between not just teams, but individual drivers too. they’re all fighting for points, they’re all fighting for wins, podiums, and championships however few drivers have spoken up about how ‘unfair’ Formula One is, and once you think that from 2014-2020 there have been only three F1 teams that had actually won races there in time, it’s crazy to believe that we will call this sport ‘competitive’. Although, this might all be set to vary with the 2022 regulations coming into play next season – one amongst the objectives was to permit closer racing, and with the stress on simpler wings and creating more downforce, far more closer racing is what we hope to be getting. a value cap of 175m per team per annum is additionally coming in 2022, the ever-expanding gap between the littlest and therefore the largest teams is slowly visiting be closed down. you recognize what meaning right? More chances for various teams to attain more podiums!