Speed, Sweat, and Science — The Physiological Challenges of Formula 1
Explaining the psychology of stress, and how it affects F1 drivers — from managing heat stress in Qatar to meeting weight requirements throughout the season.
Welcome to my new series, “Research on Racers,” where I analyse and explain academic articles about the psychology of motorsports.
As a Clinical Psychology student, I’m always digging into the psychological impacts of competing in Formula 1 — what does it take to compete with the best and, importantly, what are the risks to the body and mind?
Jill Colangelo is a researcher at the University of Bern who studies sports psychiatry, specifically the relationship between mental health and extreme sports. Given how niche motorsports participation is, there isn’t much research on the effects of competing in such a sport.
However, Colangelo and her colleagues (2024) recently published a paper discussing the psychiatric risks of competing in F1. The article discusses potential risk factors for the development of psychiatric and mental health concerns in F1 — let’s talk about it.
Formula 1 and the Psychology of Stress
If you’ve ever studied psychology, then you’re probably aware of the Yerkes-Dodson Curve — it represents how different levels of stress affect one’s performance.
Stress, to a certain degree, can be beneficial for performance. If you’re someone who likes to start studying a few days before a test, it might be because you benefit from working under a tighter deadline. The additional — but manageable — stress motivates you to study.
But if you wait until the night before the test, you might become overwhelmed and anxious, making it difficult to focus. Too much stress can be detrimental to one’s performance. It’s important to learn how to operate within your own personal threshold for stress.
This same principle can be applied to F1 — a certain amount of stress can be beneficial to drivers, but too much stress can lead to negative outcomes.
Our bodies regulate stress through a system called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. When the brain recognises a stressful situation, it sends signals to the body to release a hormone called cortisol.
Cortisol is involved in coordinating the body’s stress response by increasing blood sugar in the body, increasing alertness, and suppressing “non-essential functions” such as the immune system and metabolism.
Exposure to high levels of stress over long periods of time can make the HPA axis go awry, producing too much cortisol in the body and, eventually, blunting the brain’s response to stress.
F1 drivers are constantly exposed extreme conditions through racing, and research has shown that motorsports racing is linked to increased cortisol levels in the body. Therefore, it’s important to identify potential stressors in F1 and how drivers can cope with them.
Facing Heat Stress
F1 drivers put their bodies under a lot of stress. They train to race in several different climates and altitudes. For example, Mexico offers a unique challenge to drivers due to its high altitude — the air is thinner, making fatigue hit quicker.
Heat stress is a significant concern for F1 drivers. Tracks such as Singapore and Qatar require drivers to acclimate to the temperature.
On top of high temperature conditions, the drivers’ fireproof suits and heat generated from the cars also contribute to heat stress. Race suits are coated with a fibre called Nomex, which can withstand up to 800°C for a short period of time.
Without proper preparation, heat stress can lead to dehydration and sickness. Research suggests that core body temperature while driving is negatively associated with hand-eye coordination and vigilance — drivers have more difficulty coordinating their movement and paying attention as their body temperature increases.
One way drivers can prepare for heat stress is through ice baths.
Ice baths are commonly used for muscle recovery after intense exercise. F1 drivers are typically seen using ice baths to prepare for hot climate races.
Williams performance coach Ben Jacobs has stated that ice baths help with reducing core body temperature, reducing stress levels, and enhancing focus.
Additionally, F1 cars have a drinks system to help prevent dehydration while racing. Unfortunately, drinks tend to heat up significantly by lap five, making them less than pleasant to sip.
There are also instances of a driver’s drink system failing, leaving them with no hydration for the duration of a race. Charles Leclerc was unable to drink water during the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix due to a malfunction.
Other drivers developed more creative solutions to combat heat stress. F1 performance coach Mark Arnall stated:
“With [Kimi Raikonnen], we worked with a company based in Switzerland that created a cooling product. It was a liquid and I used to soak Kimi’s undershirts in it before sessions. It lasted pretty much 40 to 45 minutes in terms of cooling and after that it wore off. But if I could prevent dehydration kicking in for as long as possible at the start of the race, and if he could retain fluid longer than anyone else, I could potentially create an advantage for him.”
There are certainly conditions when drivers should not be racing. Remember the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix?
Many drivers suffered from heat exhaustion due to the extreme heat. Former Williams driver Logan Sargeant had to retire from the race due to heatstroke and intense dehydration.
Lance Stroll and Alex Albon sought medical attention for heat exhaustion, both struggling to exit their vehicles post-race. Stroll claimed he was “passing out in the car” during the race.
Esteban Ocon revealed he “felt ill” by lap 15 of the race, and had vomited inside his helmet because of the temperature.
George Russell claimed temperatures reached up to 50°C in the car. He couldn’t keep his hands on his steering wheel because it was too hot.
Russell, who also heads the Grand Prix Driver’s Association, spoke out about the conditions following the race:
“Over 50% of the grid said they were feeling sick, couldn’t drive and were close to passing out. You don’t want to be passing out at the wheel when you are driving at 200mph, and that is how I felt at times.”
Ultimately, the FIA decided to move the Qatar Grand Prix from October to December to combat the extreme temperatures.
Car Troubles
F1 drivers also face stress from the cars themselves. G-force is the force F1 drivers face when accelerating, decelerating, or changing direction. Unlike other racing series, F1 cars generate up to 5G due to greater downforce and high cornering speeds.
F1 drivers can face higher amounts of G-force if they crash — at the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix, Franco Colapinto crashed into the barriers with a 50G impact.
Research suggests that exposure to G-force can impact the human body, making it more difficult to breathe, more effortful to pump blood to the brain, and can lead to tunnel vision.
To deal with the effects of G-force, F1 drivers need to train their neck muscles to hold their head in place.
For example, George Russell trains wearing a weighted helmet designed to replicate the conditions he’ll face when driving.
Vibrations can also be an issue for F1 drivers — these are typically caused by bumps on the track, which are transmitted through the car to the driver’s body.
There are situations where the car may cause too many vibrations, making it unsafe for the driver. During the 2022 season, drivers described issues with porpoising, which occurs when the car bounces on its suspension while the wheels stay grounded.
The issue came to a head during the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where multiple drivers reported experiencing pain while driving.
Pierre Gasly went to the hospital following the race:
"Baku was the worst of all the circuits we raced on, even if for me, it wasn't just a matter of pure porpoising. Our car has to be extremely low to be competitive and there are many, many bumps on that track.
"It was really hard on my back, to the point that after the weekend, I had to do an MRI [scan] to check that everything was okay with the vertebrae. "In our case, this problem is definitely linked to the type of track."
World Champion Lewis Hamilton was "praying for the race to end" due to the pain in his back across the weekend.
Long-term exposure to porpoising could have negative outcomes for drivers, particularly their physical and mental health. Low back pain in athletes is associated with increased reports of stress and depression, particularly when athletes try to suppress their thoughts about the pain.
Following the race weekend, the FIA introduced measures that mandated teams reduce porpoising in their cars, prioritising the health and safety of the drivers. While the rule was eliminated in 2023, the FIA is prepared to reintroduce the limit if needed.
Weight Restrictions
Prior to 2019, F1 drivers were encouraged to maintain a low body to limit the overall weight of the car — the lower the weight, the faster the car.
World Champion Jenson Button discussed his struggles with limiting his weight amidst the 2014 regulation changes, when the cars became significantly heavier:
“I love fitness training but there are things I can’t do because I have to be a set weight – not eat carbohydrates, not build muscle.
“I struggle to meet the weight limit. I have done for three years.”
Taller drivers were put at a significant disadvantage, as they typically weighed more than shorter drivers. Nico Hulkenberg, who measures 1.84 m, faced difficulties with limiting his weight during his early stint with Force India.
According to Timo Gans, Hulkenberg’s former manager:
“In 2011, when Nico was third driver for Force India, I spoke to [someone] in a leading position at Force India.
“He told me that they had noticed that Nico’s weight had changed a little bit.
“He had gained one and something kilos in two or three months. I was advised to make sure that Nico get his weight back in the limits.”
In 2014, Toro Rosso driver Jean-Eric Vergne was hospitalised due to his extreme diet:
"The weight difference between myself and my teammate was making me lose four-tenths [of a second per lap].
"I did a diet this winter, but you get to certain limits that the body can no longer take. Actually, I was in hospital between the Grands Prix in Australia and Malaysia because of a lack of water and a little bit of lack of everything. I was very weak.”
Valterri Bottas has discussed developing an unhealthy relationship with food and exercise during his 2013 F1 season with Williams:
“I trained myself to pain, physically and mentally. It got out of hand, and it became an addiction.
“No eating disorder was officially diagnosed, but it was definitely there.
“I needed a psychologist to help me recover, whose first assessment of me was that I’m almost like a robot who only wants to reach his goal and has no feelings at all.”
Research suggests that male athletes may be driven to engage in disordered eating behaviours, such as restricting food intake, due to a desire to increase leanness and muscularity. Disordered eating behaviours in men are associated with increased reports of depression and anxiety symptoms.
In 2019, F1 introduced a minimum 80 kg weight limit for drivers, including their helmet, race suit and shoes. If a driver is under weight limit, teams must add the ballasts to the same spot inside the cockpit. The rule helped level the playing field for taller drivers.
Since 2019, Valterri Bottas has discussed the impacts of the rule change on his eating:
“I've been able to actually eat.
"It's quite nice to be able to gain a kilo or two. Getting pretty close to my natural weight.
"We do big training camps in the winter and I haven't had to think on every meal that if I have one or two calories too much it is going to make me gain weight."
The tallest driver on the 2025 F1 grid is Esteban Ocon, who measures 1.86 m. He has worked with the FIA to introduce changes to ensure that car dimensions in various categories enable tall drivers to drive without discomfort.
“The FIA have worked hard on taking my measurements, seeing how I’m fitting in cars and replicating that to all the cars as a mandatory measure.”
However, there are risks to disordered eating behaviours outside of weight restrictions. Daniel Ricciardo reported difficulties with eating during his tumultuous time with McLaren in 2022:
“I don’t want to like go too far and be like, ‘yeah, I was depressed’ or whatever, but I certainly wasn’t always eating as much.
“I think I just wasn’t feeling right. I was honestly just not like my happy self, not my normal self. I think as well so much was going on [in 2022], I could feel like I had this kind of nervous energy inside me. I didn’t have an appetite as much. I was just a bit scattered. So yeah, there was certainly like some of that. So I was a little thin.”
There is always a risk for developing unhealthy eating habits when placed in a stressful environment where your body directly impacts your performance. Nutritionists, dieticians, and performance coaches play a key role in making sure athletes remain healthy.
Motorsports is fascinating and complicated, highlighting the intense physical and mental demands placed on athletes. As research in this area continues to grow, it will be crucial to explore strategies that support driver wellbeing.
I’ll continue to dive into the latest studies on motorsports psychology — stay tuned for more insights into the minds of the world’s fastest athletes!
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Thanks for covering important aspects of motorsports! As a psychology student such articles are very useful for me