Video: Mark Arnall on Training Formula 1 Drivers

It’s not much good being snuggled into the fastest Formula 1 car on the circuit if you get to turn one, turn in at three and a half g and your head pops off. In this video, near twenty-year veteran of Formula 1 driver training, Mark Arnall, talks about what it takes to perform in some of the hottest seats in the world.

Anyone who’s spent time participating in motorsport, whether at a sprint day, motorkhana, historic motorsport meeting or professional series, has known the sweet caress of cool fresh air after clambering out of the car and peeling off the top half of a sweated-through race suit. And for us mere mortals, that was probably after a fifteen-minute session!

Formula 1 is one of the most physically-demanding sports on the planet. Drivers spend two hours with a sustained heart rate of around 170 beats per minute, in a molten tub enduring huge g-forces pulling their bodies in every possible direction. And all the while they’re operating at a level of mental zen that few can achieve at the best of times, with non-existent reaction times while calmly discussing strategy.

So how do you prepare for such an experience? What do you eat? How do you train? How do you prepare mentally? What little moments and specificities make all the difference to your performance?

It’s a field which has developed immensely throughout the life of the sport, and an utterly fascinating one at that.

Mark Arnall got his start in the sport in 1997 when he became Mika Häkkinen’s trainer. When Mika retired he started working as Kimi Räikkönen’s trainer, and continues on to this day.

He’s worked with two Formula 1 World Champions through all the ups and downs that make Formula 1 such a gripping sport. The video is full of fascinating insights into Mika and Kimi’s mindsets and preparation along with wonderful stories from his time in Formula 1, and is well worth checking out!

Speaking of Formula 1 Training, try: Video: Mika Hakkinen teaches Captain Slow how to drive

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