Oscar Piastri maintained that F1 drivers would prefer being slightly less fit and never getting sick over the alternative.
Life for an F1 driver can be quite difficult. Fans don’t usually understand just how much work goes into drivers’ physical fitness and conditioning.
However, Oscar Piastri believes drivers will sacrifice their fitness to an extent to avoid getting sick during the season.
Oscar Piastri reveals what F1 drivers believe is more important than having ‘peak’ physical fitness
In an interview with Quad Lock, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri spoke about the concern drivers have about getting sick.
He noted that most drivers prioritise their immunity over their physical fitness, and the latter can derail your season in a way that the former just wouldn’t
“I think a lot of people talk about the fitness and physical strength that you need for sport and for F1. But not getting sick is probably more important than being at the absolute peak of physical performance.
“If you can choose to be 95% fit physically but never get sick, versus 100% fit, have that extra bit, but get sick three or four times through the year, you’d pick to be slightly less fit…
“Managing your recovery versus trying to build your strength and endurance and stuff like that is a really difficult thing. Because in between races, you’ve normally got two-three days off, and you’ve got to be very in-tune with your body.
“‘Do I want to spend these three days absolutely caving myself, going running, in the gym, or do I just need one-two days to just chill out and let my body recover?’”
Oscar Piastri reveals ‘75%’ of drivers get sick during midseason breaks
Speaking further, Piastri noted that F1 drivers have almost conditioned their bodies to fall sick when they have an extended period of time away from the sport.
“Normally, during the mid-season break, I think if you did a survey of all the drivers, at least 75% would get a cold in that time. I think your body just gets used to trucking through all the races that you need to.
“And when your body gets a sense to relax, you get sick. I’m fully expecting to get sick within the next week, probably. Hopefully that doesn’t happen.
“But I think your body has a freak way of knowing when it needs to perform. And then, when you’re relaxed, your body gets rid of all the stuff you’re holding.”
Few fans are fully aware of the physical challenges that come with the life of an F1 driver. Luckily for Piastri, if he does fall sick, he does have time to recover, as the next race isn’t till the first weekend of May.
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