F1 drivers' gruelling diets and 40kg neck workouts as they take on Jeddah Corniche Circuit

dailystar.co.uk:

motorsport.This weekend will see F1 return to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, and though the races won't be under the baking Saudi sun, the night race should still prove tricky going on the twisty street track.Drivers like Lewis Hamilton have to be on the top of their game and in peak physical condition as they wrestle the 200mph rocket ship around the F1 circuits across the world.It means that drivers have to follow grim training routines and difficult diets to make sure they are within sight of the front come the checkered flag.Gone are the days in which mechanical steering was king, which gave us images of Nigel Mansell collapsing during one race, and Ayrton Senna unable to lift up the winners' trophy at his home race of Brazil.However, modern cars arguably put more strain on the body than older cars due to their extremely high downforce, and drivers have to work on strength as much as they can.One of the key workouts for F1 drivers is strengthening their neck muscles as they can pull up to as much as 6G in some corners.Special exercises target weight lifting for their necks and trapezius muscles, meaning F1 stars can shift around 40kg with their neck alone.Drivers use special headsets attached to ropes that pull against them as they try to keep their head still.

These can be done to mimic the corners of a particular circuit, like the notorious turn eight in Istanbul.F1 drivers' workouts have to be tough, as drivers look to stay a certain weight while also building up as much muscle as they can.It means that driving still requires a good amount of muscle and more typical workouts on shoulders are used to mimic steering the car.'Pulling exercises' like pull-ups are vital as well as they "help prevent and correct the rounding.