There are only a few individuals who know what it takes to be a System 1 driver, the coaching that’s essential to compete on the highest stage of motorsport, and the toll that the game and its intensive schedule can precise on the human physique.
Tom Clark is one such individual.
Clark is Esteban Ocon’s physio, or as he’s fast to level out, his job description goes far past that. A greater solution to describe his job with Ocon and Alpine is that of efficiency coach, given the big selection of coaching he has, and the big selection of coaching he places Ocon, and members of Alpine, by way of.
On Friday night forward of america Grand Prix in Austin, I sat down with Clark together with two different media members for an in depth dialogue on what Clark does, how drivers want to arrange for all times in System 1, what on a regular basis individuals can study from F1 drivers, and extra.
Tom Clark, efficiency coach
Clark could also be listed as Ocon’s physio, however to listen to him inform it because the solar started to set in Austin final Friday, the tag of “efficiency coach” is way more relevant to what he and the opposite F1 physios do day by day.
“A efficiency coach,” stated Clark after I requested him his most popular job description. “So usually there’s one among me for each driver, and all of us have barely completely different talent units, albeit some similarities. So usually all of us can have some forte in power and conditioning, after which a few of us might need physiotherapy levels. Often, we’ve got two areas of specialism, after which we’ve got to be type of a jack of all trades. I’ve an consciousness of diet, no matter it could be.
“So my background is in as a sports activities scientist, and power and conditioning diet had been like my first kind of issues that I specialised in.”
Clark has taken on one other specialization, one that’s vital to the brand new period of System 1. With an exhausting 24-race schedule, one which crisscrosses the planet from Melbourne to Las Vegas and factors in between, there’s one other element to life in F1 that drivers and workforce members must deal with.
Sleep.
Fortunately for Ocon and Alpine, Clark is right here to assist.
”Jet lag and sleep are a few of the newer issues that I’d say that I’m embracing as a part of this job. Extra of my specialism now. And I seek the advice of in that outdoors of this area as properly, not simply in System One, however in boxing and in different sports activities as properly,” stated Clark.
That additional specialization leads Clark and different physios to tackle the efficiency coach tag.
“That’s why we name ourselves efficiency coaches. As a result of in the end, physio, it’s the title that acquired placed on most individuals. However quite a lot of us aren’t really physios,” added Clark. And quite a lot of the time, really, it’s the driving force, the athlete that you simply work with that dictates the kind of talent units that you’ve got or that that could be the explanation why you’ve acquired this job, due to the talent units which are extra geared in direction of what they want.”
Clark has years of expertise working not simply in System 1, however in varied ranges of motorsport. However his resume goes far past the racing world.
”So I’ve been in motorsport on the whole for 11 years now,” stated Clark. “5 of these full-time in F1, and consulting in F1 for about six of these. So half of the time.
“The remainder of the time, it’s been all different types of motorsport,” added Clark. “I’ve in all probability labored in most of them in the case of 4 wheels. However then additionally consulting in soccer [soccer, for our American readers] on a diet entrance, golf on a diet entrance, and boxing as properly.
“And now, extra lately, the sleep and jet lag in rugby.”
What journey does, and the way F1 drivers and groups put together
The dialog then turned to Clark’s new emphasis on jet lag and sleep examine. As talked about above the System 1 schedule is brutal. Earlier within the week Pierre Gasly, Alpine’s different driver, instructed me in our unique dialogue how the calls for of F1 imply he’s away from dwelling all however 50 days annually.
However contemplate what the drivers face because the 2024 season involves a detailed. F1’s groups and drivers are positioned in Europe, with many factories in England and plenty of drivers dwelling in Monaco. Alpine’s Enstone headquarters is positioned in England, however additionally they have a manufacturing unit in Viry-Châtillon, France.
The season ends with a triple-header that can carry the grid from Europe to Las Vegas, then Qatar, and at last Abu Dhabi to shut out the season. That could be a demanding three-week interval that can precise a toll on workforce members and drivers alike.
Clark’s job is to assist make it as simple as potential.
“So I’ve achieved schooling periods with the workforce, our workforce. I’ve labored with a lot of completely different individuals and groups as properly. It’s a very massive contender for this specific triple header. The principle half is definitely popping out to Austin as a result of the rest of the triple header is Mexico Metropolis, [and then] Sao Paulo,” described Clark. “I believe Sao Paulo is three time zones completely different to the place we are actually in Austin, and Mexico Metropolis is simply an hour distinction, and jet lag is simply sometimes seen over three or extra time zones.
“So it’s not an enormous contender for the remainder of the triple.
“However for this primary race, it’s one thing that we’ve got to remember. The most effective factor to do, as most individuals know, is [to] get to the brand new vacation spot early. However we are able to do loads of stuff again in Europe as properly earlier than we transition over the second triple head of the ultimate three races of the 12 months,” continued Clark.
Nonetheless, the ultimate triple-header of the season goes to be way more troublesome.
“That will probably be a very massive one as a result of we go from Europe to Vegas after which we go from Vegas to Qatar. So it’s actually massive swings with the physique clock and jet lag,” Clark outlined. “It’s fairly disagreeable, even when you realize all the things that you should do to maintain on high of it. It’s nonetheless fairly tough to change 10 to 12 time zones, which is what we do twice once we exit to Vegas after which once we go to Qatar.”
So what can drivers and workforce members do to ease that transition? It begins at dwelling earlier than they even go away for the journey.
And light-weight is a vital element of the preparation.
“The 2 important issues are clearly sleep, like adjusting sleep to imitate that of the localized time zone. However the vital a part of that’s really while you see and don’t see mild as properly,” started Clark.
“So your mild publicity, so mild from the solar, ambient lighting from digital gadgets, or simply lights in your resort room, home, no matter it could be. The timing of while you see and while you don’t see mild is the important thing distinction, I’d say, in comparison with what most individuals generally know, and that would be the massive differentiator between how a lot jet lag you’ll or won’t get.
“So once we’re in Europe, we are going to ensure that these key durations of time the place we have to see vivid mild are aligned with this time zone to assist with that shifting in order that earlier than we get on the airplane, Esteban is already nearer to this time zone.”
Clark then shared that Ocon’s sleep information is definitely synchronized to Clark’s telephone, so the efficiency coach can monitor how a lot sleep his driver is getting every night time, and when he’s getting that sleep. That helps Clark together with his job of getting ready Ocon to make these time zone transitions all through the season.
“I imply, I gained’t present you his sleep information on my telephone, as a result of I do have his sleep information linked to my telephone. However he slept eight hours night time one, 9 hours night time two, 9 hours final night time,” Clark described. “So I really feel like he’s fairly properly now on this time zone, and that comes as a part of the prep and the work that we are able to do beforehand, and that’s going to make an enormous distinction come follow session, [come] qualifying, as a result of he’s going to be aligned. The physique is extra used to being lively and performing right now.”
Clark was then requested if any dietary supplements are used to assist in sleep, and the efficiency coach indicated that that isn’t a path they have a tendency to go down. Primarily as a result of such dietary supplements or sleep aids don’t help within the “time shift” that’s crucial to arrange the physique to carry out in a vastly completely different time zone.
”We’re staying distant from any sleep treatment, which is usually forged as a hypnotic that’s usually not going to do any of the shifting element. It would let you get to sleep for that given cut-off date, however you’re not going to get the identical restorative advantages of sleep,” outlined Clark. “Sleep is so vital for everybody. However on this specific context of this sport, the assorted phases of sleep will assist with issues like reminiscence consolidation, will assist with kind of the overall bodily restoration course of. And in case you’re taking issues like a hypnotic, you’re going to overlook out on all of that.
“And while you consider System One, like the fellows proper now, they’re within the engineering workplace. They’ve simply had the dash qualifying session. They’re attempting to now study from the times operating. So then, from the driving force’s perspective, to grasp what they should do otherwise tomorrow,” Clark continued.
He then outlined how the expression “sleeping on an issue” really has information to help that proposition.
“And the outdated saying, ‘[i]f you’ve acquired an issue sleep on’ it’s really very true to what the scientific literature will inform you really occurs with sleep,” added Clark. “We study loads by way of that course of. So, if we take that kind of treatment, it’s not going to be useful with that.”
Clark then mentioned melatonin, a complement that individuals typically flip to when on the lookout for assist falling asleep. He known as melatonin a “software within the toolbox,” however not what he goes to first.
“Melatonin is definitely a naturally occurring hormone. You possibly can take it as what’s known as an exogenous complement, so, like a pill, it’s not very properly regulated, notably within the US,” described Clark. “You may get pharmacy-grade melatonin, and that’s one thing we could use on events, notably if there’s an enormous shift of the physique clock that’s required. It should assist probably with that falling asleep element as properly.
“In order that is sort of a software within the toolbox we would use.”
Nonetheless, shifting the physique clock based mostly on mild publicity is the place Clark’s athletes begin first.
“I at all times try to go at the start with attempting to shift based mostly on that mild publicity and attempting to get the sleep cycle transferring nearer to the brand new time zone.”
The bodily toll of driving an F1 automotive, and what it takes to arrange
One of many issues I’ve grown to understand about F1 is the bodily calls for driving a type of vehicles takes on the human physique. Through the Miami Grand Prix, for instance, with excessive humidity and temperatures persistently within the higher 80s throughout race week, drivers exited their vehicles — even after the shorter F1 Dash Race — wanting utterly drained. Even working by way of their media periods post-race was taxing, given what their our bodies had simply been by way of.
A part of Clark’s job is to arrange Ocon for dealing with that over a 24-race schedule.
The principle differentiator? What the game asks of a driver’s neck.
“So the the massive I assume, differentiator while you have a look at our sport is the neck, and that’s a part of the G-Power publicity,” started Clark after I requested him in regards to the bodily coaching he places Ocon by way of.
“[The] common human head weighs about 5 kilograms. “The helmet weighs about two. So grand whole mass is like seven kilograms. So let’s say you’ve acquired two Gs, so two instances the gravitational power on the aspect of the top, you’re getting 14 kg of load there,” described Clark. “So while you see at some corners, the drivers are experiencing 5, possibly even six Gs. “You can begin to grasp that they may have as a lot as 30 plus kilos going by way of their head. In order that’s the important thing factor that actually we’ve got to prep for out of the extraordinary.”
Whereas neck coaching is the principle differentiator, like many athletes F1 drivers like Ocon want a multi-faceted strategy when getting ready for an F1 season.
“Having stated that very similar to a multifaceted athlete who has to run, who has to dash lengthy distances, who has to have engine must be sturdy, highly effective, [F1 drivers] should have health throughout a full spectrum. So that might come from cardio base, and being sturdy on your physique weight,” continued Clark.
“So quite a lot of power coaching. The boys are usually coaching most days of the week, outdoors of the race weekends, and it’s crucial for them to have that as properly,” added Clark. “To have the ability to have the resilience throughout a System One season. As a result of being in a automotive, you’ll watch them within the automotive. The best way the automotive bounces, the way in which the automotive oscillates. It’s a toll. It takes a toll on the physique, and so the stronger the fitter they’re, to have the ability to get well from that, it’s going to set them up higher going ahead.”
Clark famous that the demanding F1 schedule, with 24 race weekends, means their bodily coaching and health wants be at a a lot greater stage than it was in F1’s yesteryear.
“Possibly their bodily health wouldn’t should fairly be the place it must be if we solely had ten races a 12 months, however due to the character of how often we’re competing, there’s just a few high quality relaxation days earlier than,” stated Clark. “Then you definitely’re having to think about, like coaching to maintain match sufficient to have the ability to do a triple header, keep wholesome, keep kind of sharp and have the ability to carry out like optimally. So briefly, it’s an actual spectrum of health. By way of an athlete comparability perspective to one thing like a boxer the place you’ve acquired to be pound for pound, very sturdy in quite a lot of areas.”
In the end, nevertheless, the one factor that may really put together the human physique for what toll driving an F1 takes on the physique … is driving an F1 automotive.
“We are going to use the racing as that finite conditioning element as a result of ultimately, racing a automotive is so distinctive that the one true factor that preps you very well for the sentiments of the vibrations and the velocity is racing vehicles. So we do as a lot as we are able to out of a automotive,” stated Clark.
“However acknowledge that we may do any method of progressive, bizarre, and wacky issues. However actually and really, it’s not going to present them that stage of kind of refined conditioning that they’ll want,” Clark added. “However there’s nonetheless loads we are able to do, and truly, the stuff we do out of the automotive is to enrich what they’ll get within the automotive as a result of the opposite good factor is that they race a lot that after you’ve achieved testing in the beginning of the 12 months and the season begins, they’ve acquired quite a lot of that a part of the conditioning already acquired.
“So if the game modified, for instance, and let’s say we solely had ten races and we had quite a lot of downtime in between, and we weren’t allowed to go racing, that’s after I assume we would wish to see us introduce, extra novel and progressive methods to duplicate that,” Clark described. “However due to the character of the season in the mean time, as soon as the season begins, they’ve already achieved fairly a number of laps.
“In order that a part of it has type of been achieved, and packing containers ticked. The stuff we do out of the monitor now is definitely extra geared in direction of enhancing these different qualities of health, and ensuring that they’re sturdy, like I say, to deal with the opposite parts of what the automotive places on the physique.”
The significance of diet for F1 drivers
What occurs to the driving force’s physique throughout an F1 race issues, and is part of Clark’s work with Ocon.
However what goes into Ocon’s physique, each earlier than and after a race, can be vital.
All through a single F1 race, a driver could lose between 4 and 6 kilos as a result of situations contained in the automotive and the stress that’s placed on the physique. In additional sizzling and humid situations, comparable to these drivers face through the Singapore Grand Prix, the burden loss could be even greater.
Then there are excessive conditions, comparable to final season’s Qatar Grand Prix, the place drivers had been put by way of grueling situations that led to some coping with heat-related diseases, and different drivers really vomiting through the race itself.
Because of this, diet issues, particularly after a race.
“It actually relies on the kind of race. You come from Singapore, the place the drivers may lose two, three, possibly greater than that % of their physique weight. There’s a transparent must get fluids in them, however we’re their electrolyte stability,” started Clark. “We’ll do quite a lot of testing earlier than we are able to go racing to grasp the precise wants of the driving force.
“Understanding, for instance, what Esteban’s salt secretion price is, how a lot of the important thing electrolytes does he lose?
“Then there’s clearly an enormous power element to it. So in case you’re racing for 2 hours at coronary heart charges of 60 to 70 % of your most [heart rate], you’re burning quite a lot of power,” continued Clark. “So after a race, briefly, it’s all of these issues we would look to provide the electrolyte drinks, but in addition one thing like a high-calorie protein shake the place we’re going to exchange the carbohydrate and the protein, and it’s actually horses for programs. It relies on the race. These sizzling and humid ones, it’s extra of that fluid element. You might need a very bodily race, which goes deplete quite a lot of carbohydrates, and subsequently we would go along with extra of a carb-heavy, protein-heavy, restoration shake, type of straight out of the automotive. It simply relies on the character of the occasion after which additionally, what are the next hours like? Are they going to have ample time to kind of tackle extra good high quality diet?
“The great factor for us sometimes is we race, after which we’re achieved. So we’ve acquired window to have the ability to get within the high quality issues that we have to get in,” continued Clark.
Nonetheless, F1 Dash weekends — like america Grand Prix the place we talked — complicate issues.
“The complication is barely when we’ve got issues like dash weekends like we’ve acquired now, as a result of we’ll have a dash race tomorrow morning, qualifying within the afternoon, after which the principle race the next day,” described Clark. “In order that’s when we’ve got to have then have a look at the issue by way of a barely completely different lens and truly assume ‘okay, it’s not nearly restoration. How will we get them to carry out properly once more in a number of hours time?’ In order that’s the place it would change and be fairly a fluid factor.”
All of those ranges are intently monitored by Clark and the workforce, ensuring every driver is able to tackle the challenges of every session throughout a race weekend.
“Once we transfer by way of the weekend, will probably be depending on the physicality of the race, the setting, and in addition what the state of affairs is of Esteban or the driving force. How properly did they eat that morning? What was the week main up so far? What’s the hydration standing like?
“And we are able to check for all these issues.”
Psychological well being in System 1
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Picture by Qian Jun/MB Media/Getty Photographs
Psychological well being consciousness is having a second, together with within the powerful, brutal world of System 1.
Lately drivers comparable to Lando Norris, and workforce principals comparable to Toto Wolff, have spoken about their psychological well being journeys, and Alpine’s drivers have additionally been open about their psychological well being. In a partnership with JAAQ, the workforce works with Ocon, Pierre Gasly, and Abbi Pulling about their very own psychological well being.
That is one other a part of the efficiency coach facet of his job that Clark works with Ocon, and the workforce, with every week.
“I believe in case you have a look at F1 in a post-Netflix world, as we’d say, the drivers are underneath increasingly more scrutiny, and so they reside lives like I’d say pop stars now by way of the quantity of consideration and the extent of surveillance that they’re underneath,” started Clark. “And I believe that, coupled with the truth that there was a time the place 10 to fifteen years in the past, System One was 16, 17 races.
“We’re now at 24.
“So the calendar has acquired greater. There’s much less time without work. There’s much less time to have hobbies,” continued Clark. “There’s much less time to spend along with your family members, and that’s the identical for the drivers as it’s for everybody within the paddock. In order that has a really apparent toll on everybody, and the drivers are most undoubtedly in that group as properly, and so they clearly have the kind of added drawback that I can, if I wish to, simply take a while for myself.
“However the sport is so intense that you simply’ll barely see the drivers by way of the day as a result of they go from advertising and marketing appearances to sponsor appearances, meet and greets, advertising and marketing, engineering.
“There’s not a lot time for simply them.”
That’s the reason Clark believes part of his function, in addition to part of everybody’s function in F1, is to be cognizant of this truth and to help drivers and workforce members on this space.
“And that’s why, as a part of my function and certainly everybody’s function nearly on this sport, you’ve gotten to have the ability to have a dialog with one another and have the ability to help individuals, but in addition know how one can kind of give individuals area once they want it.
“And I spend as a lot time with Esteban as I do with my associate, so that you get to know one another fairly properly, however you additionally want to acknowledge that everybody wants their area as properly.
“There’s nothing to actually replicate what they really feel in these vehicles.”
How on a regular basis individuals may profit from coaching like an F1 driver
Earlier than our time collectively drew to a detailed, I had one last query, submitted to me by a large reader and fellow author on Threads.
What’s one thing that Clark does with Ocon and/or Alpine, that he thinks the on a regular basis individual would profit from?
In a phrase, all the things.
“Almost all of it has a job,” started Clark. “I believe notably for tall guys like myself. The neck coaching is normally fairly helpful as a result of more often than not we’re spending life like this.”
Clark then mimicked wanting down at a telephone in his hand, driving dwelling the purpose that a lot of contemporary life is spent wanting down at a hand-held digital machine.
“Our necks are very rounded, and truly getting some load by way of neck extension is usually one of many good issues,” described Clark. “I don’t assume they in all probability must go nuts and begin doing quite a lot of the stuff that we do, notably with like lateral resistance on the neck.
“However briefly, I believe as a result of what we’re in the end preaching is to be wholesome, to have a spectrum of health that isn’t only one specific area.
And customarily talking, once we have a look at longevity, once we have a look at good follow and well being and well-being, you want to have good, decrease physique power,” continued Clark. “You want to be sturdy usually to have cardio system, stage of health. So all of these issues very a lot have purposes to your life.”
Clark then got here again to sleep, a spotlight of his work with Ocon and Alpine.
“We prioritise sleep as our primary modality, and most of the people must also actually have a look at that as properly,” added Clark. “It’s the factor that each one of us will do, however to take it as an actual, not take it as a given, and to prioritise that sleep, give your self the perfect alternative for good quantities of sleep, do issues which are indicative of resulting in good sleep and having what’s known as having good sleep hygiene main as much as sleep, these items are all vital no matter job, age, or something like that.”
You heard Tom. Observe good sleep hygiene associates. Flip off these screens properly earlier than bedtime, and make sleep a precedence.
As a result of sleeping on selections issues, for on a regular basis individuals in addition to F1 drivers.
