Formula 1 is one of the most technical and precise sports in the world, with races decided by the tiniest of margins. Weight can play a major factor in a driver and car’s on-track performance, so much so that it is regulated for both medical and technical reasons.
Why are F1 drivers weighed?
From a health standpoint, F1 drivers have their weight monitored due to the sheer volume they can lose from a single race. It allows drivers and teams to take suitable measures after a session to keep the individual healthy. Drivers can lose between 4.4lbs and 6.6lbs per race. The majority of the shedded weight comes in the form of sweating due to the high temperatures in the car.
An F1 car is also very physical and takes a lot of energy for a driver to maintain control at high speeds. If a driver is a kilogram overweight, they could lose up to two seconds during a race and, in a sport sometimes decided by milliseconds, it can prove to be costly. New regulations planted in 2019 according to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile have also set a weight requirement of a driver and his seat at a minimum of 176 lbs.
Alex Albon of Williams weighs upwards of 154 lbs and stands at 6ft1 in, while Visa Cash App RB’s Yuki Tsunoda is at 119 lbs and 5ft2in. There are also technical reasons as to why drivers and their cars a weighed and it’s due to a collective amount set out at a minimum of 1752.67 lbs.
Logan Sargeant’s body transformation
American F1 driver Logan Sargeant underwent a dramatic body transformation in the offseason, packing on some pounds and he revealed to the Daily Express Sport US that he has never felt better. The 23-year-old said he “stuffed” his stomach while also training.
“Yeah, I basically stuffed my stomach for as much as I could every day, eating more and more than ever, but feeling healthier than ever at the same time,” Sargeant exclusively said. “I think, you know, you come out of a long season and you identify a lot of things that need to be improved on. I think cardio was one of them.
“We’ve done a lot of work on that in the off-season. We’ve just tried to keep general health, fitness, throughout the rest of the body and put a lot of emphasis on the neck as well, as you can imagine.
“So yeah, I feel like it’s been a great off-season. It’s been my best to date. And not to mention, I got to spend it at home. So it was very well spent and I think very well executed. And now it’s just about maintaining that throughout the course of a season, which isn’t easy with all the travel, the amount of time spent in the car, the amount of marketing on the side as well. So I learned a lot about needing to manage myself last year and now trying to put things in place to do it better.”
