Despite being 6ft tall, Button weighs just 70kg, while the 5ft 9ins Magnussen
is a slim 68kg. Sculpting a body as light as carbon-fibre aids performance
on the circuit. “The minimum weight limit of the car this year is 691kg.
With the changes in technology, teams are struggling to get the cars down to
the minimum limit – but they want to be as close to it as possible. Any
extra weight equates to time per lap and they don’t want to give anything
away to competitors. So we want everything as light as possible – including
the driver.”
The slim physiques of Button and Magnussen are founded on a sensible diet.
“Nutrition is really about not consuming excessive carbs, so we use low
glycaemic index foods (e.g. vegetables, nuts, sweet potatoes) during the day
and higher glycaemic foods (e.g. rice) to recover from activity. The drivers
have a relatively high-protein diet, plus lots of fruit and veg.”
McLaren’s new driver Kevin Magnussen
On a race weekend Button typically eats an omelette with mushrooms, peppers
and cheese for breakfast, accompanied by carrot juice, tea, and yoghurt with
nuts and berries. Lunch is salmon with vegetables, followed by steak and
vegetables for dinner. He occasionally treats himself to some sticky toffee
pudding. “We want drivers to stay below 10pc body fat but if they can get to
8pc that is really good,” reveals Green.
These carefully planned diets are only part of the McLaren fitness equation.
Drivers must also perform regular endurance training such as running,
cycling, swimming or cross-country skiing to help shed the pounds and build
cardiovascular fitness. Button’s extensive training has turned him into a
keen triathlete. “They have to have a very good cardiovascular base because
when they are in the car their heart rates can easily be running at an
average of 80pc of their maximum heart rate for 90 minutes to two hours,”
explains Green.
Jenson Button prepares to compete in the London Triathlon
Button and Magnussen will undergo final weight manipulation before the start
of a race. “All through the weekend, right up until qualifying, we want them
to stay as light as possible so they qualify on what their minimum weight
will be. But after that they will have larger meals on the evening after
qualifying and on the morning preceding the race. We want them to put on a
bit of extra weight as they might lose two kilos during the race.
Effectively we are offsetting that weight loss so they still end up at their
expected weight at the end of a race. If we dropped below that minimum
weight they could potentially get disqualified.”
A slim frame is of little use in Formula One unless it is paired with a
robust, strong body. The development and maintenance of lean muscle is vital
in helping a driver endure the brutal punishment of a race. “Drivers have to
be strong enough to cope with the g-forces that they will experience,”
explains Green. “The braking capabilities of the car mean that the drivers
can experience a longitudinal g-force up to 5g on a regular basis under
heavy braking. Given that the weight of the head is about 7-8kg once you
include the helmet, if you are braking at 5g you have a weight of up to 40kg
effectively trying to rip your head off your shoulders whenever you brake.”
To galvanise their bodies, McLaren drivers perform squats, pull-ups,
shoulder presses and core drills such as V-sits. “It’s all about building
strength endurance in the shoulders, neck, legs and core,” notes Green.
As you’d expect from a Formula One giant, McLaren employ an interesting mix of
innovation, sports science and gadgetry in their training. “We are very
fortunate because we have our own state-of-the-art fitness and wellbeing
centre. For example, Technogym made us a special F1 training machine which
helps recreate the g-force on the neck and shoulders.” Hydration strategies
are also highly scientific. “We know drivers will lose a lot of fluid during
a race and there is a very limited amount of fluid in the car – perhaps only
a litre of drink available to them. So we have worked on a drink with the
Human Performance Lab at GlaxoSmithKline which pre-hydrates the driver in a
very specific way so when they load up on fluid (before a race) they will
retain it better.”
However, McLaren’s eternal quest for innovation is balanced by much more
practical considerations which take into account the drivers’ busy travel
and race schedules. Drivers take minerals and vitamins to offset the
draining effects of travelling through different time zones and adapt their
fitness sessions according to their current environment – for example, by
swimming when they’re stuck in a hotel. “It is a definite effort to maintain
fitness levels during the season,” says Green. “It is a difficult juggling
act because in an F1 season testing starts in February and the races end in
December so we only have a couple of months in the off-season and a month in
the summer (for full-time training). Normally we do most of the volume
training in the off-season. During the race season, when drivers have
travelling and marketing commitments, we cut down on time and focus on more
high-intensity sessions. There is normally a slight drop-off in fitness
throughout the year.”
What amounts to a fluctuation in training for a Formula One driver would still
humble most people: even during race season Button trains for 45 hours a
month. “The drivers are extremely fit,” says Green. “We do V02 max tests
(which assesses aerobic fitness by measuring maximum oxygen consumption) on
the drivers and we would expect any F1 driver to have a score in excess of
60ml/kg/min – maybe even up to 70.” In comparison, the average VO2 max score
for a sedentary male is 35ml/kg/min – half that of Button and Magnussen.
“That is quite a high level for somebody who is supposed to be sitting down
the whole time.”
Learn more at McLaren.com/Formula1