• The Inside Line

The costly thirst for victory

More than just a victory sip © Getty Images

Enlarge

Formula One's recent tendency to go further afield in search of new grands prix has had an unfortunate consequence when it comes to the quality of racing. Specifically, the race finish.

It's common knowledge among F1 fans that spending two hours driving a racecar at top speeds is rather more physical than spending two hours pootling along on the motorway. It's also well-known that in Singapore and Malaysia, the combination of sweltering heat and physical exertion sees drivers lose two or three kilos - or more - over the course of the race. Even a cool race will see a rapid loss in body water over the course of the roughly 100 minutes each grand prix takes.

But what is known and rarely discussed is the negative impact such rapid dehydration has on a driver's ability to actually pilot his car with any form of dexterity.

Wikipedia may not be anything like an unimpeachable source, but it's not bad for laymen's terms. And according to their article on dehydration, "Most people can tolerate a three to four percent decrease in body water without difficulty. A five to eight percent decrease can cause fatigue and dizziness. Over ten percent can cause physical and mental deterioration, accompanied by severe thirst. A decrease more than fifteen to twenty-five percent of the body water is invariably fatal."

If nothing else, it's a rough guide. And while trained athletes are better at managing extremes than average couch potatoes, it is worth remembering that an F1 driver who weighs in at 70kg is considered heavy. To lose several kilos of body water in a two-hour period is dramatic, and by the end of the Singapore or Malaysian Grands Prix a driver will experience delayed reaction times, slower processing of information and external stimuli, and a measure of physical fatigue. A decline in levels of concentration is also likely.

Dehydration also leads to a reduced capacity for endurance, changes in heart rate, and - when extreme and left untreated - can lead to delirium, seizures, and affected vision.

Which isn't to say that F1 drivers are dangerous at the end of a race - any race, not just one held in tropical climes. The sport excels in dancing on the fine line between legal and illegal, or daring and dubious, and the drivers stay just hydrated enough to stay safe. Just.

While the drivers are still operating within safe parameters at the end of a race, however, fans are robbed of what should be great racing in the final laps. As fuel weights become fumes and tyres are on their last gasps, the combination of lighter cars and competing strategies and levels of rubber could give us even better racing than we have already.

Imagine what racing could be like if drivers were kept in optimum physical condition for the duration of a race. If engineers and designers didn't suggest going out with a half-empty water bottle to save weight, forgetting that even a good car still needs a human being to operate it well. If only the drivers were as sharp on the last lap as they are on the first...

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

Feeds: Kate Walker

• Email
• Feedback
• Print

Email