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Hypothetically if an average race distance was to be extended in terms of percentage (100% being a normal race) how long could a F1 driver endure before there would be a significant drop in pace?
Just taking a go at it: probably until the driver runs out of reserves, or until the brains freezes out of exhaustion. Nowadays we see drivers coming relative fresh out of their cockpits during normal races. Maybe something like a double race?
But it's difficult to quantify it. Would it mean the rules enforce a minimum weight? Would the driver have more acces to a higher volume of energized drinks? You'll need to have some more conditions before anything senseful can be said.
Audi have 5 stinted drivers during Le mans, which amounts to something like 4 hours continuous driving time. Top tennis players can have been able to play for 5-7 hours, and by 6 hours in an intense match, they look pretty exhausted. The question is impossible to answer, because if such an event were to take place, it would naturally favour someone who can maintain a high mental focus for extended periods of time. An ultra marathon runner can run for 10 hours, perhaps if pressed it's possible to go racing for 10 hours at a time.
the problem is imho that looks can be decieving. how many times do we see instantly after the race how 'fit' the drivers are? Only the 3 podium finishers get some airtime when they take a sip of a drink and a towel, and, i have seen them quite sweaty and breathing like theýve had a marathon.
f1 drivers may possibly be the most fit athletes in the world, obviously, this pays a huge impact in how they 'endure' the race. I'd imagine a Mercedes driver whom has a car to his disposal that has so much more power, traction and aero compared to other teams, that these drivers tend to be slightly less 'exhausted'.
Nevertheless, there is a level of danger on wishing to see drivers fatigued of the race; first of all, it is not healthy to be on the verge of 'collapsing'. It can, in certain cases, even be concidered 'dangerous'. And that's immediately after the race - imagine a driver being so fatigued during the end of the race that they essentially 'collapse' whilst still in a car speeding with 200 mph on the straight. Thatll be no braking, no steering, just whoosh into the barriers.
So i for one wouldn't advocate too much more 'endurance' in the GP. Remember how many drivers complained after singapore, some had burns.
The fact is Bernie has controlled the media rights, so what we actually see on tv certainly is 'controlled' and thus one might wonder; what are we missing?
Now apart from that, indeed, driver endurance is something very personal. Knowing Button is a triathlon athlete that reguraly competes and has very good performance there, too - i'd say button's 'stamina' is higher compared to, well i dunno, fresh 17 year old teenager Max Verstappen. So i'd say in similar circumstances, that Button would endure better, or, his 'fatigue' treshold is different to that of MV - i'm inclined to believe (from personal experience) that concentration will become the issue, so in a 60-lap race, Button might maintain focus through the entire 60 laps, whilst Max might lose focuse on lap 50 or 51. Leaving 9 to 10 laps for a competitor to benefit from this loss of concentration/focus.
"Explain the ending to F1 in football terms"
"Hamilton was beating Verstappen 7-0, then the ref decided F%$& rules, next goal wins
while also sending off 4 Hamilton players to make it more interesting"
Depends on the race, haven't some complained about the length of Singapore as it is in the conditions it runs in?
For a lot of the races it's not a question of fitness, it's a question of being able to stand the heat and stave of dehydration, if they were significantly lengthened.
Cold Fussion wrote:Audi have 5 stinted drivers during Le mans, which amounts to something like 4 hours continuous driving time. Top tennis players can have been able to play for 5-7 hours, and by 6 hours in an intense match, they look pretty exhausted. The question is impossible to answer, because if such an event were to take place, it would naturally favour someone who can maintain a high mental focus for extended periods of time. An ultra marathon runner can run for 10 hours, perhaps if pressed it's possible to go racing for 10 hours at a time.
In Le Mans they are allowed to drive a maximum of 4 hours in a 6 hour period, excluding pit time and in out laps
Le Mans isn't F1 but it isn't exactly a relaxing Sunday drive either
I'm just wondering how much the track plays a part in driver fatigue. For example a track that is curve after curve with very few straights mightn't make a very good endurance race track, as there's little time to recover; check gauges; take a drink or radio the pit wall. Le Mans is with it's very long straights makes it a perfect track for endurance racing, whereas the Hungaroring might make a terrible endurance track. I think now having read a few of your posts, that mental fatigue would perhaps kick in long before physical fatigue. It only goes to illustrate how much harder endurance racing is over sprint racing.
Interesting topic... telemetry might be able to show how fatiguing a track is too. Steering angle, coupled with g-force and tyre slip. Brake travel... neck movement... all the key muscles used to drive..
PlatinumZealot wrote:Interesting topic... telemetry might be able to show how fatiguing a track is too. Steering angle, coupled with g-force and tyre slip. Brake travel... neck movement... all the key muscles used to drive..
Why not just measure brake line pressure and steering shaft torque directly?
Military combat studies might be able to provide research that answers your question..
long periods on 'action stations' in ships or flying combat sorties in enemy airspace may be equivalent.
Or read on the Mille Miglia race..
& F1 great Fangio was noted for his stamina - developed on races that would make Paris-Dakar look easy..
He won world championships, even as an ancient relic, by current standards..
"Well, we knocked the bastard off!"
Ed Hilary on being 1st to top Mt Everest,
(& 1st to do a surface traverse across Antarctica,
in good Kiwi style - riding a Massey Ferguson farm
tractor - with a few extemporised mod's to hack the task).
I believe current drivers would topple Fangio concerning stamina; there's simply so much more tech behind fitness and nurturing nowadays then during his time.
I always found this photo as a good example of drivers stamina.
Both Irvine and Hakkinen look exhausted. After the race they admitted they were running flat out during the whole race.
And then we have Schumacher who looks like he could do another race immediately. And he was obviously driving below his limit, coming back in action after suffering broken leg in Silverstone three months earlier.
