Some Interestng facts about F1 Driving

Driving in F1 championship is a demanding task. Drivers participating in F1 races gain the required skills and fitness after rigorous training. Here are some interesting facts related to F1 drivers.

• F1 drivers have prolonged exposure to high G forces and temperatures for little over an hour. This results in an average F1 driver losing about 4kgs of weight after just one race. However he regains weight afterwards.
• The drivers have to remove the steering wheel to get inside the car. A latch behind the steering wheel releases it from the column.
• Before race, drivers drink lot of water to avoid dehydration. The Formula One cockpits generate lot of heat and make drivers sweat off their weight during the race.
• The drivers can lose approximate 2 to 3 litres of water.
• Sports studies have underlined the importance of fluid level in the body. A person who has lost 4% of body weight can lose up to 40% of their psycho-physical ability.
• In the days preceding very hot races like Australia, Malaysia, and Brazil, the drivers can drink up to 8 litres of water.
• The F1 cockpits have drinking bottle installed for the drivers. The water in it also has mineral salts. The drivers can drink water from it via a pipe.
• Numbers are assigned to all F1 drivers. The previous season's champion is given number 1, and his team-mate is designated number 2.
• Numbers are assigned in accordance with each team's position in the previous season's constructors' championship. The number 13 is not designated to any driver.
• Most F1 drivers start their career in karting. They come up through traditional European single seater series like Formula Ford, Formula Renault, Formula 3, and finally GP2. Before GP2, Formula Two and then Formula 3000 served the role of feeder series for F1.