Physical effects of driving an F1 car
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Nothing I didn't really expect, though heat plays a bigger role than I thought. I'm not extremely fit or obese, but after only half an hour in an automatic go-kart that's pretty fast (I'd say ~35+ mph) with a fireproof suit, ninja mask and Snell-approved helmet, I was really tired. I don't know how those F1 drivers do it.
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I still haven't been able to watch the video, but all I'm thinking of is the Speedvision show "Trading Paint" where they had JP Montoya and Jeff Gordon switch cars for a few laps at the Indy road circuit.
All I remember was Gordon saying he could feel Blood rushing to his face and hands when he was braking for turn 1. Thats some serious G forces. Not many people respect a F1 driver for the top shape atheletes that they are.
All I remember was Gordon saying he could feel Blood rushing to his face and hands when he was braking for turn 1. Thats some serious G forces. Not many people respect a F1 driver for the top shape atheletes that they are.
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The cars could definitely be made to accelerate, brake and corner faster if there were no regulations to limit performance. However the vehicle performance would reach a point where the human body simply couldn't handle the stress.
It's the same kind of situation with aircraft. Modern fighter jets are capable of doing some insane maneuvers but the pilot would lose consciousness from the G-forces even with a G suit on. The flight controls and computers are designed to limit the planes maneuvering so that the pilot doesn't do something stupid and blackout out from the G forces. I've seen documentaries about the training that pilots have to go through to cope with extreme G forces. They learn to breath certain ways and clench their leg and butt muscles to force blood to the head during extreme G's. It's very interesting.
I would guess that todays F1 drivers are even more physically fit than a fighter pilot. I say this because pilots probably perform high G maneuvers only for short periods of time either during training exercises or in a real world dogfight, whereas an F1 driver has to race for almost two hours under nearly constant G forces.
It's the same kind of situation with aircraft. Modern fighter jets are capable of doing some insane maneuvers but the pilot would lose consciousness from the G-forces even with a G suit on. The flight controls and computers are designed to limit the planes maneuvering so that the pilot doesn't do something stupid and blackout out from the G forces. I've seen documentaries about the training that pilots have to go through to cope with extreme G forces. They learn to breath certain ways and clench their leg and butt muscles to force blood to the head during extreme G's. It's very interesting.
I would guess that todays F1 drivers are even more physically fit than a fighter pilot. I say this because pilots probably perform high G maneuvers only for short periods of time either during training exercises or in a real world dogfight, whereas an F1 driver has to race for almost two hours under nearly constant G forces.
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