A Day in the Life of…. An f1 driver
Vitaly Petrov is the first Russian ever to race in F1. He’s had a reasonably successful debut season, including a best fifth place finish at the Hungarian GP. Time Out spoke to him to find out about what he gets up to on a typical race day and the pressures he faces.
8am
It depends on what time the race is before I get up, because I need as much sleep as possible so I feel totally fresh on race day. But I always try to get to the track at least one hour before my first briefing with my engineers. I’ll have a quick shower and then eat a light breakfast of fruit and cereal, and make sure I drink plenty of water as being hydrated is so important on race day. I have a few superstitions I go through in the morning, but they’re kind of private.
9am
I usually drive myself to the track and then meet with the engineers. I ask them questions, but throughout practice and qualifying I’m making my own notes about the track, so I can always suggest my own procedures and strategies for the race.
10am
We have a briefing with the engineers, and then I’ll do some light exercises as it’s very important to warm up all your muscles, especially your neck as this takes the most G-force while racing. In the hours before the race, you get to see a lot of the other drivers around the paddock. We get together on race morning to do a lap of the circuit to see the fans. Everybody talks, jokes and waves to the fans. There is a lot of friendly banter between the drivers, because although we are all competitors we generally get on well.
11am
I’ll have a bit of lunch, maybe some chicken and pasta, but it’s important not to eat anything too heavy. I also drink about two or three litres and a special mineral drink to help give me energy for the race. I always try to keep completely calm. It’s important that you prepare yourself and get focused for the race so that you don’t waste nervous energy.
12.30pm
I do my final preparations and then get in my car. The engineers do their final tests and we head out to the grid. When I’m sitting on the grid, I’m just totally in the zone and focused on my strategy; how to drive the race and my team orders. You can’t let yourself feel too nervous or you will fail. Every time you are on the grid you feel the same, but you just have to control these feelings to be calm in your mind, your body, and with your breathing.
1pm: Racetime!
When the race starts there is a lot of adrenaline in your body, but you just have to try to stay above it and keep analysing everything. When you take a corner, you have to think what you did right and what you did wrong, and try to get it better on the next lap. We also speak to our engineers a lot, asking them questions about the weather, which tyres to chose, and what we can change on the car to improve the handling in the race.
3pm
When you finish, you feel very tired but exhilarated, especially if you have had a good race. The first thing we do is talk to the media. Then I go and see the engineers and tell them as much information as I can about the race – a total download about tyres, engine, brakes and car balance. You just try to download the maximum information you have in your mind. We’ll also go and get a rub-down from the physio as your muscles are hurting, especially in your neck and arms, from the driving.
5pm
Sometimes you have a flight home straight after the race, and it is a race in itself to make it to the airport on time. If not, I’ll go and have a small meal with my colleagues or just go and chill in my hotel room by myself. These days, not many drivers go out and party after the race as we’re all top-level athletes and keeping your body in good condition and staying rested is vitally important to your success.
10pm
I’m usually pretty exhausted, so I’ll try to be in bed by 10pm, or sometimes even earlier. Even though you have the adrenaline from the race, I never find it difficult to switch off and fall straight to sleep.
Race info
Nov 12, 1pm-2.30pm: Practice session one
Nov 12, 5pm-6.30pm: Practice session two
Nov 13, 2pm-3pm: Practice session three
Nov 13, 5pm: Qualifying
Nov 14, 5pm: It’s race time!
Tickets start from Dhs1,800 (800 927).
