If you’ve ever watched a Formula 1 race through to completion, you may have a few questions, such as “What happens if they need to pee?”, “Why do the drivers get weighed after a race?”, and “Why am I essentially watching traffic?”.
Well, there are good answers to the first two questions, while the third is something you’ll have to grapple with yourself. First up, what happens if they need to pee?
Racing drivers, like ordinary drivers, would rather not sit in a puddle of their own urine. But the long races and the amount of water they take on before a race sometimes make the dream of staying dry impossible, with a few racers admitting that they have had to relieve themselves during a race.
“Both of us have both of us have weed in the car once in our careers, which is quite extraordinary given how much driving we did,” former racing driver Mark Webber explained in an interview with On The Marbles, alongside fellow former driver David Coulthard. “Mine was [during the] 2009 Malaysian Grand Prix, and I just stuffed up the hydration in terms of like dc’s. We need to have a lot of fluid before the race, you want to try and time it so your bladder’s pretty empty before the race but naturally you still have a lot of hydration in your system.”
Why the digression about peeing in an article about weigh-ins? Well, the two are related. Formula 1 cars get incredibly hot, with even the brakes producing heat up to 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit). In the cockpit, there is very little airflow, while the engine also sits behind it. Additionally, the races can also take place in hot countries.
“The aerodynamic design of the car actually directs heat into the cockpit,” Red Bull explains. “Singapore is an outlier for humidity but remains one of the toughest challenges on the F1 calendar. While the cars aren’t particularly bothered by heat and humidity, it takes its toll on the other key component: the drivers. In a typical Singapore Grand Prix drivers lose 3-4kg [6.6 to 8.8 pounds] in body weight – that’s about four litres of sweat.”
The amount of weight lost through sweat varies from race to race based on conditions, but this is the reason why Formula 1 drivers are weighed before a race, and after a race is complete.
“Within F1, there is a minimum weight requirement,” RacingNews365 explains. “If a driver weighs below this limit, additional weight is added to the car. After a race, the FIA [Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile] checks the weight loss of a driver to ensure he still meets this minimum weight requirement. Additionally, the weight loss is analysed for health reasons.”
It remains unclear why people watch what is essentially fast traffic.
Source Link: Why Do They Weigh Formula 1 Drivers After A Race, Like Market Pigs?
