What Do Race Car Drivers Eat?

Photo by Malidate Van from Pexels (What Do Race Car Drivers Eat?)

Nutrition plays a critical role in any sports person's performance, regardless of whether they’re weightlifters or runners. Still, most people don’t realise that the same is also true in regards to race car drivers. That’s right! Victory and defeat in the world of motorsports don’t just depend on the fuel that goes into the race car, but also the ‘fuel’ that the drivers consume.

In motorsports, race car drivers tweak their intake of macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, fats, and fibre to match the demands of their race type. Still, they all tend to stay away from junk food that might cloud their mental clarity, and their water intake must be high enough to compensate for their heavy sweating caused by their racing suits.

In this article, we’re going to explore some of the considerations that race car drivers take into account when it comes to their nutrition. As you’ll see, diets can also differ based on the unique demands of certain types of races. Endurance racers, for instance, will have slightly different diets compared to rally racers, and so on.

Let’s get started!

What Does A Motorsports Diet Look Like?

So, what does a “motorsports diet” look like? Well, as you might imagine, each driver would consume a custom-made combination of macronutrients like protein, carbohydrates, and fats. Alongside those are also things like fibre, including those from vegetables.

Of course, we all have those macronutrients in our daily diet, even though we’re not race car drivers. But for those in the world of motorsports, their nutrient intake is tweaked to match their performance requirements. Each macronutrient plays a vital role in the performance, such as:

• Protein helps to maintain and grow muscle mass, giving the driver strength.

• Carbohydrates and fats give the driver energy, which helps them keep a sharp mind to make split-second decisions on the track.
  Here, it’s essential for drivers to consume slow-burning sources of carbs and fats because quick ones like sugar will cause their energy to crash low later on.

• Fibre helps drivers to avoid overeating and stay at their ideal weight.
  Bodyweight is critical even for race car drivers because a heavier driver means a heavier car, which is slower even if only by a few milliseconds.

• Vegetables provide things like vitamins, minerals, and other micronutrients to help drivers recover, especially from the physical demands of high-performance driving.

For drivers to achieve the ideal balance of all those nutrients, motorsports teams typically have a nutritionist as one of their team members. Like other coaches and mentors, the nutritionist would create a customised plan for the driver and guide them towards eating to increase their performance on the race track.

How Important Is Hydration In Motorsports?

Hydration is critical in any sport, but it’s of particular concern in the world of motorsports. Why? For starters, any race fan would agree that it gets incredibly hot on those race tracks and in the vehicles themselves. 

But more important than that, we must also remember that race car drivers wear fire-retardant outfits all throughout the race. As a result, race car drivers end up losing a lot of their hydration by sweating it all out in those suits.

As their bodies lose water, drivers must compensate by consuming the correct amount of water. If they drink too little water, they’ll be dehydrated, and their performance will suffer. Drink too much water, however, and they’ll feel bloated, leading to the same outcome.

So, how do motorsports drivers and their team know how much water they should be consuming?

According to some sources, some motorsports teams have their drivers go through individualised sweat testing. That’s right! By understanding how a driver sweats (i.e. how fast their body loses water), they’ll be able to figure out how much they must drink to compensate. More importantly, it also helps the drivers understand what kind of fluids they need to consume to maximise their performance behind the wheel.

All of that is made more complicated depending on the type of race that’s going on. For example, an endurance race will involve more challenging conditions, seeing as how the drivers will be spending much more time behind the wheel of their car. And unlike their vehicles, drivers can’t have a quick pitstop to rehydrate in just a few seconds.

What Do Race Car Drivers Eat Before A Race?

Perhaps one of the most important meals for a race car driver is the one that they have right before they hop into their cars for a race. That pre-race meal can mean the difference between victory and defeat for the driver, as it’ll provide them with the sustained energy and hydration they need to do their jobs correctly. At the same time, they’ll want to avoid overeating or consuming any foods that might affect their performance.

Looking at the items mentioned previously, it should be no surprise that many F1 drivers, for example, consume proteins and vegetables as part of their pre-race meal. Slow-burning carbohydrates and fats are also essential, as they provide a stable supply of energy without making them sleepy halfway through the race.

Usually, motorsports drivers would avoid consuming too much sugar. The problem with sugar is that it provides a significant spike in energy, but that’s followed by a crash that’ll make drivers sluggish and unable to think clearly.

Still, there are some interesting articles elsewhere on the internet that claim some world-famous F1 drivers love nothing more than to consume lots of sugars before their race.

Pre-Race Hydration

As for water, drinking lots of it before a race is critical even if the driver doesn’t feel thirsty. As mentioned before, drivers sweat an incredible amount of water while in their race suits. That kind of dehydration will not only lead to a lack of mental clarity, but it can also cause muscle cramps that will undoubtedly jeopardise their performance.

Final Thoughts

What does all of this teach us? It shows us that in motorsports, the vehicle’s performance isn’t the only factor determining victory or failure. An equally important component is the driver who operates that vehicle. Just as a car must have the best fuel, the driver, too, must consume the best nutrition to support their high-performance nature.

To learn more about the world of motorsports, check out TOC Automotive College, the Best Automotive College in Malaysia!