Beside the brand-ambassador elements of the modern racing driver, the evolution of the athlete has mandated that as drivers, we are very committed to fitness.
Sentiment: POSITIVE
We're involved in racing because there's that element of competition. But there's that desire to push yourself beyond the natural comfort zone and the boundaries that are preset if you like, and to be better than the rest.
A racing driver has to be a good driver.
I think fans of the sport have a good understanding now of how fit Formula One drivers need to be.
A true athlete is someone who doesn't just stop training when they stop competing. It's a way of life, and they keep in shape just to keep up that standard.
As athletes, our job is to train and compete.
When you are racing in an able-bodied competition, you're all equal and you go out there and try your best, and that's what counts.
Having competed themselves, my father and my uncle are very passionate about motorsport, so I inherited it from them.
Fitness will be a major factor in the first race and I think that will play into the hands of drivers who have been racing recently, rather than people like me who haven't raced properly for a decade. I'am not one of the favourites to start with.
I would say that one of the hardest things for an athlete, and really anybody of any profession, is that we create our identity in what we do.
Fitness is a curve. You can be Lance Armstrong, or you can be really out of shape at the opposite end. People enter the curve wherever they are and then they can move up the curve, by better nutrition and better exercise.
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