Motor racing star Lando Norris extraordinary fitness regime as he battled to become world champion has been revealed.
The race ace went through rigorous testing at a special facility to help push him to the top of F1.
Norris, 26, won the world title yesterday (7 Dec) by two points after a third place finish in Abu Dhabi.
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He spent hours at Swansea University’s Applied Sports, Technology, Exercise and Medicine research centre looking at everything from his metabolism and grip to neck strength and reaction times.
Swansea University is one of the first in the world to conduct research across the upper echelons of elite Formula motorsport and have a full-time research associate dedicated to this kind of testing.
Its goal is to investigate physiological, athletic and cognitive enhancement for motorsport athlete performance, as reported by What’s The Jam.
“Assessment day is a gruesome day of many different tests to see my strengths and weaknesses,” Norris said ahead of the tests eight months ago.
“It tests how my body is performing through the year and anything that might cost me lap time.”
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Jon Malvern is Norris’s performance coach and travels the world with the McLaren star.
He established the partnership between his company, Pioneered Athlete Performance and Swansea University’s project.
He said: “Already, we have improved our understanding of elite driver physiology, explored methods of how to optimally prepare for race demands and acquired knowledge on the implementation of race day management strategies, such as hydration and heat stress.
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“Having a deep-thinking multidisciplinary research team away from the racetrack allows me and all PAP practitioners to make better informed decisions on driver performance preparation in the field.
“This in turn allows our drivers to better withstand the hostile race environment and ensure it does not limit them from fully applying their driving abilities.”
Christian Vassalo, who is involved in the project and is a sports science lecturer at Swansea, said: “Spanning a 12-hour day Lando underwent a rigorous battery of tests, methodically selected by the PACE-MAP research team.
“He demonstrated the ability to tolerate extreme discomfort with outstanding physical and mental fortitude, commensurate with a ‘champion mentality’.
“He left us in awe of his efforts.
“It was a privilege for the PACE-MAP research team to welcome Lando Norris and Jon Malvern to Swansea University and our A-STEM laboratories.”
At the end of the battery of tests, an exhausted Norris said: “This is my day done.
“I’m dead – but for good reasons.
“I don’t feel good but I’ve got a nice journey home now.
“It’s been an amazing day.”
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