20/05/2002

Q&A with Dr. Riccardo Ceccarelli

Question. Explain your role in the Panasonic Toyota Racing team.
Riccardo Ceccarelli. There are three main areas: driver fitness team fitness and the testing of young drivers. My main concern is with the people at the track and I think Panasonic Toyota Racing is the only team that takes a physio and a doctor to every race and test. But we have just opened a new gym at the factory in Cologne which is open to all employees so we are taking care of the people there too.

Q. Name some of the drivers you have looked after?
RC. Since I've been working with Panasonic Toyota Racing I cannot look after any other F1 drivers but Mika and Allan aside I have worked with Jarno Trulli Giancarlo Fisichella Enrique Bernoldi and Felipe Massa from the current grid. I give the drivers a full training: they start with a full medical check-up then I take them into the gym for further physical analysis. Furthermore I design a fitness programme for them which includes nutrition.

Q. How easy are Mika and Allan to work with?
RC. They are both very easy. Drivers with their level of experience already have an in-built culture of how to prepare themselves. I cannot change every habit and sometimes habits are good from a psychological point of view. But I can still get them to focus on what's important.

Q. Are Mika and Allan at a high level of fitness?
RC. They are very motivated they train a lot and they respect the vitamin supplement programme that I do.

Q. How much do you know about what the driver experiences in the car?
RC. Because no retired drivers go on to become fitness coaches I find myself teaching something that I haven't done. But it's not a problem so long as you do your research.

Q. What can you learn from all your different data?
RC. You can learn about body fluids stress levels and how the muscles are affected by driving the car. In terms of physical and mental energy some drivers are like an engine and consume a lot of "fuel" during a race while others don't use as much. The training has to be different for the two different types of person.

Q. Can you make a driver quicker?
RC. No. Being quick is a genetic thing. But I can help drivers to use all of their potential for an entire race. Sometimes a driver thinks that he has performed at his maximum when he hasn't and you can prove that through medical science.

Q. Can you set-up programmes for specific tracks?
RC. Yes I can and I do. The difficult bit is keeping up with a driver's lifestyle because when they are not at a race they are testing or at meetings!

Q. How important is diet to a driver's performance?
RC. A good diet is important for everyone's well-being and for a driver it is important when he eats not only what he eats. If he eats a steak one hour before a race his digestion will not complete by the time of the race and his performance will not be 100 percent. There was for example one F1 driver I worked with whom I could tell through the blood tests he shouldn't eat bananas or coffee. When I took these foods away from him he felt much better.

Q. Are there any similarities between race driving and other sports?
RC. I think boxing is very close to race driving. In boxing you need to be resistant because it is a long event you need to be quick and have good reflexes you need a high level of concentration and you need to be aggressive.