Formula Racing
Red Bull Junior Driver Jehan Daruvala and his osteopath Luke Selby share details on warming up before a race and some tips upcoming drivers can use.
Jehan Daruvala is one of India’s top motor racers.
His debut F2 season in 2020 saw him become the first Indian to win an F2 race when he took the chequered flag at the Bahrain International Circuit on the final race weekend.
He will once again compete in F2 with Carlin Motorsport and as a Red Bull Junior Driver in the 2021 season.
Ahead of the season, his focus has been on fitness to get ready for the races ahead. And he has also been fine tuning his pre-race fitness routines before getting in the car.
“In karting, I didn’t have a trainer. I used to just jump in and drive. But definitely, when you drive race cars things get super intense and physical. A lot of small things make a big difference,” says Jehan about why pre-race warm-ups are important.
He went into further detail about his warm-up routines, the specific parts of his body he focuses on, and the benefits of a good warm-up. The responses below also include inputs from Jehan’s osteopath Luke Selby of Pioneered Athlete Performance.
Here are the focus areas of a good warm-up before a race
Neck
Drivers use heavily-loaded resistance bands with straps around their forehard for neck exercises and warm-ups. “I like to warm my neck up a lot. For the rest of the body, I just choose different parts to warm up [depending on how my body feels]. But the main part is the neck,” says Jehan
Reactions
Drivers often do quick reaction games involving dropping balls, catching exercises, colour-based challenges, etc to improve their reaction time behind the wheel.
“The main thing is the reactions. We do a lot of reaction work because a split-second difference at the beginning of the race can make a world of difference,” says Jehan.
Balance + decision making
Jehan explains that when you are balancing on an unstable surface on one leg and someone throws a ball, you catch it instinctively without thinking. That instinct is important for racecar drivers.
“We need to think in split seconds. Our movements have to be subconscious,” says Jehan about instinct honed through balance exercises.
Muscle groups
It is also important to activate the body’s large muscle groups to keep them ready for action.
“You'd typically need to get your heart rate up, get a bit of a cardio and respiratory stimulus, activate all the right muscle groups at the right tempo so that they're warmed up and ready to fire. You would want to pay particular attention to the core, upper body and neck,” says Luke.
Below are a few FAQs about warming up before a race.
How much time should you spend on the warm-up?
Jehan says his warm-up sessions before a race are usually 10-15 minutes. However, if he’s already warmed up, he would spend less time on his pre-race routine.
“It depends on the timetable. For example, if there’s a session in the morning and then one at 4pm, I'll have to warm up twice. But if there’s a session at 10am and then at noon, my body is already pretty warm from the previous session so I do just five-seven minutes of neck and reactions,” says Jehan.
How much time before a race should you warm-up?
Jehan tries to keep a buffer of 10-15 minutes between the end of his warm-up and the start of the race so he can listen to music or chat with his engineer.
“I try to warm up as close as possible to the race. But I always keep a buffer of 10 15 minutes in case I want to use the washroom or my engineer needs to chat with me. I also take caffeine tablets to boost my reactions and keep me as active as possible throughout the race,” says Jehan.
What are the benefits of a good warm-up?
Your muscle fibres will react quicker: “There’s really good evidence that if you activate motor units and muscles then when you need to call on them in the event, you can recruit more fibres with quicker reactions and more power. So, post-activation potentiation is a definite thing. I think the physical warmup as well helps with reaction times,” says Luke.
Your cognitive functions peak: “[With warm-ups,] we try to get Jehan’s visual cortex and cognitive parts of his brain fired up. So that in theory, all the elements of his mind and body are as primed as they can be; to be ready for the job,” says Luke.
It helps get you in the zone: “It becomes a sort of a part ritual. So that’s time for Jehan to be in his body, warming up, doing exercises. He can take himself away from the business and challenges of being in the garage, and get him focused in the car to do what he does well,” says Luke.
