The bodily calls for of Method 1 require every driver to be as well-rounded of an athlete as potential. Together with the pains of steering a high-performance rocket automotive, there are additionally plenty of crisscrossing time zones, which place a premium on the significance of lowering jet lag, high quality sleep, and correct diet. This isn’t something new for Tom Clark.
Tom Clark is the Senior Efficiency Coach for Alpine driver Esteban Ocon. He’s additionally engaged on an expert doctorate in Utilized Sport and Train Science, specializing in jet lag, journey fatigue, and coping methods. Together with ensuring Ocon is firing on all cylinders, Clark additionally hopes to assist make modifications to mitigate journey fatigue throughout F1 to assist the longevity and efficiency of these inside the sport.
Clark spoke with Muscle & Health on the work that goes into guaranteeing Ocon is at his finest come race weekend, a few of his methods for managing jet lag, and ways in which he makes certain there’s at all times high quality meals obtainable all through every cease through the season.
Coaching an F1 Driver is a 12 months-Spherical Dedication For Tom Clark
Tom Clark spends near 70 % of the 12 months by Ocon’s facet. Initially of the season, the senior efficiency coach will fly to the motive force’s home in Switzerland, the place they’ll start overlaying all bases in preparation for the upcoming season. There are then conversations with the opposite members of the coaching employees on what went nicely the earlier season, what races had been bodily robust, and areas of enchancment. This all comes after Clark’s communication with the engineers as he must see if any updates or modifications might alter a number of the modalities that will probably be carried out.
“The game and the calls for of it may change year-on-year simply primarily based on some fairly refined particulars,” Clark says. “As a result of, you’ve got this unknown variable in a automotive, which very a lot is a giant a part of what’s the centerpiece of the game.”
On condition that Ocon must be at his finest every race, Clark says the main target isn’t on getting tremendous slot in preseason, however steadily constructing all through the season. Throughout sure durations of the season, they will deal with beneficial properties or extra focused areas that must be addressed.
There’s additionally devoted warmth coaching as they strategy a number of the hotter races. Clark ensures that Ocon is ready for principally any situation or anomaly they will encounter all through the season.
Make Certain There Are At all times High quality Elements
Regardless of the time distinction being in or towards their favor, Clark does his finest to see that Ocon maintains the identical consuming schedule. Clark is each organized and analytical with regards to side and all the things from snacks and dietary supplements are deliberate to be much less reliant on inflight meals. If there are any flight stoppages, analysis has already gone into the place to eat and there are additionally strains of communication established with any of the accommodations they’re staying in.
“I’ll ring forward, try to get any type of suggestions from individuals who have eaten at a restaurant to ensure the meals hygiene is nice,” Clark says. “With each resort that we keep in, one of many first issues I do is try to meet the resort supervisor or somebody from the eating crew. I’ve them on WhatsApp and we are going to talk on the produce and meals on a given week.”
It additionally helps that they’ve been to every race location as soon as earlier than, so there’s familiarity together with trusted contacts and spots to select from. Arrival is often a number of days previous to the race so the groups can get settled in and put together for the weekend. Throughout race weekend, a precedence is positioned on carbs and proteins to assist with restoration and to ensure Ocon is feeling at his finest when he strains up on the grid.
Tom Clark Isn’t Lagging Behind Jet Lag
Tom Clark has been with Ocon since 2021 and has labored in motorsports for 10 years. There are a lot of hats he wears because the senior efficiency coach. His pursuit of studying extra about jet lag and understanding extra about circadian rhythms stems immediately from his expertise in working with Ocon and a efficiency coach’s unending purpose of enhancing their athlete’s efficiency.
“Once I thought of what are we, because the Method One neighborhood doing with regards to jet lag, there actually wasn’t a lot,” Clark says. “It was this factor that folks simply accepted. There undoubtedly was an consciousness to jet lag and making an attempt to do one thing to mitigate the signs.
“I wished to take a look at it from a extra under-the-microscope perspective and actually perceive the mechanisms concerned and what we are able to do on this excessive surroundings that we’re in as a result of it’s not like there are analysis papers on Method One journey.”
This season will take groups and drivers to a complete of 21 international locations throughout 5 continents. The schedule features a document 24 races, together with three triple headers (a mixture of three races in three consecutive race weekends with no week’s break between the following races), and can see groups journey roughly 123,000km (76,000 miles) between races. There merely isn’t a option to keep away from jet leg with such in depth journey however there are methods to mitigate the signs.
Time Is of The Essence When Combating Jet Lag
Jet lag is outlined as a short lived sleep problem that happens when the physique’s inner clock is out of sync with cues from a brand new time zone. These cues are often mild publicity and consuming occasions, which result in fatigue and issue concentrating — signs that could possibly be disastrous for drivers. Tom Clark says the primary key factor as to whether you’re touring east or west over time zones as it will decide the severity of jet lag one would expertise. He talked about a saying that’s used generally in jet lag analysis “West is finest,” as most individuals will discover touring west loads simpler than east.
“The straightforward purpose for that’s we discover it simpler to make the day longer as human beings,” Clark says. “Typically, our physique clock is definitely barely longer than 24 hours, which suggests to make the day longer is mostly one thing we’re predisposed to want in comparison with making the day shorter.”
Clark says it’s necessary to start out mimicking a number of the behaviors you’d have within the new time zone days earlier than you even board your flight. He talked about what he would do in touring from the U.Ok. to Central America, the place the time distinction is seven hours behind. Clark says he would start going to mattress and waking up one hour later whereas ensuring within the night that he’s seeing mild for an additional hour as nicely by turning on each mild in his neighborhood to assist his eyes modify. This begins to assist shift the physique clock extra powerfully. If he’s going eastward, he’ll get up and go to mattress an hour earlier.
Even in the event you’re not a frequent flyer, Clark talked about the trendy phenomenon of social jet lag which is the desynchronization between your physique clock and your surroundings. This comes with many individuals who work Monday by way of Friday and rise early and get to mattress early however do the reverse on weekends, which bleeds over into the beginning of the next week. Clark says easy modifications and consistency with a sleep schedule go a great distance in guaranteeing higher efficiency and even a greater temper.
“Let’s say you had a late Saturday evening,” he says. “Don’t try to make up for it Sunday morning. Try to get up sooner than you’ll usually. Hold a few of that tiredness to then go to mattress early Sunday evening. That’s the place lots of people will go improper in that. They’ll sleep in on Sunday.”
Observe Tom Clark on Instagram @tomclarkpc
