Max Verstappen's former coach Bradley Scanes has revealed what the “most fragile and injured body part” is for Formula 1 drivers.
Scanes, who worked with Verstappen for four years until 2023, believes that most drivers are likely to suffer lower back problems compared to other parts of their body.
This was an issue with Lewis Hamilton during the 2022 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, when the porpoising effect caused excessive bouncing in his car. He was then seen holding his lower back while exiting the car in parc ferme.
“The lower back – it is the most fragile and most injured part of the body in pilots,” explains Scanes.
“A lot of people think they mostly hurt their neck muscles, but that's not the case – unless they have an accident. They are well-trained athletes. Neck strength is gets stronger the more you drive, so after testing and pre-season you're pretty much good to go.”
With the transition to ground-effect F1 cars in 2022, they are more reliant on lower ride heights, which has an effect on their overall physical health.
“The lower back depends on the track, the surface of the track, whether it's a street circuit or a normal circuit, how they ride in the car – is that they ride a little stiffer or not.”
“It's the most injured area and also the most painful for a pilot, when there are a lot of bumps. These are constraints that have changed with ground effect.”
