Keeping your eyes on the road is vital if your car travels at a speed of 200 mph (322 kph). A strong neck helps.
Neck-strengthening exercises are integral in the fast-paced world of Formula 1 racing. Plenty of drivers will bring specialized training gear for that purpose when they arrive in Florida for Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix, the next event of a lucrative, year-long championship which spans the globe.
Working out with weighted harnesses or using deep body-weight stretches stabilize their heads and help them stay focused on the track through high-speed corners while forces up to five times as strong as gravity heave their bodies from side to side.
Adults with “tech neck” don’t work in such extreme conditions, but the training techniques of professional race car drivers highlight an often-overlooked muscle group. Paying greater attention to posture while using screens and adding neck-specific exercises to a fitness routine are small changes that could ease discomfort, according to Dr. Neeru Jayanthi, an Atlanta-based sports medicine specialist who works with athletes of all ages from a range of sports.
“Does a normal person need to have a neck like an F1 driver? Probably not,” Antti Kontsas, an experienced performance coach who worked with four-time F1 champion Sebastian Vettel and other stars of the sport, said.
Still, “the healthy foundations are the same for the normal person and for the driver. Where you would start is exactly the same,” Kontsas told The Associated Press.
As with any other fitness activity, neck training needs to be practiced safely and with attention to an individual’s physical needs and limitations. When in doubt, seek guidance from a doctor or other medical professional, especially if you have experienced neck injuries or don’t know what might be causing your aching neck.
When you’re aware of your limits, “it’s just knowing the loading, exposing gradually. That’s the safe way to progress,” Konstas says.
How drivers train
The days when F1 drivers smoke and drank before a Grand Prix are long gone. Even in the 1990s, fitness was crucial to Michael Schumacher’s success; the seven-time champion from Germany emphasized cardio and strength training. After all, fatigue causes mistakes.
A key element of Kontsas’ training programs is not overlooking the neck, otherwise known as the cervical spine, when exercising your back and core.
Body-weight exercises like keeping the head level with the shoulders in a lateral, or side, plank position can help. Another easy exercise can be done lying down.
“The most simple thing is lying on your back on a bench with your head hanging and then holding your head in a complete horizontal line. You’re holding your head still and seeing how long you can hold that. That’s a good way to train, particularly, the front musculature,” Kontsas said.
To increase the challenge, drivers typically use a resistance band or a weighted harness that straps around the head to work their neck muscles.
Beating the pain of ‘computer neck’
Training doesn’t have to take up a lot of time. Even F1 drivers might only do neck exercises for 10 to 15 minutes a session, two or three times a week, according to Kontsas.
If you spend a lot of time at a desk for work, improving neck health can start with a simple reminder to be aware of your posture and simple stretches like tucking the chin back to compensate for leaning forward toward a screen.
“Computer neck,” a modern ailment that causes neck, shoulder and back pain, comes when “your head sits in different positions off the spine” while working, explains Jayanthi.
“You sit in front of the computer for two, three, four hours, and you never realize that your head was in the wrong position the entire time,” he said. “So we can go back to positioning our neck and actually doing chin tucks and isometrics to push your head in the correct position on the spine. Just remind yourself every 30 to 60 minutes.”
There’s evidence that having a strong neck and trunk can help with other serious issues, according to Jayanthi. For example, neck training is “one of the most accessible, least expensive” options for concussion recovery and prevention, he said.
Likewise, spine strength can be a predictor of injury prevention or mitigation in tennis players, Jayanthi said.
Life in F1 can be a pain in the neck
It’s hard to measure how much faster fitness makes a driver, but it’s notable that one of Formula 1’s most celebrated non-driver staff members of the last 15 years is Angela Cullen, longtime personal physiotherapist to seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.
The physical challenge of racing at the top level can be shock to first-timers.
At age 18, British driver Oliver Bearman made his F1 race debut with two days’ notice as a replacement for Ferrari when regular driver Carlos Sainz, Jr. needed emergency surgery in 2024. Bearman was fit from racing in junior series Formula 2, but the strain on his body from going at F1 speed was in another league.
“Destroyed” was his response to being asked how he felt afterward.
“Physically it was a really difficult race. … I think especially my lower back and my neck, it’s hurting,” Bearman added.
