The bodily calls for of System 1 require every driver to be as well-rounded of an athlete as potential. Together with the trials of steering a high-performance rocket automotive, there are additionally a whole lot of crisscrossing time zones, which place a premium on the significance of decreasing 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 adjustments 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 making certain Ocon is at his greatest come race weekend, a few of his methods for managing jet lag, and ways in which he makes positive there may be at all times high quality meals out there 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 p.c of the 12 months by Ocon’s aspect. Initially of the season, the senior efficiency coach will fly to the driving force’s home in Switzerland, the place they’ll start masking all bases in preparation for the upcoming season. There are then conversations with the opposite members of the coaching employees on what went effectively the earlier season, what races had been bodily powerful, and areas of enchancment. This all comes after Clark’s communication with the engineers as he must see if any updates or adjustments might alter among the modalities that will probably be applied.
“The game and the calls for of it might probably change year-on-year simply based mostly on some fairly refined particulars,” Clark says. “As a result of, you could have this unknown variable in a automotive, which very a lot is an enormous a part of what’s the centerpiece of the game.”
On condition that Ocon must be at his greatest every race, Clark says the main focus isn’t on getting tremendous slot in preseason, however progressively constructing all through the season. Throughout sure durations of the season, they’ll concentrate on features or extra focused areas that should be addressed.
There may be additionally devoted warmth coaching as they method among the hotter races. Clark ensures that Ocon is ready for mainly any state of affairs or anomaly they’ll encounter all through the season.
Make Certain There Are All the time High quality Components
Regardless of the time distinction being in or in opposition to their favor, Clark does his greatest to see that Ocon maintains the identical consuming schedule. Clark is each organized and analytical in the case of side and every part 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 resorts they’re staying in.
“I’ll ring forward, try to get any type of suggestions from individuals who have eaten at a restaurant to verify the meals hygiene is sweet,” Clark says. “With each lodge that we keep in, one of many first issues I do is try to meet the lodge supervisor or somebody from the eating group. I’ve them on WhatsApp and we’ll 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 may be familiarity together with trusted contacts and spots to select from. Arrival is often a couple 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 verify Ocon is feeling at his greatest 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 lots of hats he wears because the senior efficiency coach. His pursuit of studying extra about jet lag and understanding extra about circadian rhythms stems straight from his expertise in working with Ocon and a efficiency coach’s unending purpose of enhancing their athlete’s efficiency.
“Once I considered what are we, because the System One neighborhood doing in the case of 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 attempting to do one thing to mitigate the signs.
“I needed to have a look at it from a extra under-the-microscope perspective and actually perceive the mechanisms concerned and what we will do on this excessive atmosphere that we’re in as a result of it’s not like there are analysis papers on System 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 mix of three races in three consecutive race weekends and not using a week’s break between the next races), and can see groups journey roughly 123,000km (76,000 miles) between races. There merely isn’t a solution 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 if you’re touring east or west over time zones as this can decide the severity of jet lag one would expertise. He talked about a saying that’s used generally in jet lag analysis “West is greatest,” as most individuals will discover touring west so much simpler than east.
“The easy cause for that’s we discover it simpler to make the day longer as human beings,” Clark says. “Usually, 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 choose in comparison with making the day shorter.”
Clark says it’s vital to start out mimicking among 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 effectively 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 fashionable phenomenon of social jet lag which is the desynchronization between your physique clock and your atmosphere. This comes with many individuals who work Monday via 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 adjustments and consistency with a sleep schedule go a great distance in making certain 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. Attempt to get up sooner than you’ll usually. Preserve a few of that tiredness to then go to mattress early Sunday evening. That’s the place lots of people will go unsuitable in that. They’ll sleep in on Sunday.”
Comply with Tom Clark on Instagram @tomclarkpc
