The bodily calls for of System 1 require every driver to be as well-rounded of an athlete as doable. Together with the trials of steering a high-performance rocket automotive, there are additionally quite a lot of crisscrossing time zones, which place a premium on the significance of decreasing jet lag, high quality sleep, and correct vitamin. 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 finest come race weekend, a few of his methods for managing jet lag, and ways in which he makes certain there may be all the time 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 p.c of the 12 months by Ocon’s aspect. At first 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 workers on what went properly the earlier season, what races have 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 a number of the modalities that can be carried out.
“The game and the calls for of it may well change year-on-year simply primarily based on some fairly refined particulars,” Clark says. “As a result of, you’ve this unknown variable in a automotive, which very a lot is an enormous a part of what’s the centerpiece of the game.”
Provided that Ocon must be at his finest every race, Clark says the main focus isn’t on getting tremendous slot in preseason, however regularly constructing all through the season. Throughout sure durations of the season, they will concentrate on features or extra focused areas that have to be addressed.
There’s additionally devoted warmth coaching as they method 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 Positive There Are At all times High quality Components
Regardless of the time distinction being in or in opposition to their favor, Clark does his finest to see that Ocon maintains the identical consuming schedule. Clark is each organized and analytical relating to side and all the pieces 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 kind of suggestions from individuals who have eaten at a restaurant to verify the meals hygiene is sweet,” 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 workforce. 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 normally 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 verify 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 various 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 endless purpose of bettering their athlete’s efficiency.
“After I considered what are we, because the System One group doing relating to jet lag, there actually wasn’t a lot,” Clark says. “It was this factor that individuals simply accepted. There undoubtedly was an consciousness to jet lag and attempting to do one thing to mitigate the signs.
“I needed to take 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 file 24 races, together with three triple headers (a mix of three races in three consecutive race weekends with out 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 intensive 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 normally gentle publicity and consuming occasions, which result in fatigue and problem 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 may 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 quite a bit simpler than east.
“The straightforward 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 want in comparison with making the day shorter.”
Clark says it’s vital to begin 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 gentle for an additional hour as properly by turning on each gentle in his neighborhood to assist his eyes regulate. 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 if you happen to’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 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 good 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. Hold a few of that tiredness to then go to mattress early Sunday evening. That’s the place lots of people will go incorrect in that. They’ll sleep in on Sunday.”
Observe Tom Clark on Instagram @tomclarkpc
