F1 Explains: brain training for F1 drivers - with an expert coach
F1 Nation
Formula 1
4.3 • 1.2K Ratings
🗓️ 28 May 2026
⏱️ 35 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
It's race week. You've got a flight to catch. You need to score points this weekend or you might lose your seat. Fans want selfies at the airport. Your engineer needs your thoughts on car set-up. A pundit just said something about you on a podcast. Your Team Principal is calling you...
This is the high-pressure life of a Formula 1 driver. To cope, they need to be mentally strong. How do they train their brains to handle the demands of racing at the very top, and who helps keep their minds in shape?
Christian puts your questions on this to an expert on how F1 drivers' brains work. Dr Tommy Wood is Lead Scientist for Motorsport at Hintsa Performance - a company which provides coaches and sports psychologists for many drivers on the grid.
Tommy tells us how F1 drivers block out distractions and focus on their on-track performance and explains the coaching which helps them do it. Does age affect a driver's mental abilities? And do off-track friendships between drivers have an effect when battling wheel-to-wheel?
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Transcript
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| 0:30.5 | This episode is sponsored by Honda. |
| 0:33.4 | Since its first Formula One victory in the 1965 Mexico Grand Prix, |
| 0:38.3 | Honda has always taken what's learned on the track |
| 0:41.3 | and used it to build better cars for everyone. |
| 0:45.3 | From pushing limits in F1 to engineering the next generation of hybrids |
| 0:49.3 | like the Prelude Hybrid and Civic Sedan hybrid, |
| 0:52.3 | Honda proves that racing doesn't just inspire innovation. |
| 0:56.7 | It drives it. |
| 0:58.2 | And that idea of taking lessons from the racetrack and applying them to roadcars has always |
| 1:03.4 | been a part of Honda's DNA. |
| 1:06.2 | Decades of engineering in the demanding world of Formula One have helped shape the performance and efficiency |
| 1:12.0 | you see in Honda's road cars today. And now that same thinking is shaping the next generation of hybrids |
| 1:18.5 | as well. Cars like the 26 Prelude Hybrid and Civic Hybrid show that electrification can be both |
| 1:25.9 | efficient and genuinely fun to drive. |
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