F1 Spinal Solutions - the Science of Seating
Take an objective look at Formula One and you’ll see that every part of each car is measured, tested, analysed and fine tuned. Extracting a 1% advantage over the competition can be the difference between Pole Position and being out of the points. Given all the technology, advanced sensing and analysis that goes into getting the car right, it’s hard to understand why the making the driver comfortable in a seat that gives him the right level of support still relies on the same old 1960 method. This involves having your driver slump into a resin filled bean bag to create a ‘mould’ which sets around them; adequate in it’s day but hardly leading edge technology!
Meanwhile the cars continue to get faster and in 2018 lateral forces peaked at 8G whilst braking regularly exerts 5-6G on the driver. This means that meaning that a 75kg driver is effectively weighing half a tonne, or to quote Lewis Hamilton “It’s like supporting 50kg on your neck for up to 8 seconds at a time”.
The consequence of the extreme G forces is that F1 drivers move around in their seats despite their harnesses and use their back muscles to re-position. In short, they are doing ‘work’ every time they do a circuit and by time they’ve done a few laps, their muscles are getting tired and starting to fatigue. Meanwhile, the exercise their lower abdominals are doing means they become ‘pumped’ as the blood flow to the muscles increases. Result? A poorly fitting seat, back pain, discomfort and a driver that’s not working at 100% of their capability.
F1 Spinal Solutions uses a specially designed upright MRI scanner which allows drivers’ spines and their musculature to be scrutinised whilst in their race seat. This gives much greater insight than conventional cylindrical MRI scans which show back muscles only in their relaxed position. Upright MRI uniquely allows F1 Spinal Solutions to relate the image back to driver pain and discomfort and offer much more specific and actionable advice to drivers and teams.
We can advise on where support is needed; the types, thickness and grade of foam, and on the size and position of cut-outs in the seat to allow for muscle expansion.
Having worked with 2 F1 teams and helped alleviate back problems with 3 F1 drivers, F1 Spinal Solution will be at the MotorSport Days event in Silverstone on November 1 and 2nd. If you’d like to know more about F1SS and what they can achieve, contact Tim Scurlock or Dr Steven Morgan for more details.
As Mark Weber said, on C4 in the warmup to the Bahrain Grand Prix 2018, “if the seat’s not fitting well, you’ll get absolutely slaughetered!”
Read more about F1 Spinal Solutions at www.F1SpinalSolutions.com
LCS approved trainer, coach and OpEx consultant specializing in TPS and organizational change. Managing Director of Jounetsu Consulting and co owner of People Centred Excellence
6 年It’s all in the detail Tim. The fastest cars, the most revs, the highest horse power, the most aerodynamic, the fastest pit stop. If it’s not the perfect interface between drivers and cars, then they’re not a part of the whole package. Interesting comparison at a much lower level, my time trial race bike seat would do a whole winter on my training bike (November to February at 300 miles a week) before being fitted to my race bike. And I was very reluctant to change a saddle over any other component. Frame, wheels, gearing, group set. No high tech involved, granted, but I needed to know it was comfy when the starters said ‘3-2-1 go’