During a Grand Prix Of Formula 1the body of the pilots is constantly subjected to physical stress And mental. The temperatures inside the car passenger compartment can easily exceed 50 ° Cand the loss of liquids is a reality in every race, with the pilots risking losing among the 3 he is 5 kg weight in sweat. These external factors, combined with the need for maximum concentration, place a huge challenge for the physical resistance of the pilots. To avoid the danger of dehydrationwhich could compromise their performance and put their safety at risk, pilots must be able to hydrate without diverting attention from the track. So here comes the Drinking Systeman essential device that allows the drivers to drink during a race without taking a break or losing the focus, simply by pressing a button on the steering wheel.
How the system that allows drinks to drink during a race works
Each Formula 1 single -seater is equipped with a liquid bag (usually 1.5 liters of water enriched with mineral salts) positioned in a part of the passenger compartment, generally Behind the seat. From this bag a tube who arrives at the pilot helmet. When he needs to drink, the pilot presses a button on the steering wheel with written “Drink“That activates one pump which pushes the liquid to the mouth, without the pilot having to look away from the track.
However, not all teams use the same system. For example, Red Bull It takes a pump to push the liquid, while Mercedes prefers a simpler version, with one straw which extracts the liquid from the bag without the need for a pump. The choice also depends on the fact that the pump add weight And it could spoil During the race, as happened to many pilots over the years, in which the drinks system has stopped working, leaving them dehydrated.
Not being able to take advantage of this system may involve high risks of dehydration. When a pilot does not drink enough during a race, the risk is that his reaction times slowputting his safety at risk, in a context already dangerous in itself. In addition, liquid loss can cause muscle fatigue, Concentration difficulty And performance drops. In the past, some pilots have had to face serious difficulties: in 2021, Sergio Perez, Red Bull driver, admitted that he had reached such a point of dehydration that he could no longer keep the grip on the steering wheel and see clearly. There management of hydration It therefore becomes a crucial factor, which the teams monitize carefully through sensors directly from the pound of the pits in real time.
