It is not uncommon for F1 drivers to seek help with their physical preparation and conditioning, through the likes of personal trainers and nutritionists.
Former F1 driver Sir Jackie Stewart is an active advocate of driver coaching, both mentally and physically and believes modern F1 drivers are not making the most of other avenues of support.
Speaking to Autosport, the three-time World Champion said that using coaches to improve performance are “one of the things that are desperately missing”.
Stewart said: “I simply don’t understand it to this day. Racing drivers are so clever that they don’t need coaches. [It is] absolutely wrong.
“There is not a single driver at the highest peak of his skills who would not be assisted by wisdom and observations that he probably had never thought of.
“You go to skiing, golf, tennis, equestrian, anything you like to think of – and coaching is just one of the most important things.
“Now they [F1 drivers] are fit and they have coaches to help them with their physical condition, but not their mental ability. And I think that’s completely wrong.”
Credit: Haas F1 Team
The Briton, who was world champion in 1969, ’71 and ’73, made his debut in ’65 with BRM and finished on the podium in only his second start and finished third in the championship.
During his maiden seasons in F1, Sir Jackie spent his first two seasons alongside Graham Hill but said he was mentored by rivals as well as his two-time world champion team-mate.
“I was so hungry to learn from other people and I was lucky I had Jim Clark to talk to,” said Stewart.
“He was the best racing driver I ever raced with.
“Because we shared an apartment together and we spent time together, I was not trying to find things out that he would know and I couldn’t possibly have been aware of at that stage in my career.
“And I had Graham Hill, and Graham never once didn’t answer the question in full that I would have asked him, whether it was for a setting on the car or whether it was where do you brake or what gear are you in.
“The telemetry today is so clear, you can actually have somebody go out there.
“If they’re listening to what the coach might be telling them, they can see the difference.”
