Keeping Cool Under Pressure: Heat, Hydration & Headspace
Daniel Ricciardo once said, “I’m a high-performance athlete, athletes sweat, sweat baby, kih kih kih, rrrar, sweat sweat, woo woo”. He couldn’t have been more accurate! Race drivers are indeed athletes, and athletes do indeed sweat – A LOT. Not only is motorsport a hard sport on our bodies and minds, but most paddocks do not have a lot of shade and shelter, unless your fortunate enough to get a garage spot in the paddock plan.
This year, we have had a hot summer in the UK and some of us will have really enjoyed it, and others not so much, and our drivers, and team, have been baking in the hot sun with very little shelter.
It is easy to allow the management of engine temperatures to take centre stage, and it’s easy to forget the drivers themselves are equally vulnerable to overheating, and we should consider ways to reduce their heat burden.
By the third session in the car (typically Race 2), the sweat beneath a drivers fireproofs, helmet and balaclava can feel like it has its own gravitational pull, and concentration on racing can become a fight against mental fog, heat exhaustion, physical exhaustion, and trying not to overheat the car.
We are going to consider the science, the sweat, of what it really takes to keep cool in the cockpit under pressure.
Thermoregulation: The Battle Against Heat
We all know if we leave our road cars sat outside in the sun, they get hot – and we’ve likely all seen the videos where people bake cookies on their dashboard. Racing is no different, an enclosed car’s cockpit temperature regularly rise – in some reported cases from one British Touring Car Team, in excess of 70 degrees Celsius[1]. We can certainly confirm that the cockpits of our race cars have got HOT, and as well as our drivers, our action camera has overheated a few times too. The major difference between an average road car, and a race car is the lack of air conditioning in race car and not being permitted to open the window during a race.
This is no guessing that all the protective equipment and racewear drivers must wear, is not breathable, considering it’s fireproof protective safety wear. This in turn creates a micro-climate inside the race suit and helmet, restricting evaporation and limiting the body’s natural cooling process. This can increase body temperature to nearly 40 degrees centigrade, and potentially much higher. With increased body temperature will impair the driver’s performance and increase the risk of heat-related fatigue it is important to improve performance and heat resilience outside of racing to support your driver development.
The Science Behind Thermoregulation
One useful resource for this is PACE-MAP. PACE-MAP stands for Physiological, Athletic and Cognitive Enhancement for Motorsport Athlete Performance. It is a pioneering research programme based at Swansea University, designed to advance the science of human performance in motorsport. The research focused on all areas of motorsport, not just the drivers, but the pit crews and team support.
PACE-MAP develops strategies to support the entire teams performance during racing, and in this case, manage extreme cockpit temperatures whilst improving driver endurance. It also considers the cognitive fatigue drivers experience. Some further points worth mentioning are:
- Race-Day Heat Stress Management: PACE-MAP is actively developing applied interventions to help drivers cope with extreme cockpit temperatures discussed.
- Cognitive & Physical Impact: Swansea University’s studies show that elevated core temperatures impair reaction time, decision-making, and endurance, making thermoregulation a performance-critical factor.
- Environmental Heat Chamber Testing: Drivers like Lando Norris who participated in this study undergo assessments in purpose-built heat chambers, simulating race conditions to evaluate tolerance and recovery strategies.
- Sweat Rate & Hydration Monitoring: PACE-MAP tracks fluid loss and electrolyte balance to inform hydration protocols tailored to individual drivers.
- Neck Fatigue & Heat Interaction: They’re exploring how cervical spine fatigue interacts with heat stress, which is a unique angle that links biomechanics with thermal physiology.
Hydration Strategies for a Well-Prepared Driver
Impressively, drivers can lose around 2–3% of their bodyweight in fluid over a race, which is approximately 1.5-2 litres of fluid which can affect reaction time and endurance. The question therefore remains as to what a driver or teammate could do to support each race day.
- Hydrate early – Proper hydration starts early: ideally 24-48 hours before the race weekend begins, with balanced fluids that include electrolytes.
- Hydration Systems – Some championships allow for in-race hydration systems, others don’t. If you are competing in endurance races, you may find systems such as helmet-integrated straws or seat-mounted bottles helpful. This will make fluid intake achievable without distraction.
- Post-Race Hydration – Replenishment post-race should aim to replace 100-120% of fluid lost. It is suggested to add sodium and protein to support recovery.
Heat Acclimatisation Methods – Supporting Your Physical and Mental Performance
Rising body heat will reduce driver focus, coordination, and race awareness, all which are critical factors in wheel-to-wheel racing. Drivers can help prepare themselves mentally using acclimatisation methods, finding ways of heating up their body during or after exercise. These help the driver learn to tolerate thermal stress more effectively.
If you don’t have access to a heated room, or sauna, there are some alternative ways to do this. BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation found in their studies that using hot baths immediately after exercise can lead to plasma volume expansion, improved sweat response, lower core temperature during exertion (or exercise), and a reduced perceived exertion in hot conditions. Performance gains were modest but consistent when repeated for a full week[2].
Similarly a review in Frontiers in Physiology concluded that passive heat acclimation such as hot baths, heated rooms and sauna suits, can successfully induce these adaptations in thermoregulation, improved cardiovascular stability in hot conditions, and enhanced perceptual tolerance to heat[3]. They made strong reference to timing, that is important to engage with this immediately after exercise to maximise your results.
“I don’t have a bath tub either!” Well, you’re in luck, you don’t need it (for this – you still need to get clean!). Dr. Chris Minson’s research at the University of Oregon showed that training in a warm room without fans, or by wearing extra layers of clothing while training in low-intensity sessions can simulate heat stress effectively. His study found this provided individuals with better endurance in hot conditions, enhanced performance gains, even in cooler environments[4] (though these are few and far between in the cockpit of an enclosed race car!). So, this can be achieved in much simpler and more cost-friendly ways.
Innovation & Research: What’s Next?
Not quite our level of racing (we can dream), in some championships, for example F1, the FIA have introduced initiatives which include experimental cockpit cooling systems, following extreme heat incidents such as the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. The study by Swansea University shows that cold fluid ingestion during races may help reduce core temperature and sustain concentration, and they continue to trial new protocols around hydration monitoring and fatigue for top level racing.
A Note from one of our Drivers:
This season’s heat battles have already taught me that resilience isn’t just mental, and trust in the car, it’s trust in myself, and trust that I have prepared my body as best I can to perform, with adequate hydration, endurance boosting exercise, preparation and nutrition. And as I continue this journey, and prepare for 2026, those lessons are being baked into every lap.
Staying Sharp in the Heat
Whether on a club circuit or climbing the motorsport ladder, understanding how to regulate body temperature and hydrate properly can be a game-changer. These strategies aren’t reserved for Formula One, and high-level racing. They’re thoughts and ideas you can add to your driver development toolkit right away, and small changes such as early hydration before a race weekend, and heat resistance training, will make a huge difference to your performance on race day. Of course, you must be careful when changing your exercise routines, and you should consult a doctor, and, or, fitness professional before undertaking any of the above.
References
[1] https://btcc.net/p1-nutrition-backs-aron-smith-and-team-bkr/
[2] Solomon, T.P.J., Laye, M.J. The effect of post-exercise heat exposure (passive heat acclimation) on endurance exercise performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Sports Sci Med Rehabil 17, 4 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-024-01038-6
[3] Heathcote Storme L. , Hassmén Peter , Zhou Shi , Stevens Christopher J. 2018 Passive Heating: Reviewing Practical Heat Acclimation Strategies for Endurance Athletes. Frontiers in Physiology. Volume 9 – 2018. [Last Accessed July 2025] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.01851
[4] Hurley, S. (2021). Science of Getting Faster: Heat Training and Endurance Performance – TrainerRoad Blog. [online] http://www.trainerroad.com. Available at: https://www.trainerroad.com/blog/science-of-getting-faster-heat-training-and-endurance-performance/.