“In order to be a great Formula 1 driver, you need to have the cognitive capabilities of a chess grandmaster, the strength, stamina, and reactions of a fighter, and then you also have to have the endurance of a marathon runner.” Former F1 performance coach Clayton Green breaks down precisely why they average person would be unable to drive a Formula One car—and why the professionals are such unique athletes.
*Some minor corrections we wish to highlight:*
In error we combined two Belgian Grand Prix collisions, a near-fatal one from 2012 and one from 2022. Lewis Hamilton did experience 45G of force during the 2022 collision with Fernando Alonso, however.
We erroneously depict the pit lane entry a few metres early. The correct entry is after the “club” turn before the start/finish line.
We incorrectly state an average human’s reaction speed is 500m/s. This is incorrect as it depicts ‘choice reaction speed’ rather than ‘simple reaction speed’. The average human’s simple reaction speed actually ranges from 231 to 391m/s. (Source: )
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Qnnrad
July 6, 2023 at 5:31 pm
Could this be any more british?
b¢3nt🪙
July 6, 2023 at 5:54 pm
also need to be a trust fund baby
Donald J. Trump for President
July 6, 2023 at 5:59 pm
Can Joe Biden be a Formula 1 driver?
Martijn
July 6, 2023 at 6:00 pm
The cognitive capabilities of a chess grand master? That is just a ridiculous comparison and frankly not even close to the truth. Oké an F1 should be relatively intelligent, but their main skill is to drive fast.
Good old Grim
July 6, 2023 at 6:10 pm
Average human reaction time is between 200 and 300ms. 500ms reaction would be incredibly slow and indicative of some health issue.
zagros qazy
July 6, 2023 at 6:11 pm
Don’t give me that shet 😂
Stark Parker
July 6, 2023 at 6:18 pm
Get off me, baby elephant!
A Rawal
July 6, 2023 at 6:19 pm
Pay drivers *side eye*
CIRUS MEDIA
July 6, 2023 at 6:26 pm
@2:00 Obviously an F1 driver will be the best at a task designed for F1 drivers and primarily taken by F1 Drivers!
Rick Saunders
July 6, 2023 at 6:27 pm
Lewis needs that neck to hold up that big head of his.
Black Girls Rock
July 6, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Rather him have a big head than huge, ugly lips on that frog face like Max!🐸
ashli d
July 6, 2023 at 6:38 pm
my toxic trait is knowing i can do this
Picrure Perfect
July 6, 2023 at 6:50 pm
It’s not that you couldn’t drive an F1 car it’s that you wouldn’t be able to push at all and would be exhausted after 2-3 laps
Sean Fuentes
July 6, 2023 at 6:51 pm
I wonder how they measure the reaction time because 160ms is mid reaction time for first person shooters players who are just doing a pure reaction time task (aka click as soon as you see green) some players can get as low as 120ms average.
Min Naing
July 6, 2023 at 7:27 pm
This video is Stupid
Pedro Fernandes
July 6, 2023 at 7:28 pm
The mix of anger and laughter whenever someone tells me “drivers aren’t real athletes” is indescribable
thisfool89
July 6, 2023 at 9:34 pm
I mean they obviously are athletes but I’m sure you could agree to try to compare an F1 drivers athletic ability to a professional fighter or marathon runer is ridiculous.
DesertPigeon
July 6, 2023 at 7:34 pm
Where’s my contract…?😎
DOWN200TOWN
July 6, 2023 at 7:46 pm
7:45 of Europeans telling peasants their trash I’m going to go back to watching mx5 cup racing lmao
johnny chang
July 6, 2023 at 7:46 pm
How does the amount of breain concussion compare between F1 Formula drivers and sportsmen of the like of American Football players and Boxers?
Luke Swan
July 6, 2023 at 7:50 pm
FIA minimum weight for drivers is 80kg while video states that the average is less than 70kg? There’s also the video saying average reaction time being 500ms while Google says its 200. There seems to be a lot of exaggeration and hyperbole to make the sport a lot more physical than it is. Not doubting that it’s difficult to be an f1 driver but the video just seems very badly researched
Deniz Komut
July 6, 2023 at 8:12 pm
You’re absolutely right, in the same vein, I expected the 2012 crash to be shown since that was so much worse but they were talking about the 2022 one. This is a video for people curious about F1 or for those who just started watching. It’s an extreme sport for sure, both physically and mentally taxing yes but they’ve literally been training just for that their entire lives. I’m not trying to belittle what it takes to do what they do, but it’s not how it’s made out to be in this video either.
Dean Dee
July 6, 2023 at 8:14 pm
I seem to do ok 200+ on a motorbike and I got no rilla neck so …
Roger Hu
July 6, 2023 at 9:34 pm
Do you do those speeds around corners?
James T.
July 6, 2023 at 8:27 pm
Bulltrash, the’re NOT that special anymore, thanks to modern tech and gamingware.
Albertus Aswin Christian
July 6, 2023 at 8:51 pm
and those who underestimate these great drivers will just say ‘bleh I can drive that car easily, piece of cake’.
rus.
July 6, 2023 at 9:17 pm
They missed one other reason why I couldn’t drive an F1 car: I can’t afford it.
thisfool89
July 6, 2023 at 9:21 pm
Yeah seriously doubt any F1 driver is any near the physical condition of a professional fighter, and promise you they cant run a full marathon, if they can its definitely not at competitive time.
These guys are definitely athletes but come on dont make up bulshit about them.
Zeicho Freed
July 6, 2023 at 9:31 pm
It’s basically Jet engine on land, wonder why
Yeshua Christi
July 7, 2023 at 7:16 am
They should probably mention you have to be under 5’10” and meet all these requirements. The height is probably the most limiting thing here after physical strength. Good luck to me being 6’3″ and fitting into the cockpit.
slorr55
July 7, 2023 at 8:00 am
I could do this with my eyes closed
Chain Breaker
July 7, 2023 at 8:04 am
I’ve 190 RT, good to know I’m above average.
Pablo Borsone
July 7, 2023 at 8:04 am
Because the average human cannot afford it.
Fellox
July 7, 2023 at 8:29 am
“In order to be a great Formula 1 driver, you need to have the cognitive capabilities of a chess grandmaster, the strength, stamina, and reactions of a fighter, and then you also have to have the endurance of a marathon runner.” umm fighters have great endurance idk what blud is talking about, most professional fighters could prob run a marathon without training for it!
aqil iman
July 7, 2023 at 8:37 am
And some bald man with bugatti think he can drive one
rosmaryn
July 7, 2023 at 8:37 am
500ms reaction time? Was it measured on somebody who just had a stroke?
vacafuega
July 7, 2023 at 8:38 am
What a waste of spectacular humans – they could be driving ambulances or fighting fires with those reflexes, saving lives, living meaningfully. Instead they’re driving round and round the same track over and over so sponsors can make money. What a waste.
meneermankepoot
July 7, 2023 at 8:51 am
About the braking, doesnt your body get pushed forward into the car when you brake, making it easier for you to fully slam the brakes and instead make it harder to initially release your foot off of the brake pedal?
Pranav P S
July 7, 2023 at 10:43 am
That’s what seatbelts are for. Drivers don’t move an inch.
meneermankepoot
July 7, 2023 at 12:31 pm
I dont think seatbelts are relevant to my question. Their legs arent seatbelted, they would still be pushed forward making it easier to slam the brakes, or am i missing something?
Aldian Rinaldi
July 7, 2023 at 9:14 am
I giggled when they point at pitlane😂
Stash McJammin
July 7, 2023 at 9:15 am
The title is a bit misleading, an average person can drive an F1 car, they do it all the time at the Circuit Paul Riccard with Renualts. What the title should have said was and average person can not compete in an F1 car.
The Giga Nigga
July 7, 2023 at 9:32 am
No don’t say can’t, just say it would be more difficult…
Don’t make stupid assumptions
Tharanga Wilasni
July 7, 2023 at 9:50 am
There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing, and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.
Ernest Hemingway
Fazer
July 7, 2023 at 9:55 am
you have to be unbelievabely thick to not be able to sense your car losing grip…
Jelo Feliciano
July 7, 2023 at 10:06 am
editor’s and maybe producers need to do their homework, whilst this was written well, the visuals are all wrong and all over the place
Colin Gilliam
July 7, 2023 at 10:15 am
Never skip neck day
Pranav P S
July 7, 2023 at 10:48 am
A lot of inaccuracies in this video, especially about reaction times ( you can’t really compare auditory response to visual response ), how younger drivers don’t have as great an inner ear vestibular system as the older drivers ( pure BS ) and the really bad narration of how having “less grip can cause you to crash”. Duh!
The icing on the cake was the monotonous narration of the lady ( was it a text to speech converter ? )
WIRED
July 7, 2023 at 12:14 pm
Some minor corrections we wish to highlight:
In error we combined two Belgian Grand Prix collisions, a near-fatal one from 2012 and one from 2022. Lewis Hamilton did experience 45G of force during the 2022 collision with Fernando Alonso, however.
We erroneously depict the Pit lane entry a few metres early. The correct entry is after the “club” turn before the start/finish line.
We incorrectly state an average human’s reaction speed is 500m/s. This is incorrect as it depicts ‘choice reaction speed’ rather than ‘simple reaction speed’. The average human’s simple reaction speed actually ranges from 231 to 391m/s (Source: )
Scott Pelletier
July 7, 2023 at 4:10 pm
Feel free to edit the random shade you threw at lando and the other ‘simulator’ drivers not “having grip feel like lewis” lando is arguably one of the best wet weather drivers on the grid which almost exclusively is based on the ability to feel tire grip when there is quite literally none as they’re driving on wet tracks….
12mixes
July 8, 2023 at 5:24 am
glad your team is fixing the few amount of mistakes in the video
bossykalewa
July 10, 2023 at 2:56 am
Hahahaha
SAR
July 10, 2023 at 1:54 pm
I think you guys meant to type ms and not m/s. They are two very different units of measurement….
mushamuuu
July 11, 2023 at 9:20 pm
why not use max’s crash in silverstone as an example? i believe he experienced 50G during the collision with.. oh nvm
DOOMTHO
July 12, 2023 at 11:57 pm
@SAR What, you’re too good to measure your reactions in meters per second? Psh. Elitist.
Brian Williams
July 7, 2023 at 12:19 pm
I was waiting for it to sound challenging then the video ended lol
Omar Ismail
July 7, 2023 at 12:32 pm
I still would love to drive an F1 car I don’t think I would even get to 50% of its limit if even that but I would just love to have the opportunity. If I can even fit in the seat lol.
L.S.
July 7, 2023 at 12:34 pm
4:28 – As if I know what it feels like to push away baby elephants… 0.O like, waht kinda comparison is that??
Dylan
July 7, 2023 at 1:38 pm
technically, the title could be classed as “incorrect” or at least “misleading”, because on a technicality, everyone could DRIVE an F1 car, however, few people can actually RACE it. not hating on the video, just a funny little “error”
Shane5️⃣0️⃣
July 7, 2023 at 2:33 pm
Now do one for a race kart
RedTeddy
July 7, 2023 at 3:14 pm
f1 driving is very similar to boxing with regards to physiological requirements
Obviousz
July 7, 2023 at 8:11 pm
Good points throughout the video. But you fail to mention that whilst doing all the things mentioned in this video they also change and control brake balance to every corner. Re-gen levels in almost every corner. Boost through the kers system, multiple DRS zones. Tyre wear control, fuel savings and keeping track of team stratagies and even making pit call decisions. Then also giving constant feedback to your engineer and trying to stay calm when someone tries to cut you off on the edge of what the rulebook allows.. Oh and track limits…. At 5+ g forces. For 90 minutes. Whilst losing around 4kg of bodyweight.
Phrough
July 8, 2023 at 2:37 am
maybe not an F1 car, but im 100% buying a F1000 car and doing just enough modifications to make it street letal in my area, which is all of headlights, brake lights, and turn signals. which is easy enough with the amazing LED lights we have access to today
Yumn Jame
July 8, 2023 at 3:40 am
Do one for the Moto GP now. It’s even more fuckinh crazy.
RHYthM3
July 8, 2023 at 5:29 am
I feel like the the biological & endurance explanation of this video may have touched a nerve in the comments. 🤭😂
Eric Synchrona
July 8, 2023 at 2:34 pm
There’s no way a runner is faster than a race car driver, in milliseconds. And here’s why: they’re different phenomena. Let me explain, the reason you fire a Starter Pistol with gunpowder while nobody is wearing Ear Protection like they should be when around firearms, is because the runners use that “sudden jolt” feeling when a pistol is fired near you without ear protection on.
So to say runners are 170ms and faster than a race car driver, is just silly pseudo-psychology. Because you could whip somebody in the back of their head and go “look how fast they are!”
ElonTalks
July 8, 2023 at 6:34 pm
🪄✨ Made with SummarizeYT
0:00 – Formula One drivers need the cognitive capabilities of a chess grandmaster, the strength, stamina, and reactions of a fighter, and the endurance of a marathon runner.
0:59 – F1 drivers have an average reaction time of 200 milliseconds, compared to 500-600 milliseconds for the average human.
1:53 – F1 drivers train their reflexes to avoid horrific crashes using exercises like tapping off lights as quickly as possible.
2:14 – High-speed corners like maggots and becketts at Silverstone require immense speed and quick changes in direction.
3:57 – F1 drivers need strong neck muscles to resist the g-force that wants to take their heads off.
4:44 – Breaking an F1 car requires immense leg strength, pushing against 100 kilograms repeatedly.
5:01 – F1 drivers use their inner ear balance to sense when their tires have lost grip.
5:45 – The temperature inside an F1 cockpit can reach up to 60 degrees Celsius, making it necessary for drivers to have the cardio of an elite marathon runner to regulate their temperature.
6:27 – Being light and mean is essential for F1 drivers to regulate heat and maintain focus and reaction speed in the final laps.
Bri Kelley
July 8, 2023 at 9:45 pm
Clear the editors didn’t know much about f1 as for all the errors but videos like this already exist and at better quality. Glad the desire to make an f1 video was there, not sure if this was rushed to get done before silverstone but would have liked a better video ultimately
Luzr
July 9, 2023 at 12:37 am
Wtf is this ‘the average human’?😂
John Galactus
July 9, 2023 at 1:56 am
Superhumans in absolute next level vehicles. And then… we have the F1 drivers “sorted” by how good they are. Imagine how incredible the top F1 drivers are.
William Charles
July 9, 2023 at 5:32 am
The secret is the average formula one driver’s head is half the size of a real human’s head so the G forces don’t have the same effect in the corners.
EdMcF1
July 9, 2023 at 6:26 am
Sorry but no way do F1 drivers have anything like the cognitive abilities of a chess grandmaster, nowhere near. The calculations that they engage in, and the memory of openings are make the comparison absurd. Yes they have to process a lot of information very quickly, but they have teams to support them in real time, unlike chess players.
ProperMiles
July 9, 2023 at 9:23 am
I often wonder how many of the physical challenges are self imposed by the intentional lack of assistance in an F1 car. For example, how many laps could an average healthy person do in a F1 car, and how fast, before feeling savers fatigue, versus something else extreme but with assistance, like an Aston Martin Valkyrie or AMG Project 1? In those cars, they have seats with large bolsters around your helmet to support your neck, they have modern assisted braking systems available, they have air conditioning, etc. If someone would normally tap out around 3 laps, do the aides in assisted cars make those 3 laps more like 20? Not trying to make any point, just pondering how much of the strain is purely speed related versus a lack of assistance. If you watch the Valkyrie videos with Nico Hulkenberg, the passengers still have a hard time managing the ride (although it’s always tougher as a passenger), but it would be cool to really measure the difference.
Dontquitnoob
July 9, 2023 at 1:02 pm
Lmao this is just driving a car barely more physical than a desk job
sakhile
July 9, 2023 at 4:33 pm
if you guys want to talk about reaction speed and reflexes you should mention esports pro gamers
mogznwaz
July 9, 2023 at 6:00 pm
I’ll never forget when Ayrton Senna’s gears jammed and he had to drive a whole race in like 3rd gear – when he finished, his neck, his whole body, was so tense he was in agony and he could barely move.
A L
July 9, 2023 at 9:04 pm
The typical csgo player has 16 millisecond reaction time
Goat pepper herbal tea
July 9, 2023 at 9:14 pm
If you watch this you should just end it
nazo294
July 9, 2023 at 10:11 pm
They put photos of the 2012 crash in SPA saying its the 2022 race 3:09 … and 2022 wasn’t any where near fatal…
master 82575
July 10, 2023 at 6:09 am
reflex is important
Ai
July 10, 2023 at 6:21 am
The narrator’s tone was kinda condescending in the end, 😂
alrc
July 10, 2023 at 6:39 am
I’m not sure I believe this…..
Mat Fend
July 10, 2023 at 9:23 am
The average human doesn’t care about petroleum $ports
Ian Stobie
July 10, 2023 at 9:50 am
Baby elephant 🐘 at 4:29 not a good unit. How old is this elephant, is it being cooperative, where is its mum? Stick to established units, like blue whales 🐋🐳
Murder Bong
July 10, 2023 at 12:39 pm
SILVERSTONE LOOKS LIKE A MAP OF CANADA..
Murder Bong
July 10, 2023 at 12:40 pm
SAFTEY? NO STUPID SAUSAGE CURBS ARE DANGEROUS AF
Everton de Oliveira
July 10, 2023 at 1:07 pm
Jenson Button is the best at pushing buttons.
Sam Levi
July 10, 2023 at 3:32 pm
Psh. I could drive it. I couldn’t drive it well.
moglaude
July 10, 2023 at 3:46 pm
Waiting for Noel to talk about this soon 😅
Conrad Smith
July 10, 2023 at 4:54 pm
And somewhere are a few people who could be better but never got the chance
Tyson Yi
July 10, 2023 at 5:23 pm
chess grandmaster? easy fella
mattijuhani85
July 10, 2023 at 5:24 pm
Daym…
neck game crazy.
Rod Shields
July 11, 2023 at 2:06 am
I remember getting stuck in traffic with my Act 2600 clutch
stripstick
July 11, 2023 at 3:55 am
Lol nobody’s buying this nonsense.
They are overpaid to drive nice cars with no speed limits.
Over here talking about neck sizes and sweating percentages 😂. Yeah sure.
stripstick
July 11, 2023 at 3:59 am
No one actually thinks driving fast cars on perfectly paved roads with no speed limits is that difficult, right?
Professional Fortnite players are more “specialized” than this.
PEEL VROOM
July 11, 2023 at 4:43 am
What about woman
Alexis Muniongo
July 11, 2023 at 5:16 am
Well, I guess I will get started 💪🏿.
Akash Bajpai
July 11, 2023 at 5:48 am
Lovely informative video.
Quentin Carre
July 11, 2023 at 5:49 am
This video was sponsored by Team LH44
The Observer
July 11, 2023 at 8:34 am
Corey Taylor should totally be an F1 driver.
Spencer King
July 11, 2023 at 9:29 am
I know I couldn’t but I desperately want to try.
JRFCSS
July 11, 2023 at 10:06 am
Today i learned I’m almost a f1 drivers
Inuhund Chien
July 11, 2023 at 12:48 pm
Is this part of the promotion for the new F1 movie?
vikas kukreja
July 11, 2023 at 1:51 pm
Huge respect for F1 drivers! It’s such a mammoth sport !
MrCamperYT
July 11, 2023 at 1:53 pm
poor baby elephant getting kicked again and again for 90 minutes by an average f1 driver!!!
bird up
July 11, 2023 at 2:37 pm
F1 drivers train harder than most athletes
Central Intelligence Agency
July 11, 2023 at 3:35 pm
But thats all nothing compare to motogp or Isle of Man TT Riders
Sharmin Shabanpour
July 11, 2023 at 3:53 pm
❤😍🌎⭐️🌍
ProfaneDreads
July 11, 2023 at 5:04 pm
I feel sorry for that muscle model he’s using..look where that metal thing is 😭
pathmada
July 11, 2023 at 6:22 pm
“Why The Average Basement-Dwelling WIRED Editor Couldn’t Drive An F1 Car”
OG Uber
July 11, 2023 at 8:32 pm
I could do it. i am different
Good News
July 11, 2023 at 8:38 pm
I will never disrespect these world-class athletes or this grueling sport, again 😮
Dawa Penjor
July 11, 2023 at 9:12 pm
Shout out to the colossal titan for helping make this video
Zeus Luby
July 12, 2023 at 2:18 am
I had no idea F1 racing was so physically demanding. As an older gent, I’m glad to know my present state of fitness would be sufficient for the occupation.
Mooke Brandon Thuso
July 12, 2023 at 7:03 am
Well this makes more sense…how about a gt3 racer?
Roshan John
July 12, 2023 at 8:18 am
Title is very misleading
Vi_vald_i
July 12, 2023 at 8:59 am
Can still do it.
Juce
July 12, 2023 at 10:46 am
I could def be an F1 driver.
Jay Myers
July 12, 2023 at 12:21 pm
The average American can’t even find the turning signal.
Macdonald Dube
July 12, 2023 at 12:34 pm
Here i was thinking it was thinking what’s the hype about with driving those little cars😁😏😅
Deej is a simp
July 12, 2023 at 2:38 pm
Bro said “500ms reaction time like you and me” I have a 8ms reaction time as my fastest, my average is around 22ms
Christopher Brown
July 12, 2023 at 2:57 pm
You can never compare a fighter jet pilot to an F1D; that isnt even a comparison… At all
Fatima Said
July 12, 2023 at 5:21 pm
2:20 the track said 💪🏻
Rolando J Escobar Jr
July 12, 2023 at 8:41 pm
I can do it easy money put me in a car 🚘
Juan Lanas
July 12, 2023 at 9:03 pm
“Near fatal crash last year”, shows 2012 Spa crash
Maya
July 12, 2023 at 9:46 pm
not enough money and network. that’s the main reason
Rain KC
July 13, 2023 at 12:34 am
The wide neck guy will kill this sport
Izak Shuvo
July 13, 2023 at 2:42 am
I got fat and have an 18inch neck now. Does that mean I qualify? 😅😂
Jay Petz
July 13, 2023 at 3:24 am
😑 I would have snapped my neck while driving an F1
SayōnaraXVI
July 13, 2023 at 5:04 am
Now imagine the drivers in speed movie
0m3n
July 13, 2023 at 6:36 am
2:00
Its not hard to get a world record of a game that only a select few can afford. Just to rent one for a day its over $700… RENT
I honestly thought the Guinness Book of Records did away with these types of things.
impyrth
July 13, 2023 at 6:50 am
i could be a f1 driver tbh
The Great African
July 13, 2023 at 1:11 pm
3:08 editor deserves a raise
lewis itor
July 13, 2023 at 4:08 pm
Reasons why we all have to respect Lewis Hamilton, he’s been doing things since 2008🎉🎉🎉
Sals spar
July 13, 2023 at 5:19 pm
wow they are true athletes indeed. No clue that is what they go through. I was soo ignorant. Just woah. I respect this sport so much more now
Jesse Goodman
July 13, 2023 at 6:21 pm
Well they train for this.
Once Some Fun A Time
July 14, 2023 at 3:26 am
Average human can drive any car, but not compete
too him
July 14, 2023 at 4:42 am
thank you for crushing all of my life dreams in 7 minutes
Edgard Paiva
July 14, 2023 at 8:22 am
perfect video to send to that friend that says that formula 1 is not a sport.
Aaron
July 14, 2023 at 10:24 am
While I’d say you do need a significant amount of intelligence to be able to take in all that info and race formula 1, I would not diminish the abilities of a Chess grandmaster. Although, these might also be very different “types of intelligence”.
It’s interesting to think that these aren’t actually the best of the best, but rather the best of those who can afford to pay for the training. Imagine if more people had a fair shot at this.
Ish-Hael Leo
July 14, 2023 at 11:44 am
I didn’t know this is such a physically taxing sport 🤯
Jacob Luebbehusen
July 14, 2023 at 7:16 pm
Why the average person can’t play in the nba
GLITCHTRAP
July 15, 2023 at 9:21 am
The average human can’t drive any car without drinking alcohol.
mxkeitsell
July 15, 2023 at 2:27 pm
Eye opening stuff fasho
David A
July 15, 2023 at 2:45 pm
Love the Nascar sound effects at the beginning
Emily N
July 15, 2023 at 4:08 pm
Fascinating stuff!
ayung
July 15, 2023 at 5:08 pm
for those saying f1 driver aren’t athletes