F1

driving an f1 whilst needing the toilet

Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 23 total)
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  • #129910
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    This might be something everyone knows already, but how do you take a leak during an grand prix?

    Are there special pipes?

    Do they just do it in there jump suit ?

    Do they train not to need it?

    Do they sweat it out?

    I’m out of options. But I tell you one thing, I would be a bit embarrassed collecting a trophy with wet smelly pants

    #176402
    Icthyes
    Participant

    They all go to the toilet before the race and generally use so much liquid they don’t need to pee during the race. I can imagine it’s happened at some point though.

    #176403
    jonnyw360f1
    Participant

    No idea where I read it, but I heard some drivers wear big, thick absorbent underwear to soak up wee if they do go – but many drivers simply don’t. After all, the longest they will spend in the car is two hours, and all of us can hold it in for that long. It could be worse – remember, Mark Webber vomited in his helmet at Fuji in 2007 after a nasty bout of food poisoning.

    As far as number twos are concerned, there’s a special box under the seat which the driver can open on his steering wheel to jettison the contents onto the track into the path of a following car, and that’s why drivers need tear offs on their visors.

    *Some of that second paragraph might not be true.

    #176404
    Dan Thorn
    Participant

    Apparently in the early part of his career, Button used to frequently wet himself on the grid because of the sheer adrenaline.

    I’d imagine it’s a rare thing though, and when it does happen they’d just do it. I know in endurance racing drivers regularly wee themselves, but that’s over a 3-4 hour stint rather than just 90 minutes.

    #176405
    moshbeard
    Member

    I seem to remember seeing an interview where Eddie Irvine said you just wet yourself if you need to and that you’re so sweaty is makes almost no difference.

    I’m not 100% sure how accurate that is though.

    #176406
    MuzzleFlash
    Participant

    Someone will probably correct me for being very wrong on this but I think they just go. At the least it’s a distraction, but I think I remember reading that endurance drivers just go when they need to because if they crash a full bladder is likely to burst and if it does your chances of surviving are very slim.

    #176407
    pob
    Participant

    Johnny Herbert was renouned for weeing in the car, particularly on the grid or any time the mechanics were about to work on the car.

    Jacky to Johnny: “pit on lap 28 for fuel, tyre and nappy change”

    #176408
    S.J.M
    Participant

    I imagine that the amount of Gs they pull in a corner might make holding their bladder a tad hard. But im no F1 driver, so couldnt say for sure ;)

    #176409
    matt90
    Participant

    I was a little curious about this over Le Mans, because I’d always heard faint whispering about endurance drivers going, but I wasn’t sure if this was a common occurrence or only in emergencies, and whether it applied to F1.

    #176410
    sw6569
    Participant

    @Johnnyw thats what the ‘marbles’ are

    #176411
    Victor.
    Participant

    I always wondered what happens when they have to sneeze. Through 130R for example. In the wet. That’s a problem…

    #176412
    DavidS
    Participant

    @matt90

    There’s a good scene in “Truth in 24” (the documentary following the Audi team at Le Mans). Alan McNish says to Tom Christensen something along the lines of “The seat is a little wet, do you do a little pee-pee?”

    If the need arises, the drivers just go.

    However, as part of the preparations before a race, a driver will empty themselves of waste products. That gives me an excuse to post this video. http://youtu.be/ILmODpW92r8

    The drivers do lose a lot of water from sweat, so they generally don’t need to go. However, they do take a lot of fluids on to combat dehydration, so it can happen.

    They wear several layers of quite thick clothing, which absorbs quite a lot of fluid.

    #176413
    Dan Thorn
    Participant

    @victor I’d be very surprised if a driver sneezed during a race, as the body will generally prevent a sneeze if it’s busy doing other things of higher priority. You can test it yourself – next time you feel a sneeze coming on, breathe in and out heavily and it should go away. This is because the lungs are more focused on getting oxygen in rather than a mass expulsion of air.

    #176414
    Oscar Becker
    Participant

    Must be hard for motorcycle racers to do it during the race. Just have a look at this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPv41-Kzz-w&NR=1

    #176415
    AndrewTanner
    Participant

    I imagine they just let it go…I imagine team bosses would be keen for the driver to shed some weight!

    Given how sweaty they are when they come out I doubt it really matters. Plus you can probably condition your body hours before to ensure that you never need the loo anyway.

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