The mental pressure of F1 - with David Coulthard

Formula 1 is a high-speed, high-stress sport. Staying cool, ignoring distractions and recovering from setbacks requires huge mental strength, composure and resilience. How do F1 drivers cope? How do they make sure their minds are in the right condition? What support and training do they get to help them?

F1 Explains with the help of two expert guests:

• Pete McKnight - performance coach who gets F1 drivers mentally ready to race. Performance Director for Hintsa Performance
• David Coulthard - 13-time F1 winner on the mental strength he developed during his racing career

Katie and Christian explore how drivers get into the zone before a race by sticking to a routine, how they respond to defeats and mistakes, and why every driver has to believe that they are the best on the grid.

If you have an F1 question you'd like answered, write or record it and email it to Why@F1.com

We covered the physical fitness required to race in F1 on a previous episode featuring Sebastian Vettel's former trainer. Listen to that here

Other previous episodes:

• Steering wheels - what the buttons do + how drivers learn them
• DRS - how F1's overtaking aid works and why it matters
• Tyres - an engineer, a driver and a designer explains why they matter
• The 2024 F1 calendar - why it helps make F1 more sustainable
• Wind Tunnels - the top secret tools where cars are created
• Race engineers - the voices on F1 Team Radio
• Pit stops - two seconds of total teamwork
• Simulators with Aston Martin's Stoffel Vandoorne
• Racing in the rain with Mika Hakkinen + Haas race engineer Mark Slade
• Street circuits with Mika Hakkinen + Bernie Collins
• F1 in the USA - why the US has 3 races in 2023
• F1 Sprint weekends with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen

For in-depth interviews with F1's biggest names, listen to F1 Beyond The Grid. For race previews and reviews, head over to F1 Nation.