Physiological Demands and Training Recommendations for Formula Racing Drivers: A Brief Review Drawing from Broader Motorsport Evidence

Featured Applications: Development of personalized training protocols and standardized tests to assess neck strength and cardiorespiratory endurance in Formula One drivers. Optimization of physical training programs for junior drivers to accelerate neuromuscular adaptations. Guidelines for monitoring thermal and environmental stress inside the cockpit to improve safety and driving performance. Background: Motorsport competition imposes significant psychophysiological demands on athletes, characterized by prolonged cardiovascular strain, high cognitive workloads, and extreme thermal environments. However, scientific literature focusing specifically on the category of single-seater race cars remains lacking. Therefore, the objective of this review was to identify possible physiological demands in Formula drivers to suggest training recommendations and to examine gaps in the literature for future studies. Methods: A narrative literature search was conducted including the following search engines: PubMed/MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. All studies until October 2025 were included. Results: A total of eight studies were selected. The limited physiological demands of Formula drivers suggest that professional drivers exhibit specialized physical adaptations. These findings describe high aerobic capacity, elevated sustained heart rates during competition, and targeted musculoskeletal development, particularly regarding neck and upper body strength required to withstand gravitational loads. Conclusions: Although the currently available data provide valuable preliminary insights into the physiological impact of auto racing, the extremely limited and heterogeneous nature of the existing samples prevents definitive conclusions from being drawn. There is an urgent need for future longitudinal research using high-fidelity, category-specific monitoring to establish robust and standardized psychophysiological profiles and provide training recommendations applicable throughout an entire single-seater racing career.