'To be F1 standard is quite special' - coping with Azerbaijan's extremes

In terms of physical preparation, Formula 1 has come a long way since the days where a warm-up meant driving a few laps of the track on the morning of a race and rehydrating perhaps involved champagne on the podium more than drinks containing complex electrolytes.

Contrary to popular belief, there is more to it than just sitting behind the wheel and racing around for a couple of hours on a Sunday. The modern Formula 1 driver has to be at the peak of both mental and physical condition to cope with the extremes of piloting some of the most advanced racing cars on the planet.

Repeated exposure of forces of up to 6g under braking lap after lap, wrestling to keep control of cars capable of speeds of over 200mph and having to maintain high levels of concentration are just some of the challenges posed to them.

Added into the mix are things which cannot be controlled like the heat inside the cockpit while wearing fireproof overalls, racing gloves and shoes and a helmet, as well as the balancing act of trying to keep their own weight down as much as possible so as not to compromise car performance.

"We want the drivers to be light, but we also want them to have a decent muscle mass to cope with the strength demands of the sport," Jack Wilson, the Porsche Human Performance Centre's lead sports scientist, told Sky Sports.

"Some of it touches on their upper-body strength, they also need great core strength to tolerate g-force and being thrown around in the cockpit and lower-body strength for brake application.

"How do they achieve that? They make sure their body fat is as low as it can be within a healthy range because having a low level of body fat permits you to have a decent amount of muscle mass and stay lightweight.

"One of