To succeed at the pinnacle of motorsports, a driver needs a lot more than just ‘talent behind the wheel’. Hard work in the garage, and brainstorming with technicians and engineers is important, as is putting in the hours at the gym.
Rookies like Gabriel Bortoleto, who make it to F1, are already accustomed to the performance aspect of improvement. But the physical training that comes with being a driver at the top?
That’s something that they still have to get used to. Like most rookies, Bortoleto comes to F1 with a rather lean physique.
With time, however, he will look to build a much more F1-esque physique, something that has kept the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso competing at the highest level for around two decades. Speaking of Alonso, Bortoleto has an impressive role model to look up to.
“He is one of the drivers I admire most in terms of physicality,” Bortoleto said about Alonso to Soy Motor. “He has one of the best physiques in all of Formula 1.”
Alonso’s company A14 management has managed Bortoleto since 2022. The two-time champ mentored him through his F3 and F2 championship wins and is now going to be sharing the F1 grid with him in 2024.
Alonso coaching Bortoleto ahead of his first full season in F1 pic.twitter.com/HnQkfOrDDt
— Autosport (@autosport) December 20, 2024
To put this into perspective, when Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001, Bortoleto wasn’t even born. When Alonso won his second title in 2006, the Sao Paolo native was just two years old. That’s how long Alonso has been competing at the highest level of motorsports.
Hard work continues for Alonso
Recently, Alonso posted a picture of him flexing his neck muscles — a very important scope of workout for F1 drivers — which soon turned into a meme. However, it only showed how top-notch his physique was.
Heading into the 2025 campaign at age 43, it’s even more important for the Oviedo-born driver to take care of himself. And he has done a mighty good job at that. Last year, he revealed that not only was he staying in shape, but he was recovering much better than expected for someone his age.
️ “F1 drivers aren’t athletes”
Meanwhile, Fernando Alonso is casually working on *this* neck in the off-season #F1 pic.twitter.com/O8hIXFc3mO
— Formula 1 (@F1) January 13, 2025
“We tried to gain a bit of muscle to compensate for the age factor, without losing reactivity or endurance in cardio. These were surprising results, and I think very positive,” he said, explaining his pre-season routine (reported by f1i.com).
He also signed a contract extension with Aston Martin that will keep him at the Silverstone-based outfit until at least 2026, showcasing his full commitment to a long-term project.
Alonso also isn’t in F1 just for the sake of it. He wants to win races and have a go at the title once more before he hangs up his helmet. Physically, he has what it takes to compete but the question is whether Aston Martin can develop the right mechanical package.
