There’s a common misconception about just how much strength and conditioning it takes to drive a Formula One car, week in and week out. With intense g-forces placed on drivers throughout the laps of a circuit, a race can certainly take a physical toll on the body. But it’s also equally important for drivers to be striving for peak performance mentally—that’s where Michael Italiano comes in.
Founder of MI Coaching, Italiano is an F1 performance and strength and conditioning coach who works directly with drivers to improve in physical and mental areas that could ultimately give them an edge on the track. He’s previously worked with eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo throughout his stints at Red Bull Racing, Renault and McLaren, and currently works with AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
Below, Italiano details his line of work, his tips for dealing with the high-pressure environment of F1, how he started to work for Ricciardo, Tsunoda’s extraordinary food obsession and more.
