A Formula 1 race can last up to two hours. That does not account for the amount of time a driver spends in the car preparing for the race. So, it can be long, and we don’t blame you for wondering how F1 drivers pee, especially when they are in their cars for so long and under stressful conditions. So here is the answer to how do F1 drivers pee:
If an F1 driver needs to pee, they will just let nature do its thing and pee in their suit. There is too much money invested in a race for a driver to take a bathroom break, and the driver can’t exactly do his business in a bottle while going 200 mph down the straight. So, their best option is to simply pee in their suit.
Below, you will find a video where Lewis Hamilton talks to Ellen DeGeneres about this very topic. While he states that he does not pee in his suit, Lewis does know of a few drivers that do. Hamilton also mentions that Michael Schumacher peed in his suit in almost every single race. Right, after that video, we will go in-depth and explain how some drivers pee while racing because not everyone goes in their suit.
Do F1 drivers wear diapers?
Why do I get myself into situations where I need to answer tough questions to answer accurately. Don’t worry; I will try my best. Many of our readers ask whether or not F1 drivers wear diapers to make it more comfortable to go to the bathroom while sitting in the cockpit of their F1 cars. Well, let’s take a look.
It is difficult to know precisely, but it is said that some F1 drivers wear adult diapers when driving in a Grand Prix race. However, it is probably a lot more comfortable for the driver to just pee in their suits, and there is a particular reason for this. Allow me to explain.hu7
An F1 driver wants to feel as if they are one with their vehicle. They have to do this while wearing quite a lot of protective gear, and wearing adult diapers will add to that feeling of being separated from the car. Therefore, it is safe to assume that most drivers pee in their suits if they have to pee during a race.
Also, the cockpit of an F1 car is extremely hot. We will discuss that later on. However, the heat that an F1 driver experiences around the cockpit is sure to evaporate most of the urine before the race ends. This would not be possible with the diaper because it absorbs all the urine, and they would sit in it for the entirety of the race.
Do F1 drivers wear catheters?
By far, one of the most bizarre questions I have been asked is whether or not F1 drivers wear catheters. Look, in all my years of experience studying F1, I have never seen a driver wear a catheter, and I can think of many reasons why they wouldn’t wear one.
A catheter would be an extreme measure to a small problem. Remember, a catheter goes through the urethra to the bladder and drains the fluid. That is not a simple process, and it is not a painless one either. In fact, receiving a catheter can be extremely painful. Also, the procedure of inserting and removing the catheter would need to be performed by a professional.
A driver wearing an adult diaper or peeing in the F1 car is not a big deal. It is not something that will change the race but wearing a catheter could be drastic for the driver and the team. I know that saying “drastic” sounds a bit rough, but hear me out.
If a driver has a catheter, every single movement they make with their legs and when shifting their body weight will be excruciatingly painful. Think about it for a second; having something go from your bladder to your urethra and then out into a bag is not comfortable.
So, instead of focusing on the race and maintaining the car while driving, if a driver would have a catheter installed, they would probably not focus half as much on the race, but instead, they would be focused on the pain that the catheter has caused.
Do F1 Drivers Get Thirsty?
So, if a driver didn’t get thirsty and have to drink, they could simply go to the bathroom before the race, and they wouldn’t need to pee during the race. However, things are not that simple, and in this section, we will take a look at whether or not F1 drivers get thirsty.
Yes, F1 drivers get thirsty while racing, and they must stay hydrated at all times. There are a few conditions that contribute to why a driver needs to drink something while racing. That is what we will look at now:
- The Heat in the Cockpit
- The heat that comes off the track
- The heat coming off the tires
- The sun
- The suit a driver wears
- The driver’s helmet
- The constant mental pressure
- The fluctuations in G-force
- Driving in dirty air
When you combine all of those factors, you have a driver that is hot and constantly sweating. They lose a lot of fluids when they sweat. Therefore, the driver needs to replenish their fluids, often with more than just water. They need to replace minerals within the body as well as fluids.
A driver can lose between 4 and 6 pounds in a single GP race because of sweating, and a human being cannot lose that much weight without replenishing those fluids. It would become dangerous for the driver’s health and safety.
Also, a thirsty driver will not be able to maintain total concentration through the entirety of the race. This can cost a team the race while posing a risk to all the racers on the track.
How hot is an F1 Cockpit?
Again, when you combine most of the factors we listed in the previous section, you get a very hot cockpit. It is so hot that it can reach up to 122 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 50 degrees Celsius. That is extremely warm, and most of us would become extremely uncomfortable.
Most people do not speak about other factors that need to be considered, such as clean vs. dirty air. Dirty air is when a driver is driving behind another car in the vehicle’s turbulence. The air is hot and turbulent; this can increase the heat that a driver experiences.
You will often hear a commentator talking about dirty air. For example, when watching F1 and listening to a commentator, you might hear something that goes like this: “Bottas has clean air in front of him, can he use it to his advantage and catch up with the car in front enough so that he gets into the DRS range.”
How do F1 drivers Drink?
So, we can’t talk about whether or not F1 drivers pee in their race suit without talking about how they drink. After all, we have already mentioned that if they didn’t have to drink any fluids, they would likely not have to urinate in the car.
An F1 car has a bag that stores the liquid the driver should drink. In that bag, you can have the driver’s choice of drink; often, it will be a sugary drink to replace minerals that the driver is losing through their sweat
That fluid bag has a straw that goes to the driver’s mouth. Now, everything is done electronically. So, the straw or the bag will be connected to a button that a driver can press. Once they become thirsty, they can push that button, and their water or juice will squirt into their mouths, keeping them hydrated throughout the race.
Do All Drivers Pee in Their Car?
I am sure that some drivers keep it a secret. At the same time, it is believable if a driver says that they do not pee in the car. Remember, while they take in as many fluids as they do while racing, we need to consider that they sweat a lot, so what does this mean?
Well, have you ever heard of the theory where running with a refuse bag over your body makes you sweat more and, therefore, should make you lose weight? This theory is false because once you replenish those fluids by taking sips of water, you put all that water weight back on.
Well, let’s apply the same logic here. An F1 driver takes a sip of liquid while driving, and within a few minutes, he sweats it out. Remember, we discussed that they lose weight while driving, so many fluids they drink will leave the body through the sweat glands before it gets peed. So, it is believable when a driver says they do not pee in their cars.
How do F1 Drivers Poo During a Race?
Remember, all this talk about F1 drivers having to pee during a race is based on the fact that they are constantly replenishing their fluids. This means that if they are not sweating the same amount of fluid out that they are drinking, eventually, they will have to urinate, but the same Concepts do not apply when it comes to doing a number two. Let me explain
Drivers always go to the bathroom before a race. They do this for three reasons. Firstly, they want to prevent needing the toilet during the race. An F1 driver will try to make themselves as light as possible, within reason, of course.
Also, using the bathroom is for the crew so that they don’t have to clean up for him.
Finally, the driver is not eating anything while driving but only drinking liquids. Therefore, once they have used the toilet before the race, they shouldn’t have to do it again during the event.
If a driver had to, they would apply the same concept and poo in their suit or adult diaper. Trust me; it will not go down well with Horner if Perez stopped his car to take a poo; he would probably never drive for Red Bull again.
Do F1 drivers Wear New Suits Every Race?
With all of this pee going on in an F1 driver’s suit, I am sure you are wondering what happens to a suit when it gets ruined through sweating, general wear, and tear, or even by pee. Well, we have to remember that F1 is a sport of money, and there is a lot of it.
Every driver and every team has more than one uniform at every Grand Prix, and some drivers are so pedantic about their suits that they won’t wear the same suit they wore while practicing. However, once the race is over and they remove the overalls, they don’t throw them away.
Remember, the uniform consists of more than just the outer layer, and you have to consider everything that the driver has underneath the suit and the helmet. It ends up costing a lot of money. While a driver could use a new suit every race, it is rare that they do because the old ones get washed.
Do F1 Drivers Drink Alcohol?
Many of us have been there, just having a good time with our friends, and if there are six of you at a table having drinks, people will constantly be getting up to use the bathroom to pee, you included. Well, that is because alcohol promotes the loss of bodily fluids through urine.
So, most racing drivers will not drink just before a race weekend. However, F1 drivers still like to enjoy their free time. There is nothing wrong with having a beer or any other drink with dinner or on a night out.
You can always be sure that if there were alcohol in the system, the driver would pee in his suit. So, it is not advised that a driver drink, and you will find that the best drivers don’t drink alcohol coming up to race weekend.
Who cleans up When Drivers Pee In The Cockpit?
It is an excellent question. Once a driver urinates in the cockpit, who is responsible for cleaning that up? Is it the driver, or does somebody else have to come in and do the job? Well, luckily, we know the answer.
Most of the time, most of the urine will have been evaporated, so you won’t necessarily find puddles of pee in the cockpit, but you will see stains that need to be cleaned up, and the Mechanics are responsible for doing so.
Whether fixing the car or making sure that it is race-ready, a race mechanic is responsible for that car. If there are pee stains, they will clean it up; if there are any scratches or dents on the body, they will fix it, and finally, if there are any mechanical issues, it will be sorted before the driver gets into the car on race weekend.
Final Thoughts
That brings us to the closing of this article. Look, most drivers do not pee in their cars, but some do. Every race costs millions of Dollars for each team, and as terrible as it might sound to have to sit in your urine when you are getting paid the big bucks as these drivers do, it is a small Sacrifice on their journey to becoming the best.
