BlogInfo

How do F1 drivers pee during races?

F1 drivers often spend hours at a time in their cars while racing for world championships.

Travelling at high-octane speeds with plenty on the line, drivers are only human - they need to relieve themselves!

But with no reprieve from their cockpits until the end of the race, some will find the need to go a little too pressing for their own liking.

So just how, and when, do they do it?

How do F1 drivers pee?

There is no way to dress this up. They just let it go in their race suits!

With some races lasting around two hours, if a driver has not been able to go before the race starts, then they will simply empty their bladders in their cockpits.

Of course, temperatures in the cockpit help to dry the suits again, or if it is a particularly hot race - like Singapore - they will be soaked with sweat anyway.

Do F1 drivers have drinks inside their F1 car?

F1 drivers have an option to carry a water bottle to help them stay hydrated - but most don't bother these days to save weight.

Instead they use scientific drinks and tablets to perhydrate before races to ensure they have enough fluids in their system to last the full race distance.

That said, if there is a particularly hot race - like Miami this year - they may take a drink in the cockpit which is placed under their seat and dispensed by pressing a button on their steering wheel.

However, because it is close to the engine, it gets pretty warm by the fifth lap and it is like drinking hot water.

Most read in Sport

Has an F1 driver ever had a toilet accident during a race?

Lewis Hamilton is one driver who says he's never urinated during a race while there are suggestions Michael Schumacher, the other seven times world champion, was regularly taking a leak inside the cockpit.

Kimi Raikkonen was once famously asked on the grid by Martin Brundle why he missed a pre-race presentation by football icon, Pele.

The Finn was doing his own pre-race routine and replied: "I was having a s**t."

Meanwhile, NASCAR legend Tony Stewart is said to have famously pooed himself during his victory at Watkins Glen in 2004.

He was complaining of feeling unwell and immediately headed to his motorhome when he clambered from his race car for a wash and a fresh race suit before taking part in the celebrations.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEZqqupl6YvK570qmmq6xfa4F4hJFrZ2ign6x6pbuMn2hmnKKew6a%2B0mannp1f

Tamela Phillippe

Update: 2024-06-30