Xing Wu
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That message came from Formula 1 Daniel Ricciardo at the end of 2017, who wanted Italiano to travel the world with him as a performance coach.
The duo, who had met through mutual friends in Perth when they were 12, had never discussed the possibility of working together before, and most of the Italiano experience in F1 stemmed from Ricciardo’s rise through the motorsport ranks over the years.
“Did I know the story behind it? No. Did I know the sports science behind it or how to train a Formula 1 driver? No. So 2018 was a lot of work.”
The learning process involved picking the brains of those around him in the F1 paddock, as well as scouring Google Scholar for any available information on the physical demands of driving headlong down a track for two hours.
But Italiano’s responsibilities don’t end with crafting fitness sessions for 32-year-old Ricciardo.
An F1 performance coach is responsible for ensuring his driver is in peak physical and mental condition at the start of each race, meaning the pair spend 250 days a year together.
Italiano takes responsibility for massage, nutrition, sleep, jet lag, mindfulness and everything in between to keep race weekends running smoothly.
“It could be making sure his laundry is done, or even making sure he gets his breakfast on time, or just cleaning the room and making sure his bag is back is packed and ready to go,” says Italiano.
“Little things like that really add up […] give him a schedule so he doesn’t have to think […] sort of run his week so he can just focus on running.”
neck strength
The duo have now completed a three-month pre-season in preparation for the first race of the season in Bahrain on Sunday.
Italiano worked on building Ricciardo’s neck strength – a crucial requirement for riders to resist the G-force of tackling high-speed tight corners.
And as the sport progresses, engines get bigger and cars get faster, putting more strain on the driver’s body every year, according to Italiano.
“It’s not just about hitting the markers with the strength of their necks; every year they have to hit PBs [personal bests] pretty much,” he says.
“A typical corner on an F1 course can see drivers battling four to five Gs, which is like pulling around 35 kilos [77 pounds] on your neck – quite a big load.
“You might think, ‘Okay, it’s a corner, it only lasts a second or two.’ But you do it for two hours, so it can add up quickly.”
In an attempt to boost Ricciardo’s neck strength, Italiano says he studied other sports like the NFL, boxing and rugby for inspiration, while he also wears a neck harness with him while throughout the season for flexion and extension exercises.
“These guys are energized in the body for about two hours. They’re fighting the car and the vibration of the car, the resistance of the car,” says Italiano.
This means that full-body strength and cardiovascular fitness also become an important factor.
“These guys are wearing fireproof suits, they don’t breathe,” Italiano continues. “All of a sudden, the body’s thermoregulation – the body’s ability to cool itself – is severely restricted.
“They are low to the ground, the asphalt is so hot; they have an engine behind them, which brings more heat.
“The ability to calm down is simply non-existent […] You start to get dehydrated, you start to run out of fluids, you start to get tired.
“And if you start to tire, your reaction time starts to slow down. It starts to happen, you start to lose a tenth or two per lap in a Formula 1 race. It could be the difference between a podium and a finish. in the top 10.”
At the gym during pre-season, Italiano tasked Ricciardo with cardio sessions (running, rowing and cycling), strength exercises (deadlifts, squats and bench press) and core stability training.
“We also focus on training the posterior chain [muscles on the backside of the body] because a lot of the braking loads – when they step on that brake with their left foot – go through the calves, hamstrings and glutes,” says Italiano.
mental preparation
Italiano’s influence extends to Ricciardo’s diet during race weekends – meeting with McLaren team chef to provide advice on meal times, recipes and portion sizes – s adapting to hot climates and high altitudes, and aiding recovery after travel and jet lag.
“We’ve hired a bit of a jet lag guru and we also have a jet lag app, which helps a lot with caffeine timing, light exposure, time zone adaptation,” he says.
“Timing meals on a flight is important, and timing exercise when you land can help sleep and get you in the right time zone. There are a lot of factors that affect jet lag. the first thing we really did, I really tried to refine.”
Then there is also the mental preparation during a race weekend.
“One thing we talk about a lot is getting to that state of flux on a Sunday,” says Italiano. “Wednesday or Thursday is a day where it’s all good, where it’s like, ‘OK, man, what’s bothering you? What do you have in mind? ‘ Just take it off your chest.
“In qualifying, I like to put Daniel in a very calm state of mind because qualifying is just about perfecting a lap. And Daniel, he behaves very well in a relaxed state for qualifying.
“While running, we want it at an intensity level of around seven out of 10, we don’t want it too intense because being too excited can actually make your reactions worse if you get too excited.”
When the checkered flag falls at the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, Italiano will hope his careful preparation – from calf strength to cardio, squats to sleep schedules – pays off.
Ricciardo, who finished eighth in the drivers’ standings last season, tested positive for Covid-19 last week but recovered in time to take part in this weekend’s race.
But F1 remains the priority. He predicts there will be a lot of nervousness at the start of the season on Sunday, but also excitement and curiosity.
“There’s an element of uncertainty and the unknown,” Italiano explains, “not knowing which teams have made gains and which teams are behind. I find that quite intriguing.”
These emotions are always accompanied by a sense of pride as he watches Ricciardo take to the circuit.
“It’s been a huge inspiration to see a guy from the same city as me on the world stage,” said Italiano. “It’s just inspiring to be with him and help him too. It also gives me confidence as a coach.”
