Red Bull F1 Driver Search update

The health and fitness testing component of the Red Bull F1 Driver Search was outlined by program chief Danny Sullivan this past weekend. The unique multi-year initiative was created to find and nurture young American race car drivers by funding ...

The health and fitness testing component of the Red Bull F1 Driver Search was outlined by program chief Danny Sullivan this past weekend. The unique multi-year initiative was created to find and nurture young American race car drivers by funding their racing in Europe in an effort to return an American to competition in the Formula 1 World Driving Championship.

Sullivan not only nailed down the basics of the drivers' fitness assessment program, he spent time "editing" the list of potential candidates. As previously announced, the identities of the final 15-to-20 candidates will be revealed during the weekend of the U.S. Formula 1 Grand Prix at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sept. 27 29.

The day after Sunday's Grand Prix, the drivers will spend the day at the National Institute for Fitness and Sports (NIFS) in Indianapolis, where each will have to complete a rigorous "race-length" (approximately 90 minutes) regimen designed by leading health and fitness authority Jim Landis. Each driver's efforts and abilities will be assiduously monitored, measured and assessed, after which Landis will provide detailed feedback on his or hers strengths and weaknesses.

Shortly thereafter, the finalists will be flown to a circuit in Europe for the extensive test day-style on-track assessment; up to four drivers will be chosen for the program's first year.

Landis is a certified fitness trainer, therapist and performance-nutrition specialist who's advised hundreds of world class athletes for more than 20 years, including two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. Landis also has worked with the Arizona Heart Institute and the Aspen Institute for Fitness and Sports Medicine.

NIFS is a non-profit health, physical fitness and athletic-performance research center established in 1985 by Indianapolis community leaders with help from Lilly Endowment, Inc., the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis. It operates from a 117,000-square-foot facility housing a number of departments, including the Center for Athletic Performance, the Human Performance Lab, and the Indiana University Medical Group at NIFS.