A break in the Formula 1 calendar does not mean drivers simply stop training until the next Grand Prix. Oliver Bearman’s fitness coach Pierluigi Della Bona has explained how an extended gap between races is carefully divided between recovery, demanding physical work and a final phase designed to ensure the driver arrives at the circuit rested but ready for Formula 1 intensity.
The demands behind that process extend well beyond the time drivers spend in the cockpit. A packed Formula 1 calendar combines racing with intercontinental travel, changing time zones, promotional commitments and simulator work. The accumulated physical and mental strain means that periods without Grands Prix become part of the performance programme rather than conventional holidays.
How F1 driver training changes during a break
Pierluigi Della Bona, who works with Oliver Bearman as his fitness coach and is also a Med-Ex professional, explained that every pause in the season provides an opportunity to recharge physically and mentally. The aim is not simply to maximise training volume, because the body also needs time to absorb the workload built up through consecutive race weekends and long-distance travel.
The unusual gap created earlier in the season by the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grand Prix cancellations provided a clear example. For Bearman, the extra time also became important because it followed his heavy accident at Suzuka.
Della Bona explained that the British driver had taken a substantial hit in Japan, although no major complications developed afterwards. At least ten days were therefore devoted to allowing Bearman to recover fully. The enforced pause gave his body the opportunity to reduce the accumulated load before returning to more demanding preparation.
Bearman’s heavy Suzuka accident made that recovery phase particularly important. Rather than treating rest as lost training time, the programme considers it an essential part of maintaining performance over a long Formula 1 campaign.
The first week is designed around recovery
When the calendar provides three consecutive weeks without racing, Della Bona divides the period into three separate phases. The opening week places the greatest emphasis on recovery, allowing both the physical and mental stress accumulated over previous events to begin falling.
That does not mean the driver becomes completely inactive. Gym work, cycling and running can remain part of the schedule, but the intensity is deliberately controlled. The objective is to keep the body moving without placing it under the same level of stress that would be required during a harder conditioning block.
Training volume therefore falls rather than disappearing altogether. This gives the body the opportunity to restore its balance while maintaining a basic level of activity, an important distinction in a sport where drivers cannot afford to lose fitness every time the calendar offers a longer pause.
Week two brings the heaviest physical workload
Once the initial recovery period has been completed, the emphasis changes significantly. The second week becomes the toughest part of the three-stage programme, with training loads progressively increased to rebuild the driver’s physical condition.
Some of the most demanding sessions of the break are placed in this middle phase. However, Della Bona stressed that hard training alone is not enough to produce improvement. The body must also be given sufficient time to recover from the stimulus and adapt to the work that has been completed.
The programme is therefore built around a balance between training stress, fatigue and subsequent adaptation. Increasing the workload indefinitely would be counterproductive. Instead, each demanding period has to be positioned so that the driver gains from it without carrying unnecessary fatigue into the next stage.
The final week turns fitness into race preparation
The third week has a different purpose again. Della Bona describes this stage as the transformation phase, when the energy recovered during the opening week and the physical work completed during the second are directed specifically towards the demands of the approaching Grand Prix.
Training intensity begins moving back towards the levels associated with Formula 1 competition, but without exhausting the driver immediately before travelling to the circuit. The objective is to arrive sharp and physically prepared while still benefiting from the recovery created earlier in the break.
For Bearman, that process also formed part of his return following Suzuka. During the extended gap before racing resumed, the young driver combined his physical recovery with preparations for the next stage of the season, having also provided an update on his recovery and simulator work ahead of returning to competition.
Why F1 training loads cannot stay constant
One of the key principles behind Della Bona’s approach is that training should not follow the same intensity every day. If the workload remains permanently fixed, the body can become too accustomed to the stimulus and the sessions gradually lose some of their effectiveness.
Instead, he compared the ideal pattern to a wave or an electrocardiogram, with training intensity rising, dropping and then climbing again. Remaining permanently at maximum effort is no more desirable than staying at an easy level throughout the programme.
This variation allows the body to experience meaningful physical stimulus without being subjected to continuous pressure. The same concept is not restricted to longer breaks either, with changing training loads forming part of the wider approach used throughout the Formula 1 season.
Why padel has become part of Oliver Bearman’s preparation
Not every part of an F1 driver’s fitness programme has to resemble a traditional gym session. Della Bona also uses padel with Bearman, an activity that has become increasingly popular among drivers and trainers around the paddock.
The sport offers several useful physical elements while providing a different mental environment. Movement, coordination, speed and reaction skills can all be trained, but the competitive exercise feels lighter and more enjoyable than another conventional conditioning session.
Della Bona explained that the aim is to find activities that remain effective while also helping the driver enjoy the process, recharge and recover more successfully. Padel also introduces a social element, with drivers sometimes playing alongside fellow competitors or trainers working with other teams, temporarily removing them from the usual pressure of Formula 1 competition.
Ultimately, managing an F1 break is not a choice between complete rest and relentless training. The performance benefit comes from knowing when to reduce the workload, when to push the body hard and when to transform that fitness into preparation for the next Grand Prix. For Oliver Bearman, that carefully controlled cycle is designed to ensure that time away from racing becomes another part of getting ready to race again.
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