F1 Taught Me
That Speed
Starts With
Comfort
As a fan of motorsport, I’m always fascinated
with the finer details that go into Formula One
racing. Piloting the fastest racing cars on the
planet subjects drivers to savage forces—up to
6 g’s under braking—which has led to an almost
endless pursuit of comfort. Teams spend hundreds
of hours and millions of dollars optimizing cock-
pit ergonomics to ensure that their drivers aren’t
distracted by aches and pains during a two-hour
Grand Prix. To offer some perspective, it’s not
uncommon for 2007 F1 world champion Kimi
Räikkönen to nap in between qualifying sessions
while strapped into his car.
Being an impressionable petrolhead, I began
tweaking the seating position in my Volkswagen
GTI back in college. The improved ergonomics
paid massive dividends even if I wasn’t driving on
a track. On weekends, I’d drive across the south-
western states for mountain bike races, and after
hours behind the wheel, I’d emerge with fresh legs
and ready to compete.
After countless hours in my GTI, I’ve contin-
ued to refine what works best for me. And I’ve found
that any car enthusiast can reap rewards similar to
F1 drivers by dialing in their ergonomics: improved
reaction times, reduced fatigue, and increased abil-
ity to focus on the road ahead.
Let’s start with seat height. Most car enthusi-
asts insist on driving in the lowest possible seat
position to drop their center of gravity, but that
can obstruct out ward visibilit y. I’ve found the best
results by starting at the lowest setting and work-
ing my way up until I have a clear 360-degree line
of sight around the car.
Next: your distance to the pedals. Sitting too
close can lead you to accidentally press the pedals,
while being too far will force you to reach for full
extension—unnecessary work that leads to fatigue.
Set your seat at a distance where your leg is just about
to reach full extension at the end of the pedal travel.
The steering-wheel position is also a safety con-
cern. Sitting too close increases your risk of an
airbag injury in a crash—they can generate roughly
2,000 pounds of force while deploying. Thankfully
most modern vehicles allow you to move the steer-
ing wheel forward and back as well as up and down.
A good test of steering-wheel position is to place
your palms on the top of the wheel: You want a slight
bend in your elbow. I also make sure that the steer-
ing column is high enough to clear my knees while
I’m using the clutch.
Feeling out the ideal driving position will take
some trial and error, but it’s worth the time invest-
ment. I still mess with my position every so often to
maximize comfort and engagement with my vehi-
cle. If nothing else, it will give you a good reason to
go for a drive.GETTING COMFORTABLE /I position my seat as low as possible
and the steering wheel up high and easy to reach.M A T T C R I S A R A I S T H E A U T O S T E S T E D I T O R.8 November/December 2021
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F r o m a n
EditorPHOTOGRAPHY BY TREVOR RAAB