<div> <p>It's race week. You've got a flight to catch. You need to score points this weekend or you might lose your seat. Fans want selfies at the airport. Your engineer needs your thoughts on car set-up. A pundit just said something about you on a podcast. Your Team Principal is calling you... </p><p>This is the high-pressure life of a Formula 1 driver. To cope, they need to be mentally strong. How do they train their brains to handle the demands of racing at the very top, and who helps keep their minds in shape?</p><p>Christian puts your questions on this to an expert on how F1 drivers' brains work. Dr Tommy Wood is Lead Scientist for Motorsport at Hintsa Performance - a company which provides coaches and sports psychologists for many drivers on the grid.</p><p>Tommy tells us how F1 drivers block out distractions and focus on their on-track performance and explains the coaching which helps them do it. Does age affect a driver's mental abilities? And do off-track friendships between drivers have an effect when battling wheel-to-wheel?</p><p><strong>F1 Explains is here to answer your F1 questions</strong><br><a href="mailto:[email protected]">Send emails or voice notes to [email protected]<br></a><br><strong>Listen to more Official F1 Podcasts<br></strong><a href="https://www.podfollow.com/f1-beyond-the-grid">In-depth conversations with big F1 names on F1 Beyond The Grid<br></a><br>Expert opinion every race weekend on F1 Nation - find the latest episode here on this podcast feed</p><p><strong><em>This November, F1 takes over Las Vegas</em></strong><br><em>The Las Vegas Grand Prix returns November 19 - 21, 2026 — and tickets are on sale now! Be there for the fastest weekend of the year. </em><a href="https://www.f1lasvegasgp.com/tickets"><em>Click here for tickets<br><br></em></a><br></p></div>