Esteban working at full speed

Even when sometimes there are weeks between a Grand Prix and the next, that doesn’t mean it is relaxing time for Esteban Gutiérrez and Team Sauber F1; on the contrary, this is the time to train hard and get ready for the next race.

Esteban was in Tokyo, Japan, prior to the Grand Prix of China, where he worked under the supervision of Josef Leberer and Roman Jahoda, who have helped him improve his physical condition.

“The truth is we only train like this when there is plenty of time between one race and the next, as it is a training program consisting of different parts, like coordination, endurance, precision on each exercise; we focus on the body stability and having the opportunity to do this with 100% supervision is very positive as it was this past week in Tokyo.

“It's a matter of maintaining an athletic shape for high performance, because during a race it's not specific parts of your body which suffer, but all of it. The back is very important; I also focus on having a good diet and sleeping well. I try to exercise well, specifically the neck, as it is very important in Formula One”, explained Esteban.

During the physical training, Gutiérrez works in two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with different work loads and exercises aimed at improving the body strength and stability.

“A normal day consists of three straight hours of training, sometimes to develop strength and endurance, and in the afternoon the session is a little more relaxed and I do cardio, trying to do relaxation moves like swimming in warm water. Optimizing is important too.

“I have improved by body stability in general, I have increased my muscle mass, something very positive as I see it; I also do exercises that probably could not have done before, now I do more easily balance and stability exercises, as all of that helps a lot for mind training as well”, he remarked.

After working hard for several days and having completed the training program, Gutiérrez, as well as Leberer and Jahoda, see there is progress that without a doubt will benefit Esteban.

“What we can see is that there is significant progress since the beginning of the year. We have worked on a program that has been evolving through these months and it is more intense and the exercises are more difficult every time; that is how progress is done.

“I have been doing this kind of training since the beginning of my career, but lately Josef and Roman have been in charge of including specific exercises to increase my performance, not only in terms of force but also endurance, stability and other aspects as well”, the Mexican said.

This weekend Esteban Gutiérrez will be in China for the third round of the Formula One season.