Video shows phenomenal difference in leg power required to use the brake in a family car vs F1 car
F1 drivers are really fit The post Video shows phenomenal difference in leg power required to use the brake in a family car vs F1 car appeared first on Supercar Blondie.
A viral video has highlighted the stark contrast in the power required to use the brake in a standard family vehicle and an F1 car.
Filmed at what appears to be a motorsport exhibit, the clip shows a woman testing two brake pedals side by side.
While she easily presses the brake from a typical road car, the F1 brake barely budges under her full effort.
Her amused struggle reveals just how physically demanding high-level racing really is.
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An F1 car requires raw strength to brake
The video was shared on Reddit, with many discussing the reason behind the stark difference.
It turns out that F1 braking is not just a foot maneuver, but a full-body experience.
Casual drivers like you and me rely on power-assisted systems that allow gentle pressure to stop a vehicle.
In fact, if you’re driving this 1,200 horsepower Ferrari, you can brake so quickly it feels like hitting pause on reality.
On the other hand, an F1 car uses no such assistance, requiring raw leg strength of around 220 pounds of force to engage the brake fully.
But it’s not just leg strength; the real challenge lies in coping with extreme g‑forces.
During heavy braking, F1 drivers endure longitudinal deceleration forces of up to 5–6 g.
That’s five to six times their body weight slamming them forward into the cockpit harness.
To put that in perspective, a driver weighing 150 lbs effectively feels as though they weigh over 900lbs when braking at full force.
These forces aren’t just fleeting spikes either, as they last multiple seconds per lap and repeat lap after lap.
F1 requires a crazy level of physical conditioning
To sum everything up so far, the physiological demands of driving an F1 car are staggering.
Drivers need to train their legs, core, and especially neck muscles to hold steady under such forces, in high cockpit temperatures often climbing above 122°F.
Without that conditioning, not only would the brake pedal feel immovable, but the strain on the body could make precise control impossible.
Even adrenaline-packed corners amplify the ordeal.
While braking focuses the load longitudinally, high-speed turns can push lateral g‑forces to 6–6.5 g (or even more), requiring the driver to resist being thrown sideways and maintain control.
The helmet alone, tethered only to the neck, can feel like it weighs over 88lbs in an 8‑g corner.
The woman in the video, laughing through her attempts, serves as a perfect proxy for the average person.
Her inability to press the brake in the F1 car more than an inch or two demonstrates just how much physical conditioning is required to compete at the highest level of motorsport.
It also shows how little people know about the inner workings of F1 cars, like the hidden complexity of F1 steering wheels.
While fans often focus on the speed and strategy of racing, this clip underscores the sheer athleticism involved.
If you think that F1 legends like Lewis Hamilton simply spend their time posing next to supercars, you better think twice.The post Video shows phenomenal difference in leg power required to use the brake in a family car vs F1 car appeared first on Supercar Blondie.
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