Ferrari's secret F1 gym

Ferrari has revealed one of its secrets for Formula One success – a custom-built ‘car gym’.

Used exclusively by F1 superstars Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, the gym is designed to replicate the stresses inflicted on an F1 driver during a race.

Built by Technogym, the machine focuses strongly on training a driver’s neck and forearms – areas crucial to Formula 1 fitness.

Under race conditions F1 drivers can lose up to 3kg in sweat, have extreme G-forces pass through their bodies and lift the equivalent of thousands of kilos with their arms.

To train the forearms, the machine’s steering wheel has a load of 25kg, which also includes a special ‘vibration device’ to simulate the constant vibrations drivers feel on the race track.

Specially weighted cables are also attached to the driver’s helmet, designed to reproduce the ferocious forces placed on the neck.