Sainz on dieting as a top athlete: 'I'm very lucky with that!'

As a Formula 1 driver, you are obviously a top athlete, but not everything about it is fun. For instance, top athletes have to adhere to strict rules when it comes to diet in order to always be top fit and deliver peak performance at the right times. Speaking to Formula1.com, Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz talks about his diet.

Nutrition is especially important for an F1 driver during the Grand Prix weekend, this is where peak performance is required. “Once the F1 weekend starts on Thursday, you follow a very specific diet, you know it’s going to go well for your stomach, but on Sunday night we all go out for a good dinner, or maybe on Wednesdays before the race weekend starts, so you always get to taste a bit the city where you go,” jokes the Spaniard.

"I’m a very lucky guy! I can eat as much as I want and I never go above 73 kilos," Sainz says, explaining that he does not yet need an extremely strict diet. "It doesn’t matter how much I eat because of the amount of sport [I do] and I think my constitution is just very, very, very good in a way. I think it will change with age, but at least it’s helping me now."

Still, between race weekends, the Spaniard manages to enjoy some less healthy food from time to time. “I still follow my diet, I’m really into fitness and calories, the amount of protein I eat in a day. When you love fitness, you take care of these things, but when it’s time to enjoy I also make sure I enjoy food, and I have a good relationship with food.”