McLaren driver Lando Norris has revealed the gruelling assessment of his fitness levels he conducts between Formula 1 seasons – required to tune his training through the upcoming 2025 championship.
The four-time grand prix race winner released a “Lando-log” video on his YouTube channel detailing the tests conducted under the supervision of his long-time trainer, Jon Malvern.
Malvern’s Pioneered Athlete Performance company has partnered with the Elite and Professional Sport Research Group within the Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences at Swansea University.
This is a two-year project which commenced in 2024 and is focused on the development of physiological, athletic and cognitive enhancements for motorsport athlete performance.
It is taking place at Swansea University’s Singleton Park campus in south Wales, where Norris completed the assessment day midway through February.
“It's probably the worst day of the year, because it's assessment day,” Norris says in the video. “And assessment day is a gruesome day of training.
“Jon puts me to the test in many different things, to see my strengths and weaknesses, to see how my body's performing through the year.
“Basically, the things that might cost me lap time [and] anything that costs me lap time is not a good thing. So, today's that day that I hate.
“I'm really not looking forward to today, but Jon makes me do it, and I have to do it, and I should do it.
“So, it's not gonna be fun for me. It's probably gonna be great fun for you watching and it's gonna be great fun for Jon. He's gonna be smiling the whole day…”
Starting at 8am for a series of workouts that lasted until 7pm, Norris first underwent a chilled body composition and metabolic rate assessment, followed by a hand grip strength test using a dynamometer and then a three-minute ‘all-out’ running measurement.
In the afternoon, Norris completed a neck strength assessment and neck endurance test using strain-gauge dynamometry kit.
During this, he revealed that he trained to strengthen his neck “four days on, one day off, four days on, one day off” most weeks, other than after the Spanish GP at Barcelona.
The punishing layout at the Montmelo track – which features several long, fast corners where G-forces reach high peaks – means Norris gets “three days off” after this event.
Norris then completed a VO2 max assessments on a treadmill and static bike, and during this “we'll get things called ventilatory thresholds”, per Malvern.
“And based on those, we can see how big his tank of energy is for each of those energy sources,” Malvern adds.
“Preferably, with our training we want to try and increase the bottom one – renewable energy.
“So, we're going to see how big that tank is now and then we can relate it back to the three-minute test and then we know what pace and power output to set for the training.
“It takes a lot of physical and mental resilience to do four maximal tests across a day. It's been a painful day for Lando. It's a big day.”
“This is my day done,” Norris concludes. “I'm dead, but for good reasons.
“So, yeah, a long day, early start, many things done. Yes, a lot of stuff, I don't feel great, I'm pretty dead, so I’ve got a nice car journey back home now – three and a half hours back to McLaren.
“But it's been an amazing day, so thanks everyone here.”
