My Race Day: Carmen Jorda

Lotus Development Driver, the wonderful Carmen Jorda, shares her typical race day schedule with the Paddock magazine.

The day before

Firstly, and most importantly, I need to go to bed early the night before. A good night’s sleep is crucial and sleep is an important part of an athlete’s life for full muscle recovery.

08:00

I wake around 8 and I go for an early light session if there is a gym in the hotel I am staying at. If there’s no gym, I go for a run

09:00

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day!

My food intake is very regulated and specific as I can’t eat certain foods, for example lactose and gluten, and my diet compliments my fitness routine and goals. Typically I have fresh grapefruit juice and another fresh juice with 6 carrots, 2 green apples, half a lime, oat milk and chia.

So much attention to detail goes into the racing in Formula 1, so feedback is incredibly valuable and good communication is key.

09:30

I head to the track. The aim is to arrive 20 minutes before the first meeting with the team including the engineers and drivers to discuss the day ahead.

11:00

Usually before lunch I will have a number of interviews that are organised by the absolutely brilliant Lotus F1 Team press officers. I’ll share key points for the race and share my insight as Lotus F1 Team Development Driver, without giving too much away, of course. I’ll also take this opportunity to share some updates on social media on my personal Twitter, Instagram and Facebook channels.

12:00

Once my media commitments are complete, lunch with the team is next. The chefs are great and they pay special attention to the food eaten by the racers, tailoring the meals for each of us individually. It’s also crucial to stay hydrated so I’ll drink some water, but a bottle is never too far away from me throughout the day, especially at the hotter and more humid races.

Race time             

Before and during the race, and throughout the whole weekend, I will be on the team radio, listening to engineers and the drivers and discussing tactics and the race approach with the team. So much attention to detail goes into the racing in Formula 1, so feedback is incredibly valuable and good communication is key. There is a real sense of togetherness in the Lotus F1 Team which makes working with each other much smoother during the challenging times and it also means we enjoy the good times even more.

Post-race debrief

After the race, the whole team is brought together to debrief the race – what went well and what we can improve on. Lots of analysis here, which is highly confidential, obviously.

Evening

I will head to the team hotel and go straight to the gym for a stretch, some yoga or pilates. When I’m not at a race weekend I train hard in the morning and stretch in the evening so it’s very important this continues even when I’m at my busiest.

Dinner

We’ll then have dinner staying in the same hotel or I’ll do it on my own, depending on everyone’s commitments. Typically I will eat fish and vegetables for dinner. This is also when I start planning my week ahead.