Formula 1 racing pushes drivers and their teams to the edge, mentally and physically.
To better understand how they perform under intense pressure, the University of Chicago Medicine and the TGR Haas F1 Team have partnered for a long-term study examining the cumulative demands of a racing season on the mind and body.
Now underway, the “Human Engine” project tracks members of the Haas F1 team aims to develop evidence-based strategies to improve overall health and performance in the as high-stress, sleep-disrupted environments.
The collaboration is the first in Formula 1 to be conducted alongside an academic medical center, bringing clinical and research expertise to the study of team-based performance in elite motorsport.
“Over the course of a season, team members face continuous travel, disrupted sleep cycles and sustained cognitive and physical demands,” said Vineet Arora, the study’s principal investigator and dean for medical education at the UChicago Pritzker School of Medicine. “Our goal is to understand how these factors interact over time and to develop targeted interventions that support performance, recovery and well-being. What we learn here has the potential to shape how we support teams in other environments.”
While Formula 1 is recognized for its driver fitness and engineering innovation, little is understood about the mechanics, engineers and staff who support race operations. They must perform as they travel across time zones and work overnight under intense pressure.
"Formula 1 is an incredibly demanding environment, not only for drivers, but for everyone working within the sport," said Ayao Komatsu, team principal of the Haas F1 Team. "As a team, we're always looking to better understand how those demands affect our people and how we can create an environment where our people can operate at their best—both on and off track."
The study involves voluntary participation from traveling Haas F1 team members across functions. UChicago Medicine researchers will use wearable devices, validated surveys and interviews to assess a wide set of health metrics and team dynamics in real-world racing conditions.
The research team includes specialists in sleep medicine, neurology, psychiatry and behavioral science. Led by Arora, they are Kenneth Lee, Jennifer Ghandhi, Alejandra Lastra and Aashna Sunderrajan. All data will be de-identified and analyzed in aggregate.
The research builds on UChicago Medicine's expertise in sleep medicine, circadian health and performance in high-stakes environments, including landmark studies on fatigue, shift work and decision-making in demanding clinical settings. The same questions are increasingly relevant in health care, where teams operate under similar demands.
“The modern Formula 1 schedule is demanding both physically and socially, with extensive travel, jet lag and time away from home,” said Dan Martin, lead performance coach of the Haas F1 Team. “We want to better understand these stressors and use that insight to support health, career longevity and overall team performance.”
The program will begin with longitudinal data collection across the race season, followed by the development and testing of targeted strategies to support sleep, recovery and resilience. Over time, effective approaches will be incorporated into team operations.
Insights from the research are expected to inform broader applications beyond motorsport, including health care, emergency response and other fields where teams must operate effectively under sustained pressure and fatigue. Peer-reviewed publications and broader research outputs are planned following the study's completion.
This initiative builds on UChicago Medicine's sponsorship of the Haas F1 Team, established in 2024, which made UChicago Medicine the first and only health care provider to serve as an official team partner in Formula 1.
—This article was originally published on the UChicago Medicine website.
