Gear Box – Nicholas Latifi

We dive into the paddocks to take a look at the essential items for our drivers on a race weekend. From iPads and AirPods to helmets and hats and much more, we find out what they can’t travel without.

Nicholas Latifi is up next…

Phone and sunglasses

The first thing is the sunglasses and the phone - typical driver essentials. You’ve got to keep the eyes protected, and, what racing driver isn't always on his phone?

Foam roller

The foam roller is useful for loosening up the muscles. I take it back and forth to the hotel with me, as it can also be useful before bed and in the morning, if I am feeling a bit stiff in certain areas. I will also use it just before the warm up - it's quite a useful tool.

Warm up kit

My warm up kit, which includes a few reaction balls, a band, and a skipping rope. There is some other stuff in there as well, which is designed to get the blood flowing a bit and activate the muscles.

Working on my reaction times can wake everything up before a session. My warm up is always the same, I have a fixed routine which covers all of the bases, the mental and cognitive, reactional and physical sides.

Snack box

I have a snack box, which is a selection of things that are okay for me to eat on a race weekend if I am a bit peckish. They are not meals, it is combination of sports bars, mixed nuts and electrolyte tablets for better hydration. My trainer is from the UK, so he gets all the stuff from there.

Medical kit

The company which my performance coach works with, Hintsa performance, provides this as part of the package. You get a medical box, which you can take with you wherever you go - although you hope to not have to use it.

There is basically something in there for everything, whether it’s a cold or the flu, allergies, muscle soreness, or tightness. The important thing with these boxes is that it is all stuff that has been approved by anti-doping, whereas, if you just go to a local pharmacy, you are not necessarily sure that it isn't going to have some banned substances in there. These boxes take that variable out of the equation.