Circuit Trainer

DRIVING A Formula One car week in and week out demands incredible power, stamina and all-around fitness. Handling the intense g-forces can take a tremendous physical toll on the body, but a racer also needs mental fortitude. It’s the job of performance and conditioning coach Michael Italiano to make sure his driver is of sound body and mind. Founder of MI Coaching, Italiano previously worked with eight-time race winner Daniel Ricciardo and currently trains AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda. SI: How did you find yourself working in F1?

MICHAEL ITALIANO: Initially, a bit of luck and good timing. I was a strength and conditioning coach back in Perth, Western Australia, and I randomly was offered the job by [Aussie native] Daniel Ricciardo at the end of 2017. We were friends prior, but we had never really spoken about working together. Then he just threw the opportunity my way, which definitely caught me by surprise. The rest has been a bit of a blur, but it’s been a fast and fun journey since.

SI: Were you a big F1 fan before you took the job?

MI: No, I’d be lying if I said

I was a fan. I was following Ricciardo’s journey with interest, but I wasn’t a fan at all.

SI: Do most drivers have a performance coach? MI: Generally, every driver has some sort of performance coach, whether it’s strength and conditioning, a physiotherapist or someone in the sports science field.

SI: F1 is a sport fueled by emotion. There’s pressure wherever you turn, whether that’s from fans on social media, the press or your own team. How do you keep your athletes mentally strong when dealing with tough days?

MI: It’s very individual. From my side, it’s making sure that these guys clear their head before race weekend. I like to do a midweek spill on Wednesdays, where we splurge on what’s bothering us and what’s on our mind, get on the table and talk about it. Just be a little bit vulnerable with each other, which I think is a fantastic way to build trust, but also it’s a sense of relief that you can actually just sit there and talk about something that’s bothering you. Then you go into the race weekend with a little bit less tension on yourself or in your mind. I do feel that a clearer mind and a happy athlete will always perform very, very well. SI: After Ricciardo announced last fall that he would not be racing this season [he’s since joined AlphaTauri], how did your partnership with Tsunoda come about?

MI: It came very late in the 2022 season. His previous coach at the time approached me about the role. [Ricciardo] came to me and said, “I think from a matchup perspective, when it

comes to just personalities, you’d be really good for Yuki.” So after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, [Yuki and I] went for coffee for about an hour. After that, he said it felt right, so we met in Dubai in January, went on a training camp and we had a blast. It was great.

SI: We’ve seen Tsunoda in Drive to Survive, and he appears to hate exercise. What’s that been like working with him and trying to get him to enjoy it?

MI: I think that comes with maturity. That interview was probably like three years ago, and he’s come a long way since then. He still speaks his mind, but I think it’s a very positive trait of his. He also understood that If I do want to be great at this sport and improve, I do need to start taking care of my body and my mind. SI: Are you taking all the credit for that? MI: Ha, no, not at all. I definitely won’t take all the credit. If I make him do extra-extra work, there’s no ifs or buts; he just gets on with it and does it. It’s fantastic to be a coach for someone who’s so motivated and determined to just get better. From a physical standpoint, he was fatiguing a lot in his shoulder and neck during the races. This year, he’s not getting any of that. He started to understand that over the course of these years of training that it’s helping his driving ability, to a point where he can actually race a lot better without any discomfort, pain or fatigue.

SI: Do you have a motto that you like to live by or teach your clients?

MI: I like to say, No one owes you anything. That keeps you grounded. At times you can almost have a sense of entitlement, and you assume people should treat you a different way. That can also apply when it comes to your performance standards, whether it’s training or your expectations of someone else. You need to earn everything that you want in life. Don’t expect favors.

SHAPING UP Italiano (with Ricciardo, far left) says Tsunoda’s training has helped relieve the driver of shoulder and neck pain.