F1 Medical Car: A top cardiovascular specialist has warned that Honda’s pull-out has created a potential health time bomb not foreseen by the Japanese company and has urged officials to do something in the run up to the opening Grand Prix in March.
Dr Heimlich Manoeuvre of the famous Swiss heart clinic, Stroke of Luck! said, “Honda’s exit has left a black hole in the heart of F1 marshal safety.
“Last year we estimated marshals waved their blue flags nearly 3,000 times at the Honda cars; this is a significant amount of exercise that will be removed in 2009 and I fear for the long term health of many of these otherwise sedentary middle-aged fatsoes”.
A heart, yesterday
The doctor calculated that the amount of energy expended on telling the trundling Japanese entry to GET OUT OF THE BLOODY WAY!! was over 300 calories per marshal during a typical Grand Prix weekend or:
- half a pack of Hob Nob biscuits
- 6 cups of pre-sweetened instant coffee
- a bacon sandwich
- a pint of medium strength lager
In other words: up to a 10th of the typical marshal diet during a single weekend.
And whilst unlikely to prove fatal in the short term, in the long term Mr Manoeuvre warned of complacency.
“The build up of fat in the arteries happens over many years and whilst we cannot calculate with absolute accuracy the effect this loss of exercise will have on the incidence of heart disease in Formula 1 marshals what we can say with certainty is we don’t know what will happen.”
“It is imperative that the authorities know the risks however – whatever they are. Honda leaving is bad enough but who can tell the impact of say Renault hiring 2 decent drivers or Williams finding some money down the back of Frank’s chair? And if Force India go under it will be absolute fucking carnage,” he scaremongered.
