– It’s no secret that Formula 1 drivers pee in the car during the race. Even the two record world champions Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher have admitted to this before. However, Cadillac driver Sergio Perez has now described a particularly embarrassing situation from his career so far.
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In a video on social media, the Mexican is asked by his new teammate Valtteri Bottas if and when he last urinated in the car during a race. “Yes, I did that,” Perez admits bluntly at first, before elaborating on the story.
“But it was before the race, not during it, because there was no time left after the national anthem,” the 36-year-old adds, before the two Cadillac drivers burst into laughter. “And it was before my mechanics strapped me in. So it was a bit embarrassing.”
Did the mechanics, back then still with his former team Red Bull by the way, even notice? “I’m sure they noticed,” Perez believes and gets agreement from Bottas. No wonder: the mechanics have to reach between the drivers’ legs to strap them in.
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Hamilton: Full bladder is “extremely uncomfortable”
Perez is by no means alone with this confession: for most Formula 1 drivers, it is “completely normal” that they have to give in to their needs during the race. Only a few drivers, such as Daniel Ricciardo or Damon Hill, have denied ever peeing in the car during their active careers.
Record world champion Lewis Hamilton explained a few years ago that due to the high centrifugal forces, it is “extremely uncomfortable” when the bladder is full. You can no longer concentrate on your job, so it is sometimes easier to just give in to the pressure.
However, that requires some practice. “I remember trying it and I really had to force it,” Hamilton reveals about a situation at the Singapore Grand Prix a few years ago. “It’s really hard, and fortunately I don’t have to do it – except for that one time.”
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