The MICHELIN guide was ‘live’ on Facebook ahead of the 2017 Singapore Night Race to chat with Felipe Massa from Williams Martini Race Team about his pre-race diet and what his occasional indulgences are. Watch the full video below.
What are some of your favourite foods?
I like everything! I like Brazilian food, the steaks; Italian, Japanese and Chinese but not so spicy.
Anything you love but cannot eat much of?
Many things, many things, for sure. Nice things like ice cream, desserts, you need to really stay away from them. I like all the different flavours of ice cream, (especially) caramel.
How do you train endurance?
I need to train every day for the body to be fit for the race, especially this (Singapore) race which is one of the most difficult because it is very humid, (with) so many corners one after the other. You lose a lot of liquid, maybe 2, 3 kilos during the race.
What’s your usual diet like pre-race?
Eat healthy, (like) salads. Not so much fatty or fried food, you need to follow the diet. Before the race you need to eat carbohydrates to give you energy. When you are driving the car you need to be fit, it’s like running. It doesn’t look like it, but your heart rate is quite high just like when you’re running and you need to concentrate on the corners because if you make a little mistake, you can have a crash. This job is like putting your brain, your mind, together with your fitness to try to do a perfect job.
What do you like to do post-race?
I like to be with my family, my friends, maybe go to a nice restaurant to enjoy and celebrate. And definitely, being at home is the best.
I like everything! I like Brazilian food, the steaks; Italian, Japanese and Chinese but not so spicy.
Anything you love but cannot eat much of?
Many things, many things, for sure. Nice things like ice cream, desserts, you need to really stay away from them. I like all the different flavours of ice cream, (especially) caramel.
How do you train endurance?
I need to train every day for the body to be fit for the race, especially this (Singapore) race which is one of the most difficult because it is very humid, (with) so many corners one after the other. You lose a lot of liquid, maybe 2, 3 kilos during the race.
What’s your usual diet like pre-race?
Eat healthy, (like) salads. Not so much fatty or fried food, you need to follow the diet. Before the race you need to eat carbohydrates to give you energy. When you are driving the car you need to be fit, it’s like running. It doesn’t look like it, but your heart rate is quite high just like when you’re running and you need to concentrate on the corners because if you make a little mistake, you can have a crash. This job is like putting your brain, your mind, together with your fitness to try to do a perfect job.
What do you like to do post-race?
I like to be with my family, my friends, maybe go to a nice restaurant to enjoy and celebrate. And definitely, being at home is the best.
