Mark Webber wants F1 drug testing

In light of the positive drug test from Australian Moto2 rider Anthony West, Mark Webber reckons drug testing of F1 drivers should be tested too.

Webber says in bike racing many riders rely on pain killers to get them through a race weekend. “Whether it was linked to that, I’m not sure,” he said.

“Obviously it’s good they’re doing what they can to make sure everyone’s as kosher as possible but I think it’s quite difficult for that category, because you see these guys that are riding … extremely injured.”

Mark says he’s been pushing the idea of drug tests in F1, “I’ve always been championing the idea to do more of it, but the FIA have never really been that strong on it. The other drivers have never been super strong on it, so it’s never really been a huge issue.

“You know, with what’s at stake, the money involved and all that type of stuff, people do things. It’s extremely unlikely but you never say never.”

Is it likely performance-enhancing drugs are a problem in F1?

Relying on anecdotal evidence it would seem F1 remains free from the scourge of performance-enhancing drugs. Indeed, one of the best pieces we can find on the matter was written by Joe Saward back in 1999:

Racing drivers—particularly the successful ones—have tended to find in recent years that fitness is a key factor in success and so they have avoided alcohol and drugs. They live on strict diets and, according to French sports medicine expert Pierre Baleydier, there are currently no drugs which can improve the performance of F1 drivers.

“Is there a drug that would make an F1 driver go faster?” said Baleydier recently. “As far as I know no such thing exists. Anabolic steriods, growth hormones and so on are of no interest in F1: what good is increasing the physical power of a driver and paying for it with excess weight? Amphetamines push back the threshold of pain and fatigue. That is true in more demanding sports than F1 where the effort lasts more than 90 minutes, but amphetamines create euphoria and that is to the detriment of clear-thinking and that does not seem like a good idea to me in F1. There are downsides too with beta-blockers, which reduce stress . They slow down the reflexes. Given the specific things demanded from a racing driver it seems to me that F1 is protected from the drugs plague and so spared from it.”

To the best of our knowledge there’s only been two minor cases of drivers failing an FIA-imposed drug test. Referring to the Joe Saward article again:

The FIA does occasional random drug tests and only once has anything been found. That was back in 1995 when both Rubens Barrichello and Max Papis tested positive to substances which appear on the International Olympic Committee’s list of banned drugs. Both men were taking nasal decongestants for colds. The drug was ephedrine and F1 doctor Professor Sid Watkins explained that ephedrine had no effect whatsoever on a driver’s ability to perform and suggested that it was probably better if F1 did not use the same list of banned drugs as the International Olympic Committee as it was not specifically designed for F1.

So, on the one hand Webber should be applauded for his vigilant approach. And the FIA would probably do well to heed his calls. However, it would appear that, for now, there’s no immediate benefits available to F1 drivers by taking banned performance-enhancing drugs.

Things may be different as far as recreational drugs are concerned. The time and money available to F1 drivers outside of competition, coupled to the social circles in which some may choose to mix, would certainly open doors and opportunities for a bit of indulgence, we imagine. Still, with the always increasing focus on physical fitness and performance perhaps the current crop of F1 drivers are just good honest lads happy to get high on adrenalin.

[Source: Sky News & grandprix.com | Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images | Thanks to Micky for the tip]