© Patrick Scheiber

How Esports Drivers Are Athletes In Their Own RightRed Bull Racing Esports trainer Lewis Paris dispels some myths.

LewisParishasbeentrainingtheRedBullRacingEsportsdriversforjustoverayearnow.However,whenhefirststartedworkingwiththeTeam,hekeptgettingaskedthesamequestion:“Aretheyreallyathletes?”

Yes, they are, is the answer. Historically however, Esports competitors weren’t seen as the athletic type, but things are changing. “It’s only now that people are understanding that fitness should be integral to anyone’s life, Esports or not,” Lewis explained.

Sebastian In The Latest Training Kit© Will Cornelius

Lewis offered up this explanation as to why the drivers need to train and build stamina. “When you’re walking up a hill for the first time, you can get tired and start to struggle. When you walk up that hill every day, your body starts to develop, it changes and starts to get stronger, it understands and adapts to what’s happening. This in turn gives you better mental clarity, you feel like you can do more, you feel like you can take challenges head on.”

When it comes to driving, they have to operate so many different things.Lewis Paris

The Esports drivers presented a unique challenge to Lewis as to how to train them. “When it comes to driving, they have to operate so many different things. It’s not like a boxer, or footballer, or a golfer. With those sports you can tailor very, very specific plans for each of those sports, whereas a driver has to be a master of all trades.”

So, although the drives don’t seem to move and are racing in a room, they’re still performing and are certainly athletes. On certain days, you could even say they’re endurance athletes.

Marcel's Got A Lot Of Love For hummel© Patrick Scheiber

“If the drivers didn’t look at themselves as athletes, there’d be no point. They would just drive, drive, drive and then eventually feel sluggish and not have the concentration levels needed – the training really helps that."

They can be driving between 10-12 hours a day, which takes a toll on your body.Lewis Paris

“They can be driving between 10-12 hours a day, which takes a toll on your body. The body has to have the training. The body won’t respond if it doesn’t get the same stimuli so it’s very important and underappreciated, but Red Bull are on the right track with how they incorporate stuff.” Lewis concluded.