Exclusive interview with Max' personal trainer Jake Aliker

Published on 08 February 2015 by Stefan Meens

In order to be fully prepared for his début season in Formula 1, Max Verstappen has joined forces with Jake Aliker, who operates as the Dutchman's personal trainer.

The Verstappen Info Page interviewed the 29-year-old Britt, who is in charge of Max' physical performance, in an Verstappen.nl exclusive.

VIP: "Jake, you spent the last four years in professional rugby, how did you end up in F1?"
JA: "Well, about a year ago, I applied for a job to work with Red Bull Junior drivers. So I had some chats with them over the summer and they said if anything came up, I'd be suited for that role. A couple of months later I got an email saying 'something big was coming up, are you interested?'. Naturally I said yes. They then asked if I heard about Max, which I hadn’t. So I started to research him and found out about his early career and Jos and I realized quickly what an amazing opportunity this role was."

VIP: "Did you have an interest in Formula 1?"
JA: "I'm not going to pretend I was always a fan. Like any other person with an interest in sport in general, I would occasionally tune in for the first twenty minutes of the race and the last ten or so. However, since august, the Formula 1 channel is on every Grand Prix weekend from Thursday to Sunday. I’m reading up about F1 as well and I really start to realize the magnitude of the sport, both on and off the track. Being at Jerez helped a lot as well. I'm learning so much about the sport and feeling more comfortable in these surroundings and I’m really enjoying it."

VIP: "From rugby to Formula 1 seems like a big change."
JA: "I guess it is different in terms of the amount of people I'm working with. Before, I mainly worked or was in charge of a fairly big group, whereas now I'm working one-on-one with Max. But I'm used to working with young athletes, the majority I've worked with are between 17 and 24 years old. I guess I'm still part of a bigger team, Max has a big network of people involved with him. Nevertheless, I'm able to focus all my attention, knowledge and skills on to him, instead of a large group. But don't worry, my 'to-do' list list is ever expanding."

VIP: "In what physical state was Max when you started working with him?"
JA: "Before we met, he did a bit of training, a lot of endurance stuff, but there wasn’t really any overall structured physical training. And that's what I’m focussing on; over the next few years he needs to get used to organised training. Initially it will be an all-round general routine which develops more and more into specialised training. Apart from that, I'll focus on lifestyle and nutrition."

VIP: "You mention food, who decides what Max eats and is he on a specialized diet?"
JA: "He will be. We've got people monitoring his sleep and nutrition and they are preparing a strategy for him. In the mean time, I oversee his nutrition. I'll keep an eye on his weight, make sure he is not too heavy, especially as he is building up muscle and strength ahead of the new season."

VIP: "In terms of exercises, what are you focussing on now?"
JA: "In general, I would use the term strength training quite loosely as we are focusing on his coordination and his body awareness. So he will do big gym exercises such as squat and lunge patterns to work on his balance and control. We'll also do high frequency/repetition core exercises strengthening his core and back. All this stuff we mix with cardiovascular training, like intervals. Hopefully, if the Belgian weather helps out, we can do more stuff outside instead of on the treadmill."

VIP: "As the season progresses, how does Max' training change?"
JA: "Classically, you would divide a season in a 'preparation' period followed by a 'competitive' period. Traditionally speaking, in the preparation period you build up strength etc. During the competitive part, you try to maintain what you've build up."

"However, I believe, and this philosophy is becoming increasingly more popular, that people can do more than they think. Due to F1's schedule being fairly erratic it is harder to maintain a long term schedule. It means training tends to be a lot more reactive and it's all about finding time to get in some training in between Grands Prix, tests, summer break etc. But in general, the volume of training will come down during the season. That doesn’t mean we don’t train hard. We train really really hard and so far Max is doing a great job."

VIP: "Is Max a disciplined athlete when it comes to training?"
JA: "Max is very open to my approach and he is keen to learn. He realizes that being in great physical shape is an asset for his career. So far, he has really got stuck in with the exercises and he picks things up really quickly. It's like you would expect from an F1 driver: you give him info, he processes it very quickly and straight away applies those new skills."

VIP: "Ever since you took on the job of training Max, you are living only a few blocks away from him. How does that impact the relationship between the two of you?"
JA: "It's going really well and we pretty much talk every day. In the beginning, we were still getting used to each other but, like any relationship, you become more comfortable around each other. I also like to get involved in the exercises Max is doing. Last week I joined Max for my first circuit run. It was pretty tough as I'm not really a long distance runner", smiles Jake. "But these things tend to help the bonding process."

"Also, I like to be a different voice in his life. So whenever he's done talking to engineers, Jos and others about racing, I - as a novice in terms of motor sport - can chat about stuff not related to racing and training; to be effectively a release for him. And so far, it has worked well and I'm looking forward to the season."