‘I always pinch myself’: Behind the ‘rollercoaster’ life of F1 performance coach Michael Italiano
There are always only 20 Formula 1 drivers on the track, but there are countless people behind the worldwide racing spectacle.
Michael Italiano holds the vital position of a performance coach, tasked with getting riders in the best possible physical and mental condition to be successful.
After spending five years coaching fellow Australian and close friend Daniel Ricciardo, Italiano will be teaming up with a new rider this year – AlphaTauri’s Yuki Tsunoda.
With the start of the 2023 F1 season less than a month away, the hard work is already in full swing.
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The leap into the fitness industry
While health and fitness were an interest from a young age, Italiano went straight out of high school into engineering.
It was only after several years of office work that he decided to pursue a career in fitness.
“To be honest, fitness was just a passion of mine. And I’ve always had this amazing thought of making a passion my career,” Italiano said The sports news.
“I know that’s not always the case for a lot of people. Sometimes you can’t make a career out of your passion and something you can live off of.
“So that was the point where I decided, ‘Okay, wait a minute, would I be happy if I worked in an office for the next 10 to 20 years?’ And the answer was very clear – the answer was no.”
Italiano built his personal trainer client base from the ground up, often working before and after his job, totaling up to 14 hours a day.
His efforts ultimately paid off as he was able to work full-time in the industry before suddenly moving into the world of Formula 1.
“There were long days of just grafting and obviously trying to make a career out of it,” he added.
“And I’m very grateful that I did that because I never thought I would be where I am now.”
The career-changing call of 2017
Italiano’s transition from office worker to F1 coach didn’t happen overnight, but a call from Daniel Ricciardo certainly accelerated it.
During his fourth season at Red Bull, Ricciardo approached Italiano and asked if he would like to join him as coach from 2018.
Both originally from Perth, the two met through mutual friends when they were 12 years old.
Italiano’s initial response to the opportunity was one of enthusiasm and reflection.
“There was a sense of excitement but I didn’t want to get ahead of myself either,” he explained.
“It was obviously an idea in his head, which was fantastic. But I wanted to make sure it could work on both sides – I didn’t want to just be that person who’s just part of the entourage but doesn’t really make a difference.
“That was the whole point of why I switched to coaching. It’s so rewarding to help people change their lives and improve themselves…so I wanted to make sure sitting down with Daniel (later this year) could actually make a difference and help him do better at sport become.”
Traveling the world with a pal undoubtedly has its perks, but Italiano also had to strike the balance of being a friend while also being a serious coach.
Their relationship was particularly important and acted as one of the few constants in the eventful five years they spent together on the F1 circuit.
They spent a year at Red Bull before Ricciardo played two seasons at Renault followed by two years at McLaren.
“One of the first questions I asked him was when to put on my coaching hat and when to put on my friend hat,” said the Perth-born coach.
“I also had to ask him to make sure he respects me as a coach because I know he respects me as a friend. But there also has to be an element of respect for me as a coach.
“I guess I didn’t really know how it was going to go, but it actually went pretty seamlessly. He knew when my tone was serious and I was firm, and then he knew when I was a friend.”
A new F1 challenge awaits you
Following Ricciardo’s departure from McLaren at the end of last season and his recent move to Red Bull as third driver, Italiano has found himself in a new role for the upcoming season.
He is now AlphaTauri driver Yuki Tsunoda’s performance coach.
Tsunoda is entering his third season in Formula 1 after finishing 14th and 17th in the constructors’ standings in 2021 and 2022.
His experience, age and personality are all significantly different from Ricciardo, but Italiano is excited about the change.
“[Tsunoda and Ricciardo]are definitely different characters, but I think that’s part of being a coach,” he said.
“You have to be versatile and flexible with the athletes you have available.
“Yuki is a lot younger than Daniel – he’s 22. So he’s still figuring it out in F1.
“He comes from an environment where he’s not used to the European way of life, so he had to adapt to that too. He’s had a lot of adversity and dealt with it really well.
“I’m really, really excited to take on a younger rider now and almost nurture him in a way…giving him my experience as an older person who’s 10 years older than him.
“And I want to be a bit more of a mentor and help him get through life, find himself and make sure he improves in Formula 1.”
Italiano and Tsunoda have been spending a lot of time together ahead of the new season.
The pair recently had a two week training camp in Dubai where Italiano took his new rider through intense days focusing not only on strength and conditioning but also on building a relationship.
A typical day at Michael Italiano’s two-week Dubai F1 training camp with Yuki Tsunoda
- Awaken
- Breakfast
- outdoor walk
- mobility work
- Strength training in the gym
- contrast water therapy
- Lunch
- Relax / Pool
- Cardio/Neck/Conditioning Session
- sauna
- Shower
- Dinner
Working with a new driver and team also means new ambitions and goals.
Tsunoda’s contract with AlphaTauri expires at the end of this season, so there’s plenty of incentive for the young Japanese racer to perform.
However, the unique nature of F1 – and motorsport in general – means that the design, reliability and overall speed of the car have a significant impact on a driver’s ability to compete.
As Italiano explained, this makes goal setting anything but easy.
“It’s interesting because results are the easiest way to measure success,” he said.
“But unfortunately in Formula 1 when the car is not competitive it is very difficult to know what is a good result or a successful result. So I’d say it’s probably a bit early to tell.” [what our ambitions are for 2023].
“But I think the obvious metric makes sure he’s very competitive with his teammate. He has a very strong team-mate at Nyck de Vries this year who is very experienced.
“So the goal would be to be faster than Nyck, which will be very challenging, but we’re up for it.
“I think that’s the initial goal – to embed yourself as a good driver and beat your teammate to start with and then let’s go from there.”
Balancing life as part of the F1 traveling circus
The demands of being a full-time F1 performance coach sound like enough on one person’s plate, right?
Well, apparently not for Italiano.
In addition to his F1 work, the Australian has started his own business and helps clients build healthy lifestyles through personalized training plans.
Working remotely with a team, he specializes in strength training and high-intensity interval training.
His business commitments mean his days are packed as he has to deal with time zone issues due to regular international travel.
Italiano starts his days practicing what he preaches — prioritizing stretching and a workout most mornings before doing some admin and answering emails overnight.
He will then tend to his main athlete for most of the day, followed by a few hours of work in his own business in the evening.
Italiano admitted his schedule can be overwhelming at times but believes being involved outside of F1 helps him cope with the emotional side of life on track.
“I’m still trying to master that balance [of F1 and business commitments],” he explained.
“But my business is great because it gives me a bit of an outlet outside of F1… it’s nice to have something to do that takes your mind off that.
“It can be kind of a rollercoaster of emotions, especially when the results go up and down. You feel like you are competing (alongside) the driver, so you feel the losses and you feel the wins.”
Despite the chaotic and consuming nature of his life, Italiano regularly finds time to appreciate the surreal nature of his job.
This year he will celebrate his sixth season in Formula 1 and the thrill of competition still hasn’t aged.
“I always pinch myself. The moments I usually pinch myself are when I’m on the grid before the race and the lights are off,” he said.
“It’s always a great experience when all the cars start up and the crowd starts cheering.
“The adrenaline is pumping, you get goosebumps… it’s pretty awesome, I’m not going to lie.
“It’s something I definitely didn’t take for granted. There are moments throughout the year when your body needs a break and you can’t wait for the mid-season break and the end of the season.
“But you wouldn’t replace it with anything else.”