{"id":897074,"date":"2026-09-18T23:18:10","date_gmt":"2026-09-18T23:18:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/897074\/"},"modified":"2026-09-18T23:18:10","modified_gmt":"2026-09-18T23:18:10","slug":"bringing-emergency-medicine-expertise-to-formula-1-racers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/897074\/","title":{"rendered":"Bringing emergency medicine expertise to Formula 1 racers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neil Ray, MD<\/a>, was watching the Netflix documentary series \u201cDrive to Survive,\u201d a behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1 racing, when inspiration struck: could Formula 1 use an emergency physician with a background in engineering and physics, like him?<\/p>\n

Dr. Ray started emailing racetracks across the country, eventually connecting with an organization called Formula Medicine, which provides medical support for Formula 1 teams around the world.<\/p>\n

Now, Dr. Ray, who works in the Emergency Department at UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center and UCLA West Valley Medical Center, is the onsite physician at U.S. Formula 1 races. In October, he\u2019ll be at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, followed by the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November and the Miami Grand Prix in May.<\/p>\n

\u201cNever in my life had I thought I would be in the most exclusive area of the racetrack taking care of people,\u201d Dr. Ray says. \u201cIt\u2019s a world I never would have interacted with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caring for racers<\/p>\n

Formula 1 cars regularly go more than 200 mph on the track, with top speeds surpassing 220 mph. That kind of velocity alone takes a toll on the body, but it\u2019s not the only factor at play. The race car\u2019s cockpit is like a sauna, with temperatures topping 120 degrees, and drivers\u2019 heartrates are elevated to sprinters\u2019 levels throughout the 90-minute, 190-mile race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIn motorsports, it\u2019s extreme physiology,\u201d Dr. Ray says.<\/p>\n

Race car drivers train throughout the year \u2014 endurance and strength training, plus targeted resistance work to keep their neck and core stable against the intense gravitational pull caused by high speeds. They also wear special \u201ccooling vests\u201d during races with water running through them to lower body temperature.<\/p>\n

\u201cHeat stroke can be a big thing,\u201d Dr. Ray says, adding that on-track medical bays are equipped with \u201cdunk tanks\u201d where drivers can be immersed in a cold plunge to bring body temperature down quickly.<\/p>\n

Drivers typically travel with their trainers and physical therapists, Dr. Ray says. He\u2019s on hand to help with general medical issues: jet lag, viral illnesses, gastrointestinal upset. He also makes house calls to drivers\u2019 hotel rooms when needed.<\/p>\n

For catastrophic crashes and other emergencies during a race, there\u2019s a track physician who responds in the \u201cworld\u2019s fastest ambulance\u201d: an Aston Martin driven by a professional driver that can reach any part of the course in eight seconds, Dr. Ray says.<\/p>\n

Emergency medicine vs. race medicine<\/p>\n

Dr. Ray also cares for others on the race crew, including mechanics, tire fitters and F1 staff. Unlike at UCLA Health, where Dr. Ray diagnoses and stabilizes patients with acute problems, \u201cwhen it comes to F1, the theme is like \u2018the show must go on,\u2019\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He recalls an instance where a tire fitter, who puts new tires on the car during a pit stop, was having vision issues. Not being able to work quickly when the car comes in could cost precious seconds during the race.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t an emergency situation but if he was unable to do his job, that would be pretty hard for the rest of the team,\u201d Dr. Ray says. \u201cA lot of it is being proactive and anticipating where this (condition) is going to go and trying to be active and prevent that from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another difference from typical emergency medicine is the opportunity to see patients multiple times, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the ER, we see a patient once and try our best to help them in that moment of time,\u201d he says. \u201cBut here, we can see them over the course of a week; we can see them multiple times to make sure they\u2019re getting better \u2026 it\u2019s a different mindset to approach medicine with.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dr. Ray has long been interested in applying his medical expertise beyond the emergency department. He established a company, Sorayn Medical, to provide concierge medical services outside the hospital. In 2024, he took care of the 110-member Philadelphia Orchestra during a two-week tour through China. As part of UCLA Health, he also provided onsite care at the 2026 Los Angeles Marathon.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the closest I\u2019ll be to being a musician, or a race car driver, or a marathon runner,\u201d says Dr. Ray. \u201cBut I love being able to meet these people, learn about their life experiences and have the privilege of taking care of them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Neil Ray, MD, was watching the Netflix documentary series \u201cDrive to Survive,\u201d a behind-the-scenes look at Formula 1…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":897075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-897074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=897074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/897074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/897075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=897074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=897074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=897074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}