Where Champions Are Made: Poker Rooms, Labs, and the Grid

_{Lando Norris (third from right) at Swansea University A-STEM laboratories.  Team members pictured are (R-L): Dr. Mark Waldron (Associate Professor, Swansea University), Jon Malvern (Director, PAP), Joe Page (Research Associate, PACE-MAP), Christian Vassallo (PACE-MAP Lead), Mylène Vonderscher (Research Collaborator, Université Savoie Mont Blanc), Bec Dietzig (Senior Lab Technician, Swansea University).}

Pressure defines both the casino floor and the Formula 1 grid. In poker, professionals endure 10-hour stretches of cognitive strain, battling variance, fatigue and mental fatigue. In F1, drivers navigate 200 mph corners, heat stress and high G-forces while making rapid decisions.

These parallels help explain why Lando Norris, 2025 Formula 1 World Champion, didn’t just rely on raw talent or race strategy to secure the title. Instead, he built his edge inside a sports science lab on the Welsh coast, months before the season even began.

The Poker Table Isn’t Just Mental, It’s Physical

Like F1 drivers, elite poker players such as Daniel Negreanu, Phil Ivey and Bryn Kenney must suppress emotion while executing data-driven plays. But what many miss is the physical toll.

_{Lando Norris. (Image: Lando Norris/Facebook)}

Hours spent seated leads to disrupted sleep, back pain, joint stiffness, and long-term health risks. Downswings affect mental clarity. Sustained focus becomes harder.

In the same way, Formula 1 drivers manage relentless physical and mental stress over a race distance. A single mistake can lose a pot in poker, or a championship in racing.

That’s why Norris turned to Swansea University’s A-STEM research team to build the resilience needed to thrive in motorsport’s most demanding arena.

Inside Norris’ ‘Worst Day of the Year’ Training Lab

Earlier this year, Norris completed a full-day physiological evaluation at Swansea University, overseen by researchers from the PACE-MAP program and long-time performance partner Pioneered Athlete Performance (PAP).

“We’re here at Swansea, probably fully the worst day of the year because it’s assessment day,” Norris said.

“An assessment day is a gruesome day of training… to see my strengths and weaknesses, to see how my body is performing through the year.”

“I’m really not looking forward to today. But Jon makes me do it. I have to do it and I should do it.”

That day included:
•    Body composition scans and oxygen-assisted relaxation
•    Jump height tests and leg-power metrics
•    A maximal sprint and grip-strength analysis
•    A full neck-strength profile to mimic 5G cornering
•    VO₂ max testing and heat-stress cycling
•    A neck-endurance test under simulated race conditions

“It takes a lot of physical mental resilience to do four maximal tests across today,” one researcher explained. “We are looking at Lando’s response to heat stress, a challenge facing racing.”

By the end, Norris was drained.

 “This is my day done. I’m dead, but for good reasons,” he said. “I don’t feel great and pretty dead… but it’s been an amazing day.”

Poker-Faced Science: Why Swansea Was Norris’ Ace

_{The many faces of Lando Norris. (Image: Lando Norris/Facebook)}

For Jon Malvern, founder of PAP and Norris’ coach since age 13, Swansea’s value wasn’t just its cutting-edge tech.

“Today showcases exactly why PAP chose to work with Swansea University A-STEM research centre and consolidate our partnership via the PACE-MAP research group,” he said. 

“What draws me to invest in Swansea University and PACE-MAP is the unique combination of world-class researchers and practitioners who offer unparalleled value and insight.”

The collaboration has helped fine-tune race preparation strategies, from hydration management to the effects of cockpit temperatures topping 50°C.

“Having a deep-thinking multidisciplinary research team away from the racetrack allows me and all PAP practitioners to make better informed decisions on driver performance preparation in the field,” Malvern added.

PACE-MAP project lead Christian Vassallo said:

“Lando demonstrated the ability to tolerate extreme discomfort with outstanding physical and mental fortitude, commensurate with a ‘champion mentality’,” he said. “He left us in awe of his efforts.”

It is a similar kind of grit to what poker players show in the deepest tournament downswings.

Poker and F1: Different Games, Same Mental Map

_{Lando Norris being mobbed in Las Vegas. (Image: Lando Norris/Facebook)}

F1 and poker aren’t just high-stakes; they’re high-discipline. Both demand:
•    Structured routines to manage fatigue
•    Resilience through mistakes, pressure and stress
•    Emotional control when things go wrong
•    Analytical prep to fuel performance

Norris’ 2025 World Championship win for McLaren-Mercedes came by just two points, a margin familiar to any poker player who has lost a hand to a two-outer on the river.

Whether at the poker table or behind the wheel on the Las Vegas circuit, one truth holds: you don’t win by chasing luck. You win by mastering control when the pressure’s at its peak.