Button takes on the Brownlees in triathlon tests

Using GSK HPL cutting-edge science, Jenson and the Brownlees went head to head in a series of swimming, cycling and cognition tests under strict laboratory conditions.

The group also underwent skin and core temperature tests to assess how their bodies perform in the heat and humidity Jenson is likely to experience in the Singapore GP (35˚C and 70% relative humidity). The tests will help Jenson understand where he can improve in triathlon, and help the Brownlees acclimatise to the heat and humidity they are likely to experience in Rio 2016.

The data gathered from the tests will give the GSK HPL science team insights into how elite athletes cope with high heat and humidity, contributing to research across GSK. As the world leader in performance science and the only organisation to support all three athletes, the GSK HPL science team are ideally placed to find out how these elite athletes bodies and brains perform against each other.

The series of tests were developed as part of the GSK HPL partnerships with both McLaren and the British Triathlon Federation. Firstly, all three athletes undertook a series of cognitive performance tests in the GSK HPL Cognition Lab. Then Jenson went up against Alistair in a swimming test in the Hydro Lab before taking on Jonathan in cycling tests at the Enviro Chamber.

Cognition - Jenson has one of the quickest and most accurate reaction times ever recorded in the GSK HPL. Across eight tasks Jenson had an average reaction time of 613 milliseconds, over 100 milliseconds faster than the average for the Brownlee brothers.

Swimming efficiency – Jenson had an efficient swimming technique, but Alistair was a clear winner in this test. Swimming at the same speed as Jenson, Alistair was able to use less strokes and travel further with each stroke. Like most amateur triathletes, improving his swimming technique will significantly improve Jenson’s triathlon times. 

Cycling efficiency in heat and humidity – even though Jenson was working harder than Jonathan to sustain lower speeds, surprisingly his core temperature was actually lower than Jonathan’s. This could be attributed to the fact that he is very used to and efficient at managing his body heat at this level when racing a McLaren Mercedes F1 car.

McLaren Mercedes driver Jenson Button said: “I really enjoy training, and competing in triathlons is a great way to stay fit and focused with a competitive edge. I love the challenge, but Alistair and Jonny are on a different level. Going head-to-head against two of Britain’s greatest Olympians has been an amazing experience. You have to be very fit to cope with the physical demands of F1, but these guys were incredible in the pool and on the bike when we took the tests.”

London 2012 triathlon bronze medal winner Jonathan Brownlee said: “Jenson is a really good triathlete, he was particularly good in the heat and humidity in the enviro chamber. When we started the tests on the bikes he seemed to cope far better than I did in the heat.”London 2012 triathlon gold medal winner Alistair Brownlee added: “We couldn’t get close to Jenson when it came to the cognitive tests. He was far quicker than us and made no errors.”

Dr. Ken van Someren, Head of R&D at the Lab, said: “Today was about showing the interesting physiological and cognitive differences between a group of world class athletes from very different sports.

“Both McLaren and the Brownlees are GSK HPL research Partners. We support McLaren with nutrition strategies, and wide ranging physiological and cognitive assessments to help improve race team and driver performance.

“We are delivering in-depth research for the Brownlees and British Triathlon Federation that focuses on acclimatisation to support their preparations for Rio 2016.”