Who Is Antti Kontsas – Sebastian Vettel’s Trainer?

It is no secret that every athlete needs to maintain a healthy and fit structure to perform well in the sport. In order to do so, they go through a tough and balanced routine, the same stands true for Formula One drivers.

Formula One drivers require extreme physical stability to dominate the hierarchical chart of the racers. Moreover, in order to keep a proper steady form, every racer needs professional guidance.

Sebastian Vettel is a household name in the world of F1. He vaunts 4 World Championships and several other accomplishments. He holds 53 victories, 57 pole positions, and 120 podium finishes under his belt.

The German racer has been mentored by Antti Kontsas since 2014, who helped him build a better form and structure. The trainer helped him grow and perform better.

Antti Kontsas is a Finnish professional coach. He has claimed to have trained Sebastien Buemi from 2010 and spent 2 more years until 2014 training Jean-Eric Vergne, following which he started training the German phenom.

Kontsas primarily spent his early years trying to flourish as a professional football player. He had a knack for playing football and represented his nation in the junior national teams.

He featured on the Finnish Men’s Top league for the TPS club. However, he had to replace his passion for football as a career option with coaching after facing tremendous hardships and rejection.

After facing steep mountains while realizing his dream football career, he channeled his interest in educating himself in the sports arena. Kontsas completed his B. Sc and M. Sc in Sports Science and Sport Management. He further enhanced his resume with another M. Sc in Strength and Conditioning.

He had his big break in the training arena in F1 through Dr. Aki Hintsa in 2011. He trained the racers under him, helping them grow and flourish better in their respective performances. Moreover, he helped them get familiar with their reach of potential.

Antti Kontsas, while looking into the matter of physical conditioning, helped in mental stimulation as well. He helped Vettel recognize his existing forms of expertise.

Furthermore, Kontsas has played a role in Vettel’s indoor and outdoor life. He has a set of exercises and warm-ups scheduled for the racer when in the grid.  The German performs a distinct set of exercises when at home, as planned by his coach.

He helps Vettel in retaining the psychological, physical, mental health in a polished state.

Kontsas claims to be “a performance coach with a particular interest in creating and managing high performance systems for highly motivated individuals”

Ever since joining Hintsa, the Finn has trained or managed three athletes across differing fields. However, Sebastian Vettel is undoubtedly his most high profile client. Kontsas is often seen with the 4 times World Champion in the paddock and more commonly, the Ferrari garage.

The Finn stands by the German driver’s car whenever he’s waiting to head for a session during a Grand Prix weekend. In many ways, Kontsas is to Vettel, what Angela Cullen is to Lewis Hamilton.

“I believe my greatest strength is my passion for learning. We are all a work-in-progress and it’s up to us how much of our potential we end up using” said Konstas.

The Finn also talked about Vettel’s influence and how it changes one’s appraoch to high performance athletes

“Coaching a multiple world champion has highlighted what it really means to turn every stone to get performance gains”

Apart from his love for football, Kontsas has a deep interest in mountain biking and skiing. He mentioned how in his spare time he goes mountain biking and skiing with his better half in the Swiss and Austrian Alps.

Antti Kontsas has helped Sebastian Vettel grow more confidant with his performance and improve the quality of the lifestyle to live a healthier and more efficient life indoors and in the F1 circuit.

Hopefully, Konstas can help Vettel rediscover his mojo when the German swaps red for green in 2021.

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