F1: Williams Teams Up With US Olympic Legend Johnson

Formula 1

F1: Williams Teams Up With US Olympic Legend Johnson

Williams is joining forces with Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson to improve the team's training regimen...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted January 11, 2012 Balen (BEL)

United States Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson opened the Michael Johnson Performance Center in 2007. (Photo: Getty Images)

Williams has announced an interesting new partnership with the fitness organization run by former United States Olympic hero Michael Johnson.

Johnson, who won the 200m and 400m golds in Atlanta in 1996, opened the Michael Johnson Performance Center in 2007. Williams says that the intention is for MJP to “provide an intensive training program for the team’s pit crew personnel as well as conducting an evaluation of the team’s training regimen.”

Johnson, latterly a TV commentator, has been an occasional spectator at Grands Prix in the past.

Williams founder Frank Williams said: “I had the privilege of first meeting Michael at the Belgian Grand Prix in the late 1990s. I have always admired the dedication required to be an Olympic champion. The attention to detail and the commitment required is what sets these extraordinary individuals apart from the rest of us.

“When Michael and I met again recently, he explained how he had established a company that specialized in improving athletic performance. I was extremely keen to learn how he could help our team as there seemed to be a lot of areas of common interest. Michael’s sporting achievements speak for themselves, and the principles he used to become the fastest man in the world are certainly transferable into our own hugely competitive field.”

Johnson added: “I am confident that the experience and biomechanics expertise of the MJP staff that has benefitted numerous American football athletes, Premier League football teams, and Olympic federations, can also benefit the Williams F1 Team pit crew in their goal to cut hundredths and even tenths of a second from their pit stop times.”

Adam Cooper notched up his 26th season as a racing journalist in 2010. He has written about F1 for SPEED.com since 2005. Follow him on Twitter.