In fact, Bejan and his colleagues found that interactions between the hand and the water when the fingers are slightly spread increase the total force a swimmer can exert, translating to faster times in the pool.

MSN: Fastest swimmers make webbed hands out of water

The fastest human sprinters already exert a force of about four times their weight.

FORBES: What's The Human Speed Limit?

But when Newcastle needed to find inspiration in the second half, all that was on offer was an almost passive acceptance of their decline as they failed to exert any serious pressure on Villa - at times seeming barely aware of the fate that awaited them if they lost.

BBC: Aston Villa 1-0 Newcastle

The German has been steadily eating away at Fernando Alonso's lead and the aura that the seven-times F1 champ has got helps him exert huge pressure on the Renault driver.

BBC: Rossi is still the fastest, most talented rider out there