Racing drivers do the math

Formula 1 stresses and strains: “Then we can get sick”

George Russell (center) and Esteban Ocon (right) have commented on the current stresses and strains of the Formula 1 circus.

(Bild: AFP/APA/Getty Images via AFP/GETTY IMAGES/CLIVE ROSE)

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon and his Mercedes rival George Russell have spoken about the current stresses and strains of traveling in Formula 1. The two racing drivers talk about the fatigue that prevails in the teams and the motto to hold out until the end of the year. "After that, we can get sick," summarizes Ocon.

An intense Formula 1 season is coming to an end - and yet the teams are facing another major challenge right now. This is because the stresses and strains of traveling are particularly great in the current phase. Within just a few days, the teams are moving from the intense night events in Las Vegas to the other side of the world in Qatar.

A time difference of eleven hours! And then the next race weekend is on the agenda. A challenge that leaves its mark on the whole team, as Ocon explains: "I traveled with the team from Vegas to here and tried to guide some of the guys by waking them up at the right times. They listened to my advice, but I didn't have the strength to wake them up when it was time - simply because everyone was so tired. It would have been the right thing to do, but some of them had been asleep for 15 hours." 

The motto is to persevere
Alpine is not alone in this, however. Mercedes driver Russell is also struggling with the strain: "I try to switch off all the lights and trick my brain into thinking it's bedtime." In the morning, however, the Brit tries to get as much light as possible. "That works pretty well for me. But I still struggle with tiredness," explains the 26-year-old.

These exertions can also have an impact on performance, both drivers admit. "It was super tough for everyone, probably the longest thing we do all year. And the fact that it's also at the end of a long year makes it that bit harder," says Ocon, who concludes the current motto in the paddock: "I just hope that not too many people get sick in the paddock, that's the main thing. We have to stay healthy until the end of the year - after that we can get sick."