The Jet Lag Is Hitting F1 Drivers Hard – And It’s Showing In Vegas

Posted on November 16, 2023 | by Charley Williams It’s fair to say that it’s been a hectic few weeks in the Formula 1 world. Hey, even we are tired, and the only travel we partake in is from our bed to the sofa. Off the back of a triple header, we’re now in Vegas for the penultimate round of the 2023 season ???? Jet lag isn’t uncommon for drivers, they often travel to places with a massive time zone shift. But the difference with Vegas is that although it’s eight-nine hours back from your standard European time zones, the late scheduling of the grand prix has made it a little bit more tricky to navigate. It shares similarities with how teams tackle Singapore. When they travel out there, they stay on European time and can give in to the jet lag because of the late timing of the grand prix. But they can’t do that in Vegas, so drivers are trying to shift their body clocks to going to sleep around 3-4am, sleeping throughout the day to get to the track around 5pm and working through into the early morning. George Russell told media, including The Race, that the disruptions to his sleep have been having physical effects on his body: “My heart rate during a night sleep is on average about 25% higher than it would be when I’m in a consistent location. “So whenever I’m in…I spent two weeks in one location this summer, which is the longest I’ve spent in three years in one place. My heart rate was lowest it’s ever been. “Then, as soon as you travel, it increases. Definitely sleeping less, recovering less, which is all natural when you’re jumping all around.” Kevin Magnussen also said that he feels “like I’ve been jetlagged for a month and a half” and is struggling to get to sleep. By the time he finished media day, he would have been awake for 24 hours. The drivers in the press conference had similar complaints, too.  Sergio Perez said: “I’m finding it a bit crazy to stay awake so long at night. It’s quite a challenge, actually, to stay awake for so long.” Carlos Sainz has found ways of dealing with the long and tiresome days, “Once comes Friday, Saturday, Sunday, caffeine shots, espressos or adrenaline that is needed to drive an F1 car normally removes the jet lag.” Even Oscar Piastri said that “driving an F1 car at 350kph between walls usually keeps you awake pretty well.” ???? In terms of the scheduling, Max Verstappen said, “It doesn’t really make a lot of sense”, as after Vegas, they’ll then fly to Abu Dhabi, where it’s already 12 hours difference. “I don’t really get that,” he continued, “This is very tiring. Also the end of the season that, we have to do this.” All this talk about sleep is making us tired! ???? Should the schedule be adapted for next year?