"The mechanics don't have anybody, physios, cuddling them before they go to bed": Mercedes boss on drivers' complaints about jet lag in Las Vegas

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes drivers were better off compared to other team personnel regarding jet-lag coming into the Las Vegas GP. Speaking ahead of the event in the team principals' conference, the Austrian felt drivers are far more privileged compared to the rest of the personnel in the sport.

The night race at the desert street circuit has sparked criticism from drivers about the jet lag and numerous PR and marketing activity schedules surrounding the event.

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull's champion Max Verstappen were the only ones who felt jet lag was not an issue. Many others, though, felt likewise. Responding to the complaints, many of the principals felt that the other personnel were worse off.

Asked if the drivers could be compromised at the race weekend due to the PR activities and jet lag, the Mercedes boss responded:

“We are suffering on a high level here, OK. I think if you talk about jet lag and stress, you speak about 80 percent of the team people that fly economy class, that have Monday to Friday jobs in the factory, that work on the cars here overnight.

"We have 190 people here, most of them deployed on marketing. They've been, some of them, since four weeks in Las Vegas, preparing everything. So that's the contribution that everybody needs to give to the sport. And I'm sure that the majority of the drivers will see it that way.”

He added:

“The mechanics don't have anybody, physios, cuddling them before they go to bed and preparing their granola in the morning. So, I think there's many that really suffer more and drink an espresso too.”

The Mercedes boss felt that drivers had dedicated physiotherapists to prep them and help them cope with the rigorous routine.

Most of the drivers have not only been involved in the racing event but also the promotional activities and marketing duties in the run up to the race. With the Las Vegas event being on a bigger scale than most other GPs, the social events have fatigued some of the drivers.

Kevin Magnussen was one of the drivers who complained about being sleep deprived for 24 hours to get into the night routine for the desert race.

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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes FP1 incident with the drain cover in Las Vegas was normal

In an unusually heated press conference, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff was dismissive of the incident in FP1 where a drain hole cover coming off aborted the session. This happened after nine minutes of track running.

The new street venue has had its initial teething issue where the drain hole cover came off and damaged both Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon’s car. While the Ferrari driver will have to replace many of the components of his car, including an engine change, the Frenchman’s car was repaired in time for the second practice session.

The Austrian felt it was normal to have such issues at new venues and it was not the first such incident in the sport.

“This is a mega spectacle, it's going to set a new standard for the sport and that's important. And then we have track action and a drain cover that’s become undone. There was another. I remember Williams 2012. I think we had it in DTM with Bernd Maylander, which nearly exploded the car.

"It's not new and that can happen. It's a brand new circuit. I saw the picture and it’s a part of the concrete that has broken out. So, yeah, it's a shame for the people here but these things can happen.”

Asked if new street venues needed to be tested before racing cars on them, the Mercedes team principal added:

“Like I said before, unemotionally, drain covers, it's a problem that we've known before. It happens on new tracks. This one is a bit freakish because the concrete broke out and they're going to fix it and then from then on, I think it's going to be improved. And like Fred said, the marshals need to learn the track and we need to see where the cars stop, how quickly can you get a car off the track? And that will take a few years to really synchronise it well. But that's the normal teething problems.”

While the loose drain cover was a freak incident, FIA rechecked multiple drain covers throughout the circuit and used quick cement to seal them. The work delayed FP2 which was extended by 30 minutes to a total of 90 minutes of track time.

The Mercedes boss however dismissed the suggestion of testing new venues prior to racing on them and felt it was a one-off incident. Drain covers have also been a problem at the Baku street circuit and some others in the past.