In 1950, when the Formula 1 world championship began, there were seven races. Six in Europe and one in the US, in Indianapolis. Since then, things have changed, at the request of F1’s new owner Liberty Media: the calendar has 24 rounds, of the current season 23 have been sold out. Almost every week, thousands of people involved in the Grand Circus rely on sleeping pills to keep them going healthy, reveals the Daily Mail.
Formula 1 drivers at the start of the race in Las Vegas. Profimedia photo
The drivers and team staff have found the formula to stay “awake” in a brutal 24-race season that crosses a lot of time zones.
Between last week’s Las Vegas Grand Prix and this weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix, Formula 1 drivers have just one week to make the switch. This in the conditions in which they must remain 100% focused, considering that they practice the most dangerous sport. And they do it by using impressive amounts of synthetic melatonin.
Melatonin is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body. At night, melatonin levels rise before falling during the day, controlling sleep patterns.
Drivers, engineers, mechanics and journalists involved in the Grand Circus are among those who take a synthetic form of melatonin to help combat jet lag and fatigue after running around the globe.
Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris have referenced using these pills while in Las Vegas. Mercedes has been prescribing melatonin to all of its team members since 2018 as part of their meticulous sleep preparations. Instead, Ferrari “does not provide it automatically”, according to a spokesman, but leaves it to its drivers and staff to decide for themselves.
The drug – which is perfectly legal – has come increasingly to the fore in F1 over the past two years. There was a lot of talk about him in Las Vegas, where the race schedule is special. Pacific Standard Time is eight hours behind GMT, but the race takes place at night, starting at 10pm local time. And a week later, in Qatar, the race takes place in another time zone, three hours ahead of GMT.
If it doesn’t work, more should be taken
“That’s quite a load,” Lando Norris told the Daily Mail. “In Las Vegas you have to try to sleep when it’s light in the morning and try to stay awake when it’s dark. It is a big challenge. There are better things than melatonin, but those aren’t legal. Time is the best way to adjust, but you don’t always have that luxury. If it’s a four-hour shift or more, I take melatonin,” the pilot revealed.
Even though it is not addictive, melatonin has side effects: daytime sleepiness, headache, stomach pain, dizziness, dry mouth, dry skin and irritability. “It gives me such a bad hangover that I feel like I’m walking in a fog the next day,” a team manager told the British press. Another pointed out: “I couldn’t do without this medicine. I take it regularly. If it doesn’t work, you have to take more.”
