Formula 1 has always been relentless. But the 2023 season’s ultra-grueling schedule has taken a significant toll on teams and drivers alike, culminating in a wave of illness that swept through the paddock at the Abu Dhabi finale. This year’s calendar, with its 22 races including five in the last six weekends and drastic timezone shifts, such as the one between Las Vegas and the Middle East, has pushed everyone to their limits.
Red Bull team boss Christian Horner humorously remarked at Abu Dhabi, “I sincerely hope that subscriptions to Lemsip are not within the budget cap. It’s been a pretty brutal regime.”
Valtteri Bottas, the Finnish driver, admitted to a touch of flu that was obvious in his voice, an inevitable result of the season’s intensity. Esteban Ocon, bedridden for much of the weekend, noted the increased strain, stating, “Usually you get sick when you come back from here. But we did one or two more races than last year, and the body is not physically designed for that.”
George Russell, a representative of F1’s driver union the GPDA, faced his own challenges. Racing to the podium on Sunday, he confessed, “I was coughing every single lap. But when you’re strapped into the car, you can’t breathe. You can’t take a deep breath in to get the cough out. It was pretty miserable.”
Russell’s observations extend beyond his personal experience. “It’s everybody, up and down the paddock,” he said. “I’ve got so many mechanics who are ill, people in the engineers’ office, just really struggling with the constant time zone shifts. The body doesn’t know where you are, eating at different times, staying in different hotels, different environments, different climates. The body’s getting confused.”
The challenges of this season have sparked discussions about managing personnel workload, with Russell hinting at potential regulations for next year to prevent personnel from attending every race. This comes as the calendar for next year expands to an unprecedented 24 grands prix, continuing many of the same challenging timezone leaps.
Both teams and drivers are united in their call for changes to protect the wellbeing of the sport’s 4000-strong travelling contingent. Aston Martin team boss Mike Krack echoed this sentiment, affirming the widespread discussion about adjustments: “The way it has been discussed already up and down the pitlane, I think there will be some adjustments for the future.”
