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Team members have trouble with full calendar: "Never been this close to quitting"

18 July 2020 at 14:22
  • GPblog.com

The beginning of the F1 season is not a big party for everyone. Because we drive a lot of Grands Prix in a short period of time, the mechanics of the teams have little time to recover from a Grand Prix. The Sun researched the different team members and how they experience this period and it is clear that the mechanics are mentally very heavy.

"I've never been this close to quitting. It feels like I'm part of an experiment. I'm really done with it. I miss my family as I see drivers and management going home every week. I have to play by the rules and stay in my bubble. It seems that status and money provides immunity," an anonymous source tells The Sun.

Respect for mechanics

The team members must adhere to strict security measures in order to limit the possible spread of the coronavirus as much as possible. In Hungary, two positive cases have been tested, requiring teams to adhere even more closely to the measures. Team members from the UK even risk imprisonment if they are seen outside their hotel.

Lando Norris let me know that he was sympathetic to his mechanics. "For my part, everything's fine. I'm happy to race again. But in the end it's also nice to have some rest. I've been away from home for three weeks now, but it's much harder for the mechanics and engineers than it is for the drivers, if you look at the number of hours on the track. Those guys really deserve a little more respect for the work they do", Norris concludes.