Numerous drivers have expressed fatigue concerns during the first Las Vegas Grand Prix since 1982. Despite Lewis Hamilton stating he hadn’t experienced “a problem” with jet lag leading up to the event, a video surfaced of him seemingly dozing off during the drivers’ briefing before Free Practice 3 on Friday, captured by Sergio Perez.
The demanding schedule of the Las Vegas Grand Prix weekend has pushed both teams and drivers to their physical and mental limits, exacerbated by the time difference in Sin City. Adding to the challenges, the opening day activities concluded as late as 4 am local time on Friday morning.
Complications continued with Free Practice 1 being canceled after just eight minutes on Thursday evening, followed by an extended Free Practice 2 session delayed by 150 minutes. FP2 eventually commenced at 2:30 am local time, leaving much of the paddock with limited time for rest, some heading to bed only after the sun had fully risen over Sin City.
The cumulative effect was evident on Friday evening ahead of Free Practice 3 and qualifying, with drivers displaying signs of exhaustion. Perez humorously captured Hamilton’s brief nap, sharing the clip on Instagram, highlighting the physical and mental toll that the unique circumstances of the Las Vegas Grand Prix have imposed on the Formula 1 community.
“Someone has some jet lag,” Perez comically captioned an Instagram story of Hamilton seemingly asleep, along with a laughing emoji.
Hamilton saw the funny side of Perez’s story, and reposted it with the caption: “Beauty sleep.”
Mercedes then joined in with the joke and commented: “Just resting my eyes”.
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Perez’s Instagram post takes on an added layer of humor considering Hamilton’s earlier assertion that he was feeling “great” ahead of the Grand Prix. This statement from Hamilton contrasts with the complaints from other drivers who expressed feelings of jet lag during the demanding Las Vegas weekend. The playful social media post by Perez, capturing Hamilton seemingly dozing off, adds a touch of irony to the situation, highlighting the contrast between Hamilton’s optimism and the evident fatigue experienced by some of his fellow drivers.
“I personally haven’t found it [jet lag] a problem. Still manage to keep training and I feel great,” Hamilton said ahead of the weekend, as reported by The Express.
“I saw some of the drivers complaining about jet lag… but I’ve not found it a problem since I’ve been here. It is demanding but we know that entering the sport. If it was easy, we wouldn’t do it.”
Regrettably for Hamilton, his Friday evening concluded prematurely, as did Perez’s.
Both drivers faced elimination in Q2, securing only P11 and P12, respectively. However, a twist in the grid order emerged due to a 10-place penalty for Carlos Sainz. Consequently, Hamilton will commence Saturday evening’s race in 10th place, with Perez just behind in 11th on the starting
