Red Bull driver Sergio Perez captured a video of Lewis Hamilton ‘sleeping’ during the drivers’ briefing ahead of FP3 and qualifying on Saturday at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
The paddock was already suffering from jet lag before the on-track action got underway in Las Vegas, but after a loose water valve cover disrupted Friday’s running, all 20 drivers were forced to climb back into their cars at 2:30am local time for a 90-minute, extended FP2 session.
The resulting fatigue has naturally carried over into Saturday’s running and it clearly got too much for Hamilton, who fell asleep during the drivers’ briefing ahead of FP3.
Hamilton’s shut-eye was captured by Checo, who duly posted the footage to his Instagram story with the caption: “Someone has some jet lag,” along with a laughing emoji.
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Hamilton reposted the video to his own story with the caption: “Beauty sleep,” while the Mercedes social media admin added: “Just resting my eyes”.
Checo’s caption was a callback to Hamilton’s comments from earlier in the weekend. While the other drivers complained about the impact of the jet lag, the seven-time world champion insisted he wasn’t feeling the effects.
Asked about the struggles ahead of the on-track action, Hamilton said: “I personally haven’t found it [jet lag] a problem. Still manage to keep training and I feel great.
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“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.”
Hamilton was very much in the minority on this front. Perez himself stated: “I’m finding it a bit crazy to stay awake so long at night. It’s quite a challenge, actually, to stay awake for so long.”
However, some drivers found a way to bat off the jet lag with Carlos Sainz explaining: “Once comes Friday, Saturday, Sunday, caffeine shots, espressos or adrenaline that is needed to drive an F1 car normally removes the jet lag.”
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