Both Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen admit Formula 1’s rapid-fire 2020 calendar is proving a challenge.
Currently, the sport is in the midst of a frantic nine-race run in just 11 weeks to start the revised schedule, with three tripleheaders divided by a week’s break in between.
The last of those trios begins next weekend in Belgium before two stops in Italy at Monza and Mugello.
But after that, the pace will ease slightly with only a Portgual/Imola double-header in October before a final Middle East tripleheader is expected consisting of two Bahrain races and the Abu Dhabi finale in late November/December.
“It’s definitely a challenge but obviously, everyone’s in the same boat,” Hamilton was quoted by GPFans. “It definitely is, I would say probably the journey of a Formula 1 driver fighting for a championship can often feel like a lonely journey.
“That’s magnified this year. Obviously, having to limit the people who are in your bubble and of course moving around.”
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Indeed, in normal times, Hamilton would be filling the time between races with his non-F1 projects such as his collaboration with Tommy Hilfiger among other activities.
“What I used to do in the past was, the travelling was other things that I was finding positive, but getting to be around friends, to find the perfect balance this year, it’s much, much harder to implement those other things which keep a balance,” he explained.
“This year is kind of the lone – I don’t know how to put the words together, but everyone is doing it.
“It’s a real challenge, a real test mentally for me personally. I don’t know how it is for you guys. Maybe you’re seeing your families and stuff but I’m not.
“But as you can see, I’m focused and as driven as ever. It’s a marathon, not a sprint. I’ll keep my head down.
“I know that I’ll get to enjoy myself a little bit more at the end of the year where nothing is particularly at risk and can hopefully be with family then.”
As for Verstappen, perhaps the exuberance of youth means he is OK with the current schedule but admits it can’t become the norm.
“I think for the moment it’s fine,” said the Dutchman via RaceFans. “We had a long break before (the season began).
“I don’t see this happening, well, hopefully, next year, where you keep doing triple-headers. I think that’s a bit too much.
“If you can make sure that… two weekends in a row, I think that’s okay. Having a week’s break in between is fine.
“But of course we have to accept that at the moment, we need to get the races in. So we just try to do the best we can. I think we have three triple-headers in a row. That’s pretty much, I think, the limit.”
The bigger challenge though is for the engineers and mechanics who have worked relentlessly since the season began in Austria last month.
“I think for the drivers it’s probably a little bit easier because they can recover between the races,” Mercedes boss Toto Wolff told Racer.
“Having said that, it’s not easy for anybody and for the racing team it’s particularly difficult because you can’t go home – you need to stay out, you’re not seeing your family for in excess of three weeks and that has happened two times in a row now.
“For once, the senior management and the engineers that were able to commute back home (at Silverstone), there wasn’t a single day when they didn’t work.
“I can tell you Monday morning we were all in the office and that three race weekends in a row, it takes its toll. I feel it in myself that you start to struggle.”