Competing in 20+ races a season needs drivers to not only maintain their physical and mental fitness but also ensure they get good quality sleep daily. To do so, Lando Norris avoids carrying his technical gadgets, which for many are the top source of distraction, helping him maintain a disciplined life.
When asked if he carries any technology with him while traveling, Norris told YouTuber Austin Evans that he used to carry his PlayStation. However, since he would spend hours and hours on it and not sleep, he chose to stop carrying it.
“I would spend too much time doing that and I wasn’t disciplined enough then. I probably think I’m now,” explained Norris. The Briton added that since he still enjoys gaming, he has limited it to the off-season.
“When I am away, it’s kind of like my head’s in the game of racing and thinking of those things and sleeping well and eating well and focusing on that,” Norris added. One race when most drivers complained of lack of sleep and falling sick was when they competed in last year’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix.
I sat down with @LandoNorris for a behind the scenes look at how the @McLarenF1 Team collaborates using @Dropbox. Whether you’re running a YouTube channel or an F1 team, Dropbox provides the tools to keep your team organized and secure. https://t.co/Qclz3Ws7Uu #DropboxPartner pic.twitter.com/YDj4Pg4BOt
— Austin Evans (@austinnotduncan) November 14, 2024
The sessions of that weekend took place during ungodly hours and some practice sessions even faced massive delays due to Carlos Sainz’s infamous drain cover incident. So, drivers were unable to get the rest they would have hoped for and may not have been able to give their 100%.
However, one driver who seems to have a habit of being able to stay in good shape despite staying up late is Max Verstappen.
Verstappen usually carries his racing gig
Verstappen has made it no secret that he enjoys all types of racing including sim racing. The Dutchman is such an avid racer that on a few Grand Prix weekends, he has also competed in two races — one on track and one on the simulator. And what is surprising is that he once recorded two victories on the same day.
That is thanks to him staying up late at night to win the virtual 24 hours of Nurburgring for Team Redline before winning the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on the same day. While all went to plan during the Imola GP weekend despite him competing in two races on the same day, the same cannot be said for the Hungarian GP.
The Dutchman was evidently grumpy and also had a few arguments with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase on the team radio, resulting in Red Bull imposing a so-called ban on his sim racing during Grand Prix weekends. However, Verstappen denied having any kind of ban, stating he is free to do as he pleases during his “private time”.
