Formula 1: The surprising drug that is rife in Formula 1 among drivers, engineers and mechanics

There were a lot of tired faces at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. And they are back here in Qatar a week on. These are races 22 and 23 of the 24-race calendar the longest season Formula One has staged.

In 1950, when the world championship began, there were seven rounds. All were in Europe but for one, in America, on the great Indianapolis track. Travel was exotic then. It is ubiquitous now. The world is smaller.

But the rampage to more and more races has accelerated since 2017 under the ownership of Liberty Media, and the toll is such that hundreds of the 2,000-travelling corps are relying on sleeping pills to keep themselves sane.

Melatonin is the drug of choice. It is a hormone that occurs naturally in the body. At night melatonin levels rise before falling during the day, controlling sleep patterns.

Drivers, engineers, mechanics and media are among those taking a synthetic form of melatonin, which requires a prescription in Britain, to help them combat jet lag.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and McLaren’s Lando Norris both referenced their use of the pills while in Las Vegas. Mercedes have been prescribing it for members of their staff since 2018, as part of their meticulous sleep preparations, particularly for those who fly in economy. They are not alone. McLaren deploy melatonin to staff who respond well to its sleep-inducing properties. Despite Sainz’s personal use of the drug, Ferrari ‘do not automatically supply it’, according to a spokesperson. It must be purchased by individuals.

The drug which is entirely legal has increasingly come to the fore in F1 over the last couple of years, and nowhere was it more prevalent than in Vegas, where the race timetable pulls the body in two directions.

Pacific Standard Time is eight hours behind GMT. Yet the race is held at night, a 10pm start local time, meaning staff are still working deep into the early hours. So you are living Australian hours in North America. And then it is off to Qatar a week later three hours ahead of GMT.

‘It is quite a turnaround,’ said Norris. ‘In Las Vegas you have to try to stay asleep when it is light in the morning, and try to stay up when it is dark. It’s a big challenge.

‘There may be better things than melatonin, but they are not legal. Time is the best way of adjusting but you don’t always get that luxury. If it is a four-hour switch or more, I’d take it.’

Drivers in a way have it easiest the private jets and front-row seats, and they are hardly hanging around for an Uber when they touch down.

One team insider told Mail Sport: ‘The usual drill is: booking the flight to give the best possible sleep, in the best cabin possible. Advice is given on hydration. Melatonin is prescribed for those who respond well to it. And then it is important to acclimatise as fast as possible by hitting the hours on arrival at the hotel.’

At Mercedes, all staff other than the drivers and their race engineers are given at least two races off per year. In light of the demanding schedule, they are among the teams who have modified their working patterns so that mechanics are not required in the factory between races.

Melatonin is not believed to be addictive, but it does have side effects: sleepy feelings during the day, headaches, stomach pain, dizziness, dry mouth, dry skin and irritability. It emerged yesterday that tennis star Iga Swiatek has been banned for a month after testing positive for trimetazidine, which she claimed was a result of taking contaminated melatonin.

One team executive told me: ‘It (melatonin) gives me a wicked hangover in the sense that I feel I’m walking in fog the next day.’

But with so many races on the calendar, melatonin is a life-enhancer for others. A member of the media told me: ‘I couldn’t manage without it. I take it regularly. If it doesn’t work, you need to take more.’

© Daily Mail