Max Verstappen has quipped that Sebastian Vettel needs the additional sleep during flyaway race weekends, because he is “a bit old.”
Formula 1 is in Singapore this weekend, and it will travel to Japan next weekend, so the session times will be skewed.
The sessions in Singapore are held in the evening, meaning that the times in Europe are only offset by an hour, but it does mean that the drivers will be trying to get some sleep in during the day before they head to the circuit.
In Suzuka, they will be racing at the time they would usually be waking up, which will add to jetlag and potential sleep deprivation.
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Verstappen was told on Thursday that Vettel will be adjusting his sleep schedule over the new few days, and is heading to bed immediately after sessions.
The reigning champion was then asked if he might take the same approach, to which he had an amusing response.
“No, I’m still in the European rhythm,” Verstappen told Sky Germany.
“Sebastian is a bit old, so he needs that!”
Sleep, sadly, might well be the least of the issues Red Bull and Aston Martin are facing this weekend.
A report is circulating from Auto Motor und Sport that the two teams might be in breach of the financial regulations imposed last year.
Williams were fined for a procedural breach after they failed to submit their paperwork in time, but there are suggestions that Red Bull and Aston Martin spent more than the permitted $145 million.
A minor overspend breach occurs when a team overspends by less than five percent, for which they can be hit with a small financial or sporting penalty.
A material overspend breach is when a team exceeds the budget cap by more than five percent, in which case a stricter punishment can be issued.
This is all stated in Article 8 of the financial regulations.
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Per Article 9.1, teams can be handed a reprimand, a points deduction, a suspension, limits on testing time, or the FIA can choose to reduce the cost cap.
Certificates of compliance will be handed out to teams next week, and there are rumours that Red Bull and Aston Martin might not be among the teams receiving one.
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, is “not aware” of any breach by his team, and he declared that he is “confident” the Austrian side’s spending last year fell within the budget cap.