Ocon hopes more F1 staff don’t ’get sick’

The final portion of the 2024 calendar has been "particularly difficult" for travelling team staff, according to Esteban Ocon.

Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg was absent from the Qatar paddock on ’media day’ Thursday as he has a cold.

World champion Max Verstappen predicted that the long haul from Las Vegas to Qatar would expose F1 staff to illness.

"At the end of the season, when you’re getting a bit tired anyway, you also get sick a bit more easily. The many long flights do not help with that," he said.

Ocon admits that the hectic calendar is always easier on the drivers, who travel and are accommodated in five-star style. "I’m almost acclimatised after Vegas," the Frenchman said on Thursday.

"But not everyone in the team feels the same. I flew with the team from Vegas and tried to help some of the guys wake up at the right time, but it didn’t always work. People are very tired.

"Some slept for 15 hours, which didn’t help acclimatise here. These three grands prix at the end of the season has been particularly difficult," Ocon added, referring to the Las Vegas-Qatar-Abu Dhabi triple header.

"Hopefully not too many people in the paddock get sick," he added. "That’s the most important thing. We need to stay healthy and focused until the end of the season."