In an interview with AUTOSPORT, Mercedes executive director Toto Wolff has suggested the team could implement a second shift system for their engineers to cope with the mammoth 21 race schedule during the 2016 season.
Wolff is concerned the fatigue and jet lag their engineers may suffer could hamper the team’s overall performance with engineers already pushed right to the limit.
The 2016 season has an extra two events compared to the 2015 season with Germany making its way back onto the calendar and also the addition of the European Grand Prix in Baku, these extra events crammed into a short space of time means team’s have a very hot window to pack up from one race and arrive at the next. The schedule will be particularly tough during June and July with six races crammed into a little over seven weeks.
Toto Wolff understands the need to increase the number of events but he also feels the people on the ground who work their fingers to the bone need to be considered when making these decisions.
“There are pros and cons with more races,”
“From the perspective of the commercial rights holder, I understand more races brings more income, provides more coverage, bigger audiences, so that’s a plus.
“In terms of making the spectacle exclusive, that’s maybe a minus.
“From the team’s perspective, we have to take it like it is because Bernie draws up the calendar, and the income of the teams has been growing over past years, and this is certainly the most important thing.
“We just need to be careful with the organisation because with 19 races we’ve seen the mental and physical limits of the team.
“So we are looking at various concepts as to how we can survive for 21 races because I’m not sure we can cope with 21 in the current [team] structure.
“So we’re looking at how we can optimise on travelling, on the jetlag, on rest, maybe having a second shift for the guys who work very hard.
“All that is being taken into consideration.”
Wolff recognises a second-shift system would not work for every member of the team as some need to attend every race.
“There are many people you can’t really exchange because they are the best ones,” he added.
“There is a particularly hard time towards the end of the year with all those long-haul races, and this becomes very hard.
“I just want to protect the team, protect the individuals, and we need to see what we can do in order to make it most effective, but also workable.”
