F1 drivers highlight paddock toilets as number one problem

Poor paddock facilities can make drivers late for the national anthem ceremony

Photo dump - drivers are not happy with some circuit facilities

The number one point of discussion in Friday’s drivers’ briefing in Suzuka was not kerbs or run-off areas but the state of paddock toilet facilities around the world.

You may think that I’m pulling your chain but the subject really did come up and was extended into a chat about showers.

There is a serious point here in that drivers always spend the build-up to a race hydrating, and they factor in a comfort break between parking their cars on the grid and going to the national anthem ceremony.

At most tracks they simply return to their own garages for their personal pitstop, but there are some venues where they have to venture out into the public part of the paddock and potentially join a queue to use temporary facilities, with Melbourne and Montreal among those highlighted.

The problem is that if they are late to the national anthem they potentially face a penalty, something that the FIA has highlighted, and thus any time lost could be very costly. Drivers also pointed out to the FIA how they can be delayed by being doorstepped for TV interviews.

Drivers are keen for the FIA to log the issue and add better pit building facilities to the guidelines for new venues.

GPDA director George Russell also mentioned the lack of shower facilities at many tracks. At European events team hospitality units usually have showers for the use of drivers, but they are not common at flyaway venues, and especially at temporary circuits.

However Russell’s plea didn’t get much traction amongst his colleagues, with one of them suggesting that circuits should ensure that there is a hair dryer just for George’s use...

The issue of facilities is not a new one. Max Mosley once told me that in the early days of FOCA he and Bernie Ecclestone delegated the job of paddock toilet inspector to none other than Frank Williams.