Lewis Hamilton airs unusual 'Whoop' fear in unique F1 challenge

Lewis Hamilton has conceded that he is "really worried" about his sleep score over the Singapore Grand Prix weekend.

Formula 1 teams and drivers traditionally stay on European time throughout, a concession to the race's night-time slot under the Marina Bay Street Circuit's floodlights.

That means not going to bed until the early hours of the local morning, and sleeping through the daylight hours behind blackout blinds, a routine Hamilton says is playing havoc with his wearable 'Whoop' sleep tracker.

Speaking to media, including RacingNews365, the seven-time champion explained the toll the schedule is taking on his recovery data.

Asked about the different routine required in Singapore, Hamilton said: "I don't mind it. I don't like it or dislike it. It's a challenge, something different.

"My Whoop page is definitely going to be affected by this week, so I'm not too happy about that because my sleep score is down because I'm going to bed at three or four a.m.

"Even if I sleep and I feel like I have slept well, my sleep score is coming out like 40 per cent, and I'm really worried. So someday my sleep score is not going to be great.

"So that's something I'm thinking of every day, trying to get a good sleep score, making sure I'm getting efficient sleep, which is tough to do here.

"The lighting and everything, and what you eat and when you eat, all that stuff, it really affects you, but it's a part of the weekend, so it's massively challenging. I like it."

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Hamilton excited by only one practice hit

Hamilton has arrived in Singapore off the back of a podium in Sunday's Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia on Sunday after finishing third behind Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli.

But the weekend brings another complication beyond the disrupted sleep: it is a sprint event for the first time in the history of the race, meaning just a single practice session before sprint qualifying on Friday, and then a daylight sprint race on Saturday.

It leaves no margin for error in setting up the car around the Marina Bay Street Circuit, and Hamilton says Ferrari's simulation work will need to count for more than usual.

"I honestly genuinely think we hit the ground and run pretty well in FP1 more often than not, and then, from session to session, some people close out, and some people pull away," he said.

"But I think our simulation team has done a really great job, and so I'm hoping that we start from the right place.

"It's exciting to come here to Singapore and only have one session. Everyone's in the same boat, so it could be good; it might not be good. We'll see how it goes tomorrow."