A FORMER Red Bull mechanic has pulled the curtain back on the crazy hours and modest pay checks that F1 pit crew members earn after fan outrage at the Italian Grand Prix.
Sunday’s Italian GP caused controversy after a slow pit stop for McLaren driver Lando Norris almost cost him second place.
ReutersF1 mechanics have been in the spotlight after theI Italian Grand Prix[/caption]
During the race at Monza, Norris was assured there would be “no undercut” when he pitted despite being the lead driver for McLaren.
However, a lengthy 5.9 second stop – caused by a wheel nut issue – meant that Norris’ pit was FOUR SECONDS longer than Oscar Piastri‘s and saw him lose second place to his Aussie teammate.
That was until McLaren chiefs demanded that Piastri give the position back to Norris, citing “principles” and racing values”.
Formula One fans were baffled by the slow pit and the resulting controversy, taking to social media to vent their opinions.
However, when one claimed F1 mechanics do just “three second work shifts” for “£350,000-a-year”, a former Red Bull crew member stepped in to set the record straight.
Calum Nicholas – who worked for Red Bull during Max Verstappen‘s four world titles – slammed the comment as “embarrassing”, while he also revealed that pit crew are paid far less than some might expect.
Posting on X, he wrote: “This is why so few people in the paddock interact on here by the way. BS opinions like this. It’s embarrassing.
“Average salary for an F1 Tech is closer to £60k by the way. The average working week is about 70 hours.
GettyFormer Red Bull mechanic Calum Nicholas has lifted the lid on pit crew salaries[/caption]
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS
“Most fly economy, and nobody gets paid more for being on the pit crew.”
In fact, Nicholas revealed that his first salary in F1 was just £42,000 in a separate post.
However, even he admitted that £42,000 to travel the world with an F1 team still felt like he had “hit the lottery”.
By contrast, some of the top earning drivers in F1 are earning in excess of £27m-per-year.
While even the lowest earners are pocketing between £700,000 to £2.3m every year.
