Shows just how hard they're trying to keep their crown, but I wonder what the overtime hours budget looks like now?
I wonder if the mechanics are paid by salary or hourly wages? (Or is this something governed by the EU?)
It'll be salary plus bonus arrangements. EU only affects the wage insofar as the salary divided by the hours worked must equal at least the minimum wage. Anyone other than a completely skint team attempting to pay that low would quickly lose all its mechanics to a team that actually respected them.
EU would have a greater effect on the total hours worked per person (and therefore the number of staff Mercedes would need to manage this feat)... ...but the UK is the only country in the EU which has vetoed every form of the Working Time Directive. As such, all it takes to be allowed to do more than 48 hours per week, or awkwardly-spaced shifts, is to fill in a form. (Said form is standard practise for any employer who thinks it's even vaguely possible that someone might get 48 hours in a single week, even though Working Time Directive only applies if the 13-week average is above 48 hours). Race staff aren't affected anyway because anyone working abroad or in a similar situation (e.g. oil rigs) are exempt from Working Time Directive throughout the EU.