Esteban Ocon was ill in his car during the Qatar Grand Prix but continued and finished seventh; Lando Norris criticized the decision to hold the race in October; F1 returns with the United States GP – live on Sky Sports F1 from October 20-22
Last updated: 08/10/23 10:32 p.m.
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Lance Stroll and Alex Albon both struggled to get out of their cars thanks to on-board cameras at the end of a grueling Qatar GP, with both drivers cleared after medical checks.
Lance Stroll and Alex Albon both struggled to get out of their cars thanks to on-board cameras at the end of a grueling Qatar GP, with both drivers cleared after medical checks.
Esteban Ocon revealed he vomited during the Qatar Grand Prix, while Lando Norris called race conditions “too dangerous”.
Humidity, temperatures exceeding 40 degrees and high-speed turns made the race incredibly difficult for the drivers.
Another factor was the 18-lap limit on the tires, which led to a minimum of three pit stops, so the drivers pushed harder during the Grand Prix, won by Max Verstappen on Sunday.
“I was throwing up on laps 15 and 16. For two laps I think,” Ocon told Sky Sports F1 after finishing seventh for Alpine in Qatar.
“I was doing that and I was thinking ‘shit, this is going to be long.’ Just stay in control mentally and just focus on what I need to try to do.
“I’ve never had that in the past. I’ve always been able to do two race distances in the car, that’s what I’ve always trained for, but today it was just l hot air and engine temperature from behind the car.
“I don’t think we sealed the cockpit particularly well. It must have been about 80 degrees inside the car. I’m happy that next year we’ll be back here in December.”
The inaugural 2021 Qatar Grand Prix took place in November and next season’s event will also take place at this time of year, where conditions are expected to be cooler.
Lando Norris, who completed a hat-trick of podiums with third place on Sunday behind his McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, was very candid about the conditions.
“I think we’ve probably found the limit. I think it’s sad that we had to find it this way. It’s never a pleasant situation. Some people end up in the medical center or pass out,” did he declare.
“It’s a pretty dangerous thing that’s happening. But it’s not a point where we can just say ‘drivers need to train more’ or anything like that.”
Verstappen and Piastri attempt recovery moments after Qatar Grand Prix
“We’re in a closed car that gets extremely hot in a very physical race and it’s frustrating, I guess, on TV. It probably doesn’t look very physical at all.”
“But clearly, when you have people who end up retiring, or who are in such bad shape, it’s too much. For the speeds we’re doing, it’s too dangerous.
“I know this race next year will be later in the season and it will be a lot fresher, a few months later, but it’s something to think about. I’m sure we will Let’s talk because it kind of should This didn’t happen in the first place.
Piastri added: “Extremely hot. Right from the start I put my helmet on before the start of the race and I was sweating. It definitely didn’t get any better once I was riding! Very hot.
“It was a combination of a lot of things – the humidity, three stops meant we were pushing hard and just the nature of the track – there are a lot of high-speed corners which naturally take their toll. Definitely the race harder. I did.”
Verstappen: Like walking in a sauna
Verstappen dominated the race and compared the Qatar Grand Prix to Miami and Singapore – two other venues visited by F1 which seriously challenge drivers physically.
“When I saw the weather before coming here, I wasn’t looking forward to it. It’s just too hot and like Lando said, it has nothing to do with more training or anything “, said the three-time world champion.
“I think some of the guys who are struggling today are extremely fit, even fitter than me. All day long it’s like walking around in a sauna and at night the humidity rises . The races are quite long. .
“But it’s not the only place… a few places are like that. Singapore is almost like a two-hour race and it’s very, very hot. I think it’s also quite on the edge of what should be allowed. So there are a few things to watch out for, but it was definitely too hot.”
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, fifth, said Sky Sports F1: “I think everyone (struggled), without exception. I think it was the most difficult race of our racing career.
“The heat was absolutely crazy. Secondly, we had a lot of high-speed corners. And, thirdly, what I think is the most important is the addition of three stops. We were all talking about the tires that this would be a flat out race for the tires with little management.
“But I think we may have underestimated that it meant we were a lot more stressed in the high-speed corners, which is not normally the case.”
“It’s hard to express how difficult it was. It was twice as difficult as a race like Singapore in the past.”
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