Esteban Ocon scored a seventh-place finish in Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix but points came at a heavy price for the Alpine driver who was ill at one point during the grueling event.
The blend of high ambient temperatures and humidity at Lusail on Sunday was among the toughest ever encountered by F1’s field and led to many drivers ending their day at the track’s medical center where they were treated for heat exhaustion and dehydration.
The 57-lap race unfolded at a frantic pace due to the FIA’s decision to restrict tyre life to 18 laps which encouraged drivers to go all-out in every stint.
But the brutal conditions quickly became an ordeal, with Williams rookie Logan Sargeant forced to throw in the towel after 40 laps as the young American reached the limit of his physical resistance.
Ocon managed to see the checkered flag, but the Frenchman admitted to feeling ill early on in the backbreaking race.
“I was, I don’t know… I was feeling ill, lap 15, 16, I was throwing up for two laps inside the cockpit. And then I was like, s**t, that’s going to be a long race,” he recounted.
“I don’t know, I tried to calm down, I tried to remember that the mental side in sport is the strongest part of your body, and I managed to get that under control, and finish the race.
“But honestly, I was not expecting for the race to be that hard. I can normally do two race distances, even in Singapore.
“Physically, like muscle-wise and cardio-wise, I’m always fine. I don’t know, it was just like 80 degrees inside the cockpit this race.”
Mercedes driver George Russell, who described conditions as “brutal” on his way to P4 was seen on several occasions trying to channel air inside his car’s cockpit while also lifting his visor.
Ocon also attempted – in vain – to cool his environment during the race.
“I was trying to guide some air into my helmet,” he said. “The more I was breathing to try and get everything lower, the more heat that was coming inside the helmet. Honestly, it was hell in there.”
“At one point it’s not even a physical preparation it’s just dehydration,” added Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc who finished fifth.
“It’s such a level that your vision is so much worse, your heart rate is going to the stars and it’s very difficult to control all of this, so it was really, really difficult.”
McLaren’s Lando Norris believed that conditions in Qatar on Sunday evening were simply “too dangerous” for drivers.
“I think today we probably found the limit. I think it's sad we had to find it this way,” said the Briton who claimed his fifth podium of 2023.
“It's never a nice situation to be in, some people ending up in the medical centre or passing out, and things like that. So, a pretty dangerous thing to have going on.
“But it's not a point where you can just go, the drivers need to train more or do any of that. 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 in such a bad state, it's too much, you know, for the speeds we're doing. It is too dangerous.
“I know that this race next year is later on in the season, and it will be a lot cooler a few months later, but it's something that needs to be thought of, and I'm sure we'll speak about it because it shouldn't have happened in the first place.”
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Next years’ Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled to take place in December, so Lusail should indeed be basking in cooler weather during next season’s race.
Race winner and freshly crowned world champion Max Verstappen said that the weekend – from the taxing conditions to the issues caused by Lusail’s kerbs – has left F1 with several important things to consider.
“When I saw the weather before coming here, I was not looking forward to it,” said the Red Bull charger. “It's just too warm, and like Lando said, it has nothing to do with more training or whatever.
“I think some of the guys who were struggling are extremely fit, probably even fitter than me, but just the whole day it's like you’re walking around in a sauna. And also then in the night the humidity goes up.
“Obviously we need some discussions I think about a lot of things from this weekend,” concluded Verstappen. “It's not a good situation to be in.”
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