The FIA has begun a review into Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix after leading drivers condemned the intense heat in which they had to race, describing it as “dangerous” and “unacceptable”.
Max Verstappen won the race at the Lusail circuit on Sunday but, when it came to a close, many drivers had been suffering in temperatures of up to 50C (122F) in their cockpits.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon revealed he had vomited inside his helmet because of the extreme temperature. Aston Martin’s Lance Stroll said he had been in danger of losing consciousness, while Williams’s Alex Albon had to attend the medical centre owing to heat exhaustion. Logan Sargeant, his teammate, was forced to retire while suffering from dehydration, having been ill with flu earlier in the week. Both Stroll and Albon had to be helped from their cars by team members after the race.
The Mercedes driver George Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, said he too had come close to losing consciousness and was explicit in stating that drivers’ lives should not be put at risk.
“It was beyond the limit of what is acceptable,” he said. “Over 50% of the grid said they were feeling sick, couldn’t drive and were close to passing out. You don’t want to be passing out at the wheel when you are driving at 200mph, and that is how I felt at times.”
Lando Norris, who was third in Qatar, was equally forthright. “We found the limit and it is sad we had to find it this way,” the McLaren driver said. “It is never a nice situation to be in when people are ending up in the medical centre or passing out. Clearly, when you have people who end up retiring or in such a bad state it is too much. It is too dangerous.”
The conditions in Qatar were something of a perfect storm. The high temperatures were exacerbated when fears over tyre safety caused the FIA to mandate a three-stop race. This meant the drivers could push to the limit for every lap with no concern on tyre wear. They did so on a circuit consisting almost completely of high-speed corners, making it one of the most physically demanding tracks on the calendar.
This was only the second staging of the Qatar race and the first of a 10-year deal which, in the region of £45m each season, is among the most lucrative for the sport’s American owners Liberty Media. Next year’s edition will be held two months later in December when it is expected to be cooler, but the FIA acknowledged action must be taken now to avoid a repeat of the scenes.
It said in a statement: “The FIA notes with concern that the extreme temperature and humidity during the Qatar Grand Prix had an impact on the wellbeing of the drivers. While being elite athletes, they should not be expected to compete under conditions that could jeopardise their health or safety.
“The safe operation of the cars is, at all times, the responsibility of the competitors, however as with other matters relating to safety such as circuit infrastructure and car safety requirements, the FIA will take all reasonable measures to establish and communicate acceptable parameters in which competitions are held.
“As such, the FIA has begun an analysis into the situation in Qatar to provide recommendations for future situations of extreme weather conditions. It should be noted that while next year’s edition of the Qatar Grand Prix is scheduled later in the year, when temperatures are expected to be lower, the FIA prefers to take material action now to avoid a repeat of this scenario.”
The FIA said measures would be discussed at the upcoming medical commission meeting in Paris, which could include guidance for competitors, research into modifications for more efficient airflow in the cockpit and recommendations for changes to the calendar to fit with acceptable climate conditions.
The issue compounded a bad weekend for the race promoters in Qatar, with the tyre issues squarely blamed on their continued use of the high “pyramid” kerbs, which Pirelli had previously identified at Lusail in 2021 as causing tyre blowouts but which had not been changed for this meeting. The race is due to be held in December next year, when it will be cooler, but Norris was clear he did not believe F1 should have reached the point of taking risks with safety in the first place.
“I know that next year this race is later on in the season but it is still something that needs to be addressed,” he said. “I am sure we will speak about it because it shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”
