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LUSAIL, Qatar — Two weeks ago, Max Verstappen, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris cut relaxed figures as they joked in the cool-down room before the Japanese Grand Prix podium ceremony.
As the top three finishers of the race, they sat unquestionably in the seats. They watched replays of the race, discussing the various incidents and moves that happened behind them, and Verstappen’s dislike of podcasts.
While Sunday’s race in Qatar produced an almost identical result — Verstappen won ahead of the two McLarens, only Piastri edged out Norris this time — the outcome of the race could not have been more different.
Norris sat with a towel filled with ice. A day after clinching his third world title, Verstappen crouched in the corner and asked if anyone was in a wheelchair. Piastri was lying on his back.
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They were physically finished, as were all the other drivers who raced on Sunday. Logan Sargeant retired mid-race because he was not feeling well. Lance Stroll staggered out of his car after the race before heading to the medical center for a check-up. Alex Albon needs help getting out of his cockpit and was also taken to see medical staff, where he was treated for severe heat exposure before he was cleared.
The hardest race of my career. But P7!!! 👍🏼👍🏼 pic.twitter.com/oEgWQRzKYT
— Esteban Ocon (@OconEsteban) October 8, 2023
Qatar’s conditions — temperatures around 90ºF (32ºC), humidity around 70% — played havoc with F1 drivers on Sunday.
“This is the most difficult race, in my opinion, for every driver in F1 of our career, for everyone,” said Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. “I don’t believe anyone who says it isn’t.”
As the drivers approached the media pen one by one after the race, the efforts of their hard work were written on their faces and bodies. Most of them were drenched in sweat and had towels around their necks. Nico Hulkenberg left after two questions because he needed to cool down. Liam Lawson wore an ice vest with no overalls on the top half.
Many arrived minutes later than planned after using an ice bath to cool their bodies — one so cold that George Russell, believe it or not, had to wear a jumper.
There can be some misunderstanding in the outside world about how hard it is to drive F1 cars and how much physical conditioning drivers need to deal with the massive g-forces and loads that are placed on their bodies. They have to be super fit and strong just to get these cars around the track.
The heat makes everything difficult. Singapore is generally regarded as the most difficult race due to the tough street circuit, long race length, and high heat and humidity caused by its proximity to the equator.
But this weekend in Qatar reached a new level. Although it may be a night race, starting at 8 pm local time on Sunday, the temperature will still be incredibly high. It climbed over 105ºF (40.6ºC) during the day and only dropped to about 90ºF by the time the race started.
Inside the tight confines of the cockpit with the engine behind them and only hot air being blown towards them, the drivers couldn’t keep cool. “The temperature in the cockpit started to be almost too much,” explained Valtteri Bottas. “That feeling like torture in the car. Anything hotter than this won’t be safe.”
Although drivers have water available to them through a tube running from a drinks bottle to their helmets, the high temperature means it turns to tea, making it a serious issue. dehydration.
“It’s not even physical preparation, it’s just dehydration,” Leclerc said. “It’s a level where your vision is so bad, your heart rate is going to the stars, and it’s so hard to control it all. It’s really, really hard.
Following Logan’s retirement from the Grand Prix, he was assessed and cleared by the medical team on-site after suffering severe dehydration during the race which was weakened by having flu-like symptoms earlier in the week. pic.twitter.com/oeLhDrtfGC
— Williams Racing (@WilliamsRacing) October 8, 2023
Esteban Ocon said he started feeling ill around Lap 15 of 57. “Then I threw up for two laps inside the cockpit,” he revealed. “Then it’s like, ‘s—, it’s going to be a long race.’”
Many have tried to find ways to stay cool. Both Russell and Yuki Tsunoda opened their visors at points to let air in, only for that, in Tsunoda’s case, to blow sand into his eyes. Ocon used his hands if possible to try to guide the wind towards his helmet.
“The more I breathe to try to get everything down, the more heat gets inside the helmet,” Ocon said. “Honestly, it’s hell out there.”
Ocon has a very high level of physical dedication, even by the standards of F1 drivers. “Physically, like muscle-wise and cardio-wise, I’ve always been okay.” But not in Qatar. “I didn’t expect the race to be that difficult.”
But despite vomiting, Ocon didn’t consider pulling out of the race. “It’s not an option, retire,” he said. “I would never do that. You have to kill me to retire.”
How did we get here?
Several factors have combined to make Qatar a physical test.
Naturally, ambient temperature is the biggest contributing factor. While F1 has raced in Qatar before, in 2021, that was at the end of November, when temperatures were slightly cooler. But arriving here at the beginning of October, it was still steaming. There is also no breeze today, unlike earlier in the weekend, which makes the drivers even cooler. Next year’s race in Qatar is on December 1, meaning the temperature should be more bearable.
The decision to limit the number of laps per tire stint in the safety areas also had an impact. By making it a mandatory three-stop race, drivers can push harder because they don’t have to manage their tires in the same way as normal. Around a high-speed track like Lusail, especially through the fast final sector with such fast cars, that only increases the physical toll.
DEEP
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“These cars are so fast at high speed that when you’re doing quali lap after quali lap, the g-forces are crazy for 57 laps in this heat,” Leclerc said.
All the conditioning in the world will not prepare them for the physical exertion their bodies have been put through, especially those engaged in race-long battles that have worn them down.
“It’s too hot,” Verstappen said. “It has nothing to do with training or whatever. I think some of the guys who were struggling today are very fit, probably even fitter than me.
“All day, it’s like walking in a sauna, then at night, the humidity rises.”
Finding the limit
This has prompted some drivers to say that F1 has found – or even surpassed – the maximum heat for their career, making it a point of discussion for the future.
The penny dropped for Leclerc when he got out of the car and saw the other drivers in the FIA garage, where they must be weighed after the race. “We can always look at each other at the end of the race when we sit down, and this time you can feel it differently,” he said. “Some drivers feel really bad. This is what we have to talk about.”
Norris said F1 had “found its limit” in Qatar, and that it was “sad we have to find it this way”.
“It’s never a good situation to be in, when some people end up in the medical center or passing out, things like that,” Norris said.
“It’s a pretty dangerous thing to happen.”
(Top photo of Max Verstappen: Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
