2023-10-08 22:27:00
From a sporting point of view, it’s a race that spectators will probably have forgotten in a while. Physically, it is an event that the drivers will remember for a very long time. On Sunday, in Qatar, the fastest men in the world experienced a real ordeal. Some had all the difficulty in the world to complete the 57 laps of a Grand Prix made difficult both by the weather conditions but also by the three stops imposed by the FIA.
Faced with the concern surrounding the deterioration of the tires and the alerts raised by Pirelli during testing on Friday, the body had in fact decided to impose a maximum lifespan of 18 laps for each set of rubber used. All drivers were therefore forced to make at least three stops. “And that complicated things,” admitted Lando Norris afterwards. “The last relay, for example, we almost attacked from start to finish.”
Sargeant completely gave up
Unlike usual, where the management of the tires allows a – very relative – relaxation, the drivers had to produce a constant effort during 57 laps, in a temperature approaching 40°C and on a circuit offering numerous sequences of turns at high speed. With, this Sunday and unlike Saturday, a total absence of wind. And therefore, air.
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This is the reason why from the pre-race ceremony, several drivers, including Lewis Hamilton, equipped themselves with small portable fans or ice packs to lower their body temperature. During the race, Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) quickly became extremely hot in his seat, even demanding that “water be thrown at him” during a pit stop.
Others, like George Russell, took advantage of the straight to put their hands in the wind. Some even reached their physical limits: Esteban Ocon (Alpine) revealed that he had vomited on the 15th lap. “It was terrible, I didn’t feel well, he said on Canal+. I managed to calm down and finish with difficulty. There was just no air. It was unbreathable. Much harder than expected, much harder than Singapore and much harder than 2021.”
It’s just that we couldn’t hydrate ourselves.
Alexander Albon (Williams), on the verge of fainting, had to be helped to get out of his car at the end of the Grand Prix while his teammate, Logan Sargeant, retired even before the checkered flag due to “extreme dehydration”. The American had flu-like symptoms at the start of the week. The Qatari weekend has exhausted its last resources. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) rushed to the medical team after having difficulty extricating himself from his cockpit.
“We talked about it with the other drivers,” said Charles Leclerc, very physically affected, at the microphone of Canal+. “It’s not even physical condition since we’re not muscularly tired. It’s just that “We couldn’t stay hydrated. We lost so much water… It was crazy. It was really complicated and we were happy to get to the end.”
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In the cool room, the three podium riders also needed a little more time to recover. Oscar Piastri even lay down on the ground. “It was definitely the hardest race of my life,” observed the Australian rookie. “Myself, on the wall, I felt like meat on the barbecue,” smiled Fred Vasseur, boss of the Scuderia to the broadcaster. Good news: everyone will now have two weeks to recover, before a series of three races in three consecutive weekends. More good news: next year, the Qatar Grand Prix will take place in December.
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