Formula 1

FIA voices 'concern', vows action after F1 drivers suffer in extreme Qatar heat

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The FIA has voiced "concern" after many Formula 1 drivers suffered in the extreme heat during Sunday's Qatar Grand Prix.

With an air temperature of 32C and humidity at 75%, some drivers reported feeling faint behind the wheel and footage backed up Lance Stroll's claim that he was in and out of consciousness during the evening race.

Esteban Ocon was sick twice in his helmet on Laps 15 and 16, while Logan Sargeant had to retire through illness, later diagnosed as intense dehydration exacerbated by lingering flu symptoms from earlier in the week.

Elsewhere, other drivers reportedly fainted after the race, with Alex Albon needing help to get out of his car and also seeking medical attention for "acute heat exposure".

The physical toll was clear on the top three drivers too as Max Verstappen sat exhausted in Parc Ferme, and Oscar Piastri laid flat out in the cooldown room before the podium.

Though F1 does race in similar conditions in Singapore, higher G-forces and a fast-paced race in Qatar due to tyre restrictions meant the challenge was much greater than that at Marina Bay.

"This weekend in general was way too hot to drive," Verstappen said post-race.

"If we have to do this again, we should really focus on trying to bring this race later on in the year.

"When it’s 40 degrees out there during the day I think it’s silly to to be pushing like this, especially with forced three-stops.

"It’s almost like a qualifying out there all the time, like really pushing flat out. And that’s probably a bit extreme out there.

"You can see a lot of people when I was walking to the podium that were still laying out there."

Lando Norris echoed the three-time world champion, believing F1 had reached the limit of what drivers could race in heat-wise. 

"I think it’s sad we had to find it this way. It’s never a nice situation to be in, you know, some people are ending up in the medical centre or passing out, things like that," said the McLaren driver.

It’s 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, for the speeds we’re doing, it is too dangerous.

"So 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 kind of shouldn’t have happened in the first place."

On Monday, the FIA responded to the drivers' criticism in a statement.

"The FIA notes with concern that the extreme temperature and humidity during the 2023 FIA Formula 1 Qatar Grand Prix had an impact on the well-being of the drivers," the governing body said.

"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."

Better scheduling of events was one solution mentioned as well as looking at possible ways to improve airflow into the cockpit by looking at ideas used in other events such as cross-country rallies, which are held in desert conditions.

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