Heat management: a call for reason

It is no longer very common to see drivers on the verge of fainting or even forced to withdraw due to physical failure. Yet this is what happened in Qarar, with Logan Sargeant being the most extreme case since the American was forced to withdraw, unable to hold the steering wheel. Esteban Ocon let it be known that he vomited as early as the 15th lap and Lance Stroll that he was on the verge of fainting due to the G forces endured.

In this context, he is one of only two drivers who have not raced who presented a discordant voice. For Lewis Hamilton, F1 is and must remain an extreme sport, with drivers seen as modern gladiators. He thus recalled the conditions that were experienced at the time when F1 went to Malaysia. If he felt out of strength at the end of the race, it was additional encouragement to train harder physically. Hence, it can be noted that Fernando Alonso, despite being the oldest driver in the field, seemed much less affected than many young drivers.

Discussions between the FIA and the GPDA, the association representing the drivers, have been in full swing since Losail, the Place de la Concorde institution communicating that they will analyze the problem in depth in the coming weeks.

Toto Wolff, back in the paddock after missing two races due to a knee operation, thus made his point of view known, quite similar to that of his driver no. 44: « It was the most extreme heat I’ve ever seen. Some hardcore people will say that it’s part of the job and, in a way, they’re right. You have to train for these extreme conditions but maybe this was a bit too much. It’s unanimous from the majority of the drivers. »

But then comes the question of the response to give. The leader of Mercedes was calling not to overreact in a way that questions the architecture of current cars: « Let’s see if we can find a solution with the FIA and the drivers to cool the cockpit a little more, without drilling large holes in the cockpits, which would have an impact on the technical regulations. »

In the sense of the measure that characterizes him, Günther Steiner went in the same direction: « The good thing is that next year, we will not have Qatar at the same time. The risk of finding ourselves in the same situation is quite low. We shouldn’t overreact to find technical solutions. As Toto says, we do not make big holes or big machines in the cars for a situation that has occurred once in 100 years. Let’s keep our feet on the ground and see if there is a risk or not. The simplest thing is simply to adjust the schedule. »

With a race now scheduled for December 1st, there is indeed much less chance that the heat and humidity will be at such levels. And perhaps by then Pirelli will have found a solution for its tires to withstand the G forces and not constrain the teams to stints of only 18 laps…

From our special correspondent in Austin