One of the primary talking points of last weekend’s Qatar Grand Prix was the brutal weather conditions. Many drivers complained about the sweltering conditions throughout the main race on Sunday. Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was one such driver who struggled massively with the conditions. Following the conclusion of the race, reports claimed that the Frenchman felt so sick that he even ended up puking in his helmet. Despite driving in such a state for over an hour, the 27-year-old refused to give up and revealed that someone would have to “kill” him to make him retire.
While Ocon managed to pull through despite feeling sick, Logan Sargeant could not manage to finish the race. The American suffered from a heatstroke and ended up retiring from the race. However, it’s pertinent to note that Ocon and Sargeant were not the only drivers complaining about the conditions. George Russell also revealed that the 2023 Qatar GP was by far the most challenging race he had competed in.
“It was absolutely brutal, by far the most physical race I’ve ever experienced. I felt close to sort of fainting in that race. I’ve never experienced anything like it before,” explained the Mercedes driver (as quoted by motorsport.com). While most drivers were desperate to survive the Qatar GP by getting to the end, for Ocon, it was about not giving up no matter what challenge came his way.
Esteban Ocon was in no mood to retire despite feeling incredibly sick
While speaking to the media after the Qatar GP, Esteban Ocon revealed how he had never struggled so much during a race. “I never felt something like that. It was so hot that I wanted to open the visor on the straights because I had no air“, explained the Alpine driver (as quoted by racingnews365.com).
When asked if he ever thought of retiring because of feeling sick, the Frenchman blatantly replied, “No. You need to kill me before I retire. It’s true“.
Ocon now hopes that next year’s Qatar GP will be better as the race is scheduled later in the year. Meanwhile, since several drivers complained of the heat, the FIA have now confirmed that they would take preventive measures in the future.
FIA takes responsibility for drivers competing in extreme weather conditions
Soon after several drivers complained about the brutal weather conditions in Qatar, the FIA issued a statement taking responsibility for the same. The motorsport governing body noted that they have taken note of the same and have begun evaluating preventive measures to ensure that such a scenario does not repeat again.
A part of their statement read, “Measures may include guidance for competitors, research into modifications for more efficient airflow in the cockpit, and recommendations for changes to the calendar to align with acceptable climatic conditions, amongst others.”
After stating the same, the FIA made it clear that even though the drivers are elite athletes, they must “not be expected to compete under conditions that could jeopardize their health or safety.” Hence, they noted that it is now their responsibility to ensure that such a scenario does not repeat.
