🏎 Heat of the Moment

Qatar pushed drivers to their limits both on and off the track

October 11, 2023

Good morning! From the desert in Qatar to NASCAR’s home race in Charlotte, the temps and emotions were running HOT! 🌡️ A cutoff race on the Charlotte Roval and record high temps for the Qatar GP showed us just where the boiling point was… And we still have a month of racing left to go!

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Less is More

FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has a vision 👀 - more F1 teams, fewer races. Sulayem is rallying behind Andretti's bid to introduce an 11th team, partnered with Cadillac, despite pushback from existing teams. "Saying no to a team which has been approved by the FIA, it's very hard to say no," Ben Sulayem asserts.

The president sees a future where the grid is bustling with 12 teams, including a U.S. team. It's a dream that's shaking the table, as existing teams worry about a thinner slice of the prize pie. 🍰 But, as Sulayem points out, "We are allowed to have 12 teams." Current teams might worry about their “piece of cake”, but Sulayem is focused on the bigger picture – a diversified and energetic F1 scene.

Next season’s 24 rounds are a leap from the 22 this year, raising concerns about staff burnout. For Sulayem, the solution isn’t in limiting entries but in dialing back races. 🏁 Existing teams may grumble, but the FIA president remains unshaken – after all, as he reminds us, the FIA isn’t “a service provider,” it’s the ‘landlord’. 💪

Heat of the Moment

The Qatar GP turned into a fiery ordeal for F1 drivers, likened to "hell" and "torture" due to extreme heat and humidity. 🥵 Drivers, akin to super fit athletes, were visibly shaken and exhausted. The drivers had their endurance and resilience tested to the limits, underscoring the brutal conditions they battled.

Esteban Ocon conveyed the struggle vividly, "I was feeling ill... Honestly, it was hell in there." The temperatures, higher than any race in recent history, transformed the cars into ovens, intensifying the driver's ordeal. 🔥 Valtteri Bottas agreed, adding it was "like torture in the car."

Unprecedented heat, combined with relentless g-forces and the high-speed nature of Qatar, intensified the race's physical demand. The three pit stops amplified the challenge, offering no respite from the heat and exhaustion. Charles Leclerc emphasized the detrimental effects of dehydration on focus and vision, highlighting the human limit in extreme conditions. The American driver, Logan Sargeant, was pushed past that limit after “feeling ill” 🤒 in the car was forced to retire from the race early.

Yet, in the face of adversity, other drivers' physical and mental fortitude shone brightly. Completing all 57 laps was a testament to their unyielding spirit, echoing Ocon’s resolve: "You need to kill me to retire." ✨💪

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