Verstappen did not have the same effusiveness as other seasons. He seemed burdened by having 4 liters of sweat after achieving his 14th victory in 17 races, the best way to celebrate his third F1 world title, achieved the previous day at the Qatar GP. Beside him, Oscar Piastri, remained seated next to his car. At 22 years of age, in the prime of his life, with a physique for anything thrown at him, he was exhausted, and he and Norris (3rd) fell to the ground in the room in front of the podium, without strength for anything else. .
“This is one of the most difficult races I have done,” said Fernando Alonso, who after a good start in which he was third, finished 6th, overtaken by the better pace of Norris (3rd), Russell (4th ) and Leclerc (5th). It’s sad to see Fernando fail. He lost his position with Leclerc after leaving the track on lap 33 after failing to survive a whiplash from a very nervous car behind. The explanation may lie in the toughness of the race.
Despite their intense preparation and enviable endurance, the Spaniard and everyone else had to deal with the extreme conditions yesterday in Qatar. They competed at full speed, without rest, at more than 300 km / h, in real saunas on wheels. Alonso warned him shortly before leaving the track. “The seat is on fire. Can we do anything at the pit stop? “Throw water at me or something!” he exclaimed.
The ambient temperature is 31 degrees. Runway one, 37. And the humidity is 75%. The most difficult race of the course and for a long time, because unlike other tests, the drivers were not able to rest to manage the tires. It must be a continuous attack, without rest, inside a cabin which, right in front of the engine, is hell. This was made more complicated by a last minute change by the FIA due to “safety issues”. The curbs of the Qatar circuit, designed for MotoGP, broke the tires. This caused the FIA to limit drivers’ races to a maximum of 18 laps per set of tires. Meaning: it requires a race with at least three mandatory stops. No steering wheel. It’s just worth the attack. And in a sauna, running without rest becomes a nightmare. “It’s torture,” said Valtteri Bottas. For safety reasons, a change was imposed that, ironies of life, made the race anything but safe for the body.
Several pilots passed out, according to Norris
The clearest example is that of Logan Sargeant. The American had to retire with symptoms of dehydration. Mechanics had to help him out of the car. Before the Singapore GP he said he doesn’t like to drink while driving and he won’t. There he had an accident and exhaustion led him to make a mistake. And this Sunday, in Lusail, he couldn’t stand it. Allowing to compete without drinking is another lack of caution, which goes beyond the limits of rims, tires and track set by the FIA. But others suffered too. Alex Albon, 27, couldn’t get out of his car on his own. He had no strength in his arms. And according to Lando Norris, “several pilots passed out at the medical center.”
“At the limits of the human body”
“We’ve reached the limits of the human body,” Norris, third, said Sunday. “I didn’t tell you. I threw up on lap 15,” Ocon told his engineer after the race. Yes, Esteban threw up inside the helmet because of the heat and this is what he said at the end: “I felt bad on laps 15 and 16, I was throwing up for two laps inside the cockpit.”
But he kept the pedal to the metal. The chronicles will talk about Max beating Piastri (2nd), Norris (3rd), Russell (4th), Leclerc (5th) and Alonso (6th), and that Sainz did not race due to a fuel leak in his car before the race. . career. . Fortunately, no disaster occurred. And after what happened in Qatar, the F1 tire supplier, which was destroyed in Qatar, is about to announce their contract renewal with the ‘Great Circus’. Gives food for thought
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
