Martin Brundle and Lewis Hamilton have stood strong against drivers who have said the heat in Qatar was unsafe to drive in.

The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix saw several drivers severely struggle from heat exhaustion. Esteban Ocon threw up in his helmet, Logan Sergeant had to retire, and Lance Stroll nearly passed out. 

However, despite this, opinions surrounding the driver safety of the Race is yet to be unanimous. Both Lewis Hamilton and Martin Brundle have spoken for the dangers of racing in those conditions. 

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Hamilton said:

“Malaysia was much hotter than that race and I know what it’s like to lose four or more kilos in the race and barely being able to stand afterwards.

“This is an extreme sport, and we are paid very highly for what we do, and from my perspective when I’ve not been feeling great at the end of the race, I’ve just got to train harder and that’s how it’s been for me.”

“You don’t have marathon runners who are passing out after the marathon saying you have got to make it shorter.” 

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He did admit that he did not experience the conditions, retiring on lap one due to a collision with George Russell. However, the British driver has been outspoken compared to other drivers on the grid.

Lando Norris suggested that during that weekend, they had found the limit and expressed sadness that they had found it at the risk of the drivers without thought beforehand. 

“I’ve been lifted out of a car a couple of times, so I feel qualified to say I’ve been there, done it.”

Speaking to Autosport, he said:

“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 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 shouldn’t have happened in the first place.”

The FIA has released a statement noting that drivers should not be expected to compete under conditions that put them at risk. 

However, Martin Brundle on Sky Sports spoke strongly against the FIA. He said:

“I’ve been lifted out of a car a couple of times, so I feel qualified to say I’ve been there, done it. 

“We are guardians of this great sport. We’re just passing through. All of us here. We represent the blood, sweat, tears, broken bones, lost lives of the past 73 years. Hundreds of thousands spend hard-earned money to turn up to see something incredible, something you couldn’t or wouldn’t want to do yourself.

“I accept that was on the limit. What was the solution, Cancel the race? Shorten it by 20 laps? There was no solution.” 

“It’s nice to see that the limitations are the fitness of the drivers. It’s a sport, it’s supposed to be physical.”

Questioned by his colleagues on the dangers of passing out in a car which could kill the driver or fans, the ex-Benetton driver dismissed that this would be a risk. He said:

“You’re not going to pass out in the car. You’re going to pull into the pits, as Logan Sergeant did.”

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Jenson Button also commented on the matter, recalling a experience in Malaysia. He noted that, after his lost his water bottle, his vision began to go and he started shivering. However, he made sure not to contradict Brundle. He said:

“It’s a sport that is physical. It’s nice to see that the limitations are the fitness of the drivers. It’s a sport, it’s supposed to be physical.

“If a marathon runner starts to get tired, he slows down. Same as a racing car driver. Individuals saying, ‘it is too hard’ will never change anything.”

Critic’s opinions since the race have somewhat changed from blaming the conditions to the strangeness of events. Drivers were asked to push all race due to tyre worries creating a maximum length of stints. 

Therefore, drivers were unable to slow down per usual which may have made the situation worse. Qatar is also a very high G track due to several fast corners. 

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