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This past weekend’s Formula 1 race once again saw Max Verstappen atop the podium.
Verstappen was first to cross the finish line at the Qatar Grand Prix for his 12th win of the season, but it was the conditions at the Losail International Circuit that had people talking.
McLaren driver Lando Norris discussed the conditions of the race and noted the excessive heat which was more than 100 degrees throughout the race.
Norris said that drivers were in the medical center and passing out after their finishes.
“i’ll break if you want” keep those trophies safe from lando norris 😭 pic.twitter.com/fmEBHq92un
— kait ☻ (@f1kait) October 8, 2023
“It’s never a nice situation to be in, some people ending up in the medical center or passing out, and things like that. So, a pretty dangerous thing to have going on,” Norris said, via motorsport.com. “But 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 guess on TV, it probably doesn’t look very physical at all, but clearly, when you have people who end up retiring or in such a bad state, it’s too much, you know, for the speeds we’re doing. It is too dangerous.”
During the race, driver Esteban Ocon fell ill, while Logan Sargeant retired due to heatstroke.
In the cooldown room, an exhausted Verstappen had also asked for a wheelchair.
Max Verstappen asks for a wheelchair after entering Qatar GP cool down roomhttps://t.co/4L5bAS6PrY pic.twitter.com/Vg2SP9MNVx
— Express Sport (@DExpress_Sport) October 8, 2023
The exhaustion from all of the drivers made it clear that the conditions were very unsafe, but there is some silver lining.
Next season, the Qatar Grand Prix is set to take place on December 1, so the heat should be much milder.
