For the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the safety of all Grand Prix participants is the alpha and omega. It is therefore quite surprising that on Sunday she allowed the pilots to continue, who literally passed out during the ride, thus posing a great threat not only to themselves, but also to the other participants. However, the FIA does not turn a blind eye to this problem and promises countermeasures.
The extreme temperatures and high humidity meant that many pilots almost started to boil in the cockpit. They tried desperately to cool down in quite unorthodox ways — for example, Esteban Ocon tried to direct air into his helmet with his hands on the straights — but these efforts were largely futile, downright dangerous. In such a desperate effort, Jūki Tsunoda opened his visor, only to be blinded as sand blew into his eyes.
With these shots, many a fan might have thought it was funny how the FIA fought against Hamilton’s piercings a year ago or forbade riding on the circuit with a bicycle during the Thursday program.
“The Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile notes with concern that extreme temperatures and humidity during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix have had an impact on the physical well-being of the drivers,” writes the FIA in an official statement published on Monday evening. “And while these are elite athletes, they should not be expected to race in conditions that could endanger their health or safety.”
On the one hand, the regulatory body points the finger at the teams and states that “it is the responsibility of the competitors to ensure the safe operation of their cars”but on the other hand, he announces that, similar to the requirements for the safety of circuits and cars, he will intervene in this case as well. “The FIA will take all reasonable steps to establish and communicate the acceptable parameters under which events can take place.”
At the moment, it cannot be ruled out that, similar to extreme rain or wind, and extreme heat and high humidity, the race will be postponed until the conditions on the track meet the FIA ”tables”. But that is the music of the future.
Meanwhile, the FIA states that it has already launched an analysis of the Qatar Grand Prix to present recommendations for driving in extreme conditions in the future. “Although we should note that next year’s Qatar GP will take place at a later stage of the year when cooler temperatures are expected, the FIA will prefer a proactive approach to avoid such a scenario in the future.”
“Several measures will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of the medical commission in Paris,” reveals the FIA. “These measures may include, but are not limited to, recommendations for competitors, research into cockpit modifications for more efficient airflow, and recommendations for calendar changes to correspond with acceptable climate conditions.”
The FIA wants to be inspired by other series that take place in extreme conditions, and examine whether some of the measures cannot be applied to F1 circuits as well.
2023-10-09 18:56:56
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