Lewis Hamilton has a different view to most of the grid about the hot conditions at the Qatar GP; watch the full United States GP weekend live on Sky Sports F1, with qualifying on Friday at 10pm , the Sprint on Saturday at 11pm, and then the Grand Prix at 8pm on Sunday
Friday 20 October 2023 16:02, UK
Lewis Hamilton believes Formula 1 should race in conditions such as the extreme heat at the Qatar Grand Prix, encouraging the sport to not become "too soft".
High temperatures, which were in excess of 40 degrees Celsius, along with extreme humidity and the high-speed layout of the Losail International Circuit, made the race in Qatar incredibly tough for the drivers.
Williams driver Logan Sargeant felt too sick to continue and retired from the race, Alpine's Esteban Ocon said he threw up in his helmet during the race, while several drivers went to the medical centre for checks following its conclusion.
After claims of "dangerous heat" by McLaren's Lando Norris, the FIA said it would "take all reasonable measures to establish and communicate acceptable parameters in which competitions are held."
However, Hamilton, who retired from the race after a fist-corner collision with Mercedes team-mate George Russell, offered an alternative view.
"I'm going to be controversial as always," Hamilton said ahead of this weekend's United States Grand Prix. "Obviously I didn't do the race, so didn't get to feel the pain that the drivers felt. But I have obviously been here a long time.
"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.
"My feeling towards it is... this is an extreme sport. You don't have marathon runners who are passing out after the marathon, saying you have got to make it shorter.
"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."
The FIA have begun an analysis of the situation in an attempt to provide recommendations for future situations of "extreme weather conditions".
Hamilton referenced F1 in the 1980s and 1990s, including Nigel Mansell fainting as he pushed his car to the line at the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix.
"I don't personally want them to shorten the races and make it easier for us. I want it to be extreme," he continued.
"I want to feel the difference, I want to feel pain in my body, I want to be able to, hopefully with that extra bit of training that you put in or that extra bit of dedication that you have had, helps you get that extra lap and win that race. That's what this is about.
"We have got to be careful how we move with changes. We have got track limits and all these big runoff areas. Back in the (Ayrton) Senna days, you go over the kerb, it's grass and you pay the penalty. It's like, 'let's not get too soft!'
"Of course, if I was in the race, I would have struggled to get out afterwards also. But, I love that. That makes it closer to what it was back in the day, where Mansell was passing out after a race - this is extreme and we are supposed to be elite athletes and to be elite, you need to be pushing to the limit."
Hamilton's comments echoed the sentiment of those made by Sky Sports F1's Martin Brundle and fellow former F1 driver Gerhard Berger following the Qatar race.
"It's races like Qatar and very rainy days which make F1 drivers look the heroes and athletes they are," Brundle wrote on social media. "Absolutely don't buy into the weak view we shouldn't put them through this kind of challenge. Check out Senna in Brazil, Stewart at rainy Nurburgring, Lauda post crash, etc etc."
Ten-time Grand Prix winner Berger, who participated in 210 races between 1984 and 1997 said that the issues drivers experienced in Qatar were "simply a question of fitness".
When asked on Thursday about comments from former drivers, Hamilton's Mercedes team-mate George Russell said that the current generation of F1 cars pose a different challenge to those from previous eras.
"Well, what I can say is that I train substantially for the heat. I train with three layers of clothes ahead of these hot races. I do a huge amount of saunas to adapt to the heat," Russell said.
"These guys who are commenting on this, we're driving cars 20 seconds a lap faster than they were, going through corners and pulling 5G in every single aspect.
"Of course we need to be gladiators, but when it comes to the heat, there's only so much the body can take."
"Anyone can say what they like but also the race cars in the '90s and '80s didn't have all the electronic boxes round the cockpit heating the cockpit up.
"They didn't have the power steering system which was running at 50, 60 degrees, radiating heat. We have hydraulic lines running all around the cockpit which is at 120 degrees, the cockpit was closing in on 60°C through that race and we have a thicker fireproof underwear than they ever wore.
"Since the Grosjean crash, the fireproofs are sustainably thicker, it's like wearing a fleece. People can say what they like. Things are different now, the same way they were different 40 years ago [to what came before]."
Alex Albon, who struggled to get out of his Williams at the end of the race in Qatar, also rejected the suggestion his physical conditioning is lacking in any way.
"It's not fitness-related at that point, it's pure heat exhaustion," Albon said.
"Everyone's passing out on the floor trying to strip off their clothes after the race, so it's not really a fitness point.
"I would be one of the better people at it because of my ethnicity and being used to the humidity. It was painful. We are driving around quickly, the speeds that we're doing around Qatar are huge.
"It's one of those things, we can't communicate it because we're the only people that drive it so when we say it's bad I hope people just take our word for it and know that we're not being divas."
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