F1

LANDO NORRIS said the intense heat of the Qatar Grand Prix made it “too dangerous” to race.A number of drivers were left feeling sick as day-time temperatures hit over 44 degrees and in the evening the humidity rocketed.
One of the drivers from the Qatar F1 Grand Prix, Lance Stroll, leaving his car after the race. Looking like he’s about to collapse, he stumbles over to an ambulance for help. Later on he’d talk about how everything looked “blurry” as he raced.pic.twitter.com/VMAFzDMvlF— Jim Boardman (@JimBoardman) October 8, 2023

Lando Norris claimed it was too dangerous to race at the Qatar Grand PrixCredit: Rex
Drivers were left feeling sick due to the sweltering heat at the Qatar Grand PrixCredit: Getty
Williams drivers Logan Sargeant and Alex Albon both needed help climbing from their cars.
Alpine’s Esteban Ocon was sick in his crash helmet while Lance Stroll sought help from an ambulance when he stopped for dehydration.
Norris, who was third and left exhausted, said: “It was too hot and much too dangerous. It is something we need to speak about.”
Max Verstappen, who won the race, added: “It was too warm and nothing to do with more training.
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“The guys struggling are extremely fit but the whole day is like walking around in a sauna.”
The Williams F1 team confirmed that Albon “was taken to the medical centre to be treated for acute heat exposure”.
Video footage also showed Lance Stroll struggling to stand up after completing the race.
Sir Lewis Hamilton did not have to endure the sweltering conditions for too long as he crashed out in a first lap collision with team-mate George Russell, much to the disappointment of Mercedes fans.
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A chaotic start to the event, won by Verstappen, saw all cars bunch up while approaching the first turn.
As Hamilton and Russell vied for space, they ended up clipping each other.
Both Formula One stars then went spinning off the track at lightning speed.
However, Russell was able to drive back into the action as Sir Lewis was left stranded with a damaged car. More

LEWIS HAMILTON took the blame for banging into George Russell in a day of chaos in the Qatar Grand Prix.Tensions between the Brits has been simmering all season as they struggled to take the fight to champion Max Verstappen and started squabbling among themselves.
Lewis Hamilton crashed out of the Qatar GP on the first lapCredit: Reuters
The Brit collided with Mercedes teammate George Russell on the very first cornerCredit: AP

The Qatar GP was won by Max Verstappen, a day after he became world champ for the third year in a rowCredit: Getty
Despondent after Mercedes produced yet another dud motor, the frustrations of this long and drawn-out F1 season are beginning to show.
The two made contact at turn one, with Russell clattering into Hamilton, who was overambitious to try to pass him around the outside.
Hamilton was out of the race and when asked if he was OK by his engineer, Hamilton said: “Yeah I got taken out by my own teammate.”
He later performed a U-turn after rewatching the start, where he took full responsibility.
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He wrote on social media: “I’ve watched the replay and it was 100 percent my fault and I take full responsibility. Apologies to my team and to George.”
Earlier, he had hinted he knew he was to blame, saying that he was happy to carry the can as the senior driver, but crucially played down any suggestion of a rift.
“It was just an unfortunate scenario,” he said. “I’m happy to take responsibility as that’s my role.
“The relationship isn’t broken. I don’t have any problems with George. We have a great relationship and we always talk about things.
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Hamilton lost a rear-right wheel in the crashCredit: AFP
The seven-time world champ was unable to continueCredit: AP
“This is definitely unfortunate and I’m sure he was frustrated in the moment, like I was. But we’ll talk about it offline and we’ll move forwards.”
Russell too initially lashed out at his teammate, saying “Come on! What the hell? Guys, come on. Two races in a row!”
He later came on the team’s radio issuing a grovelling apology himself, saying: “Lost for words, honestly. I couldn’t do anything. I was totally sandwiched.”
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, not in Qatar as he recovers from his knee operation, interjected telling his racer to focus on the driving.
But this collision will no doubt spark some internal squabbling and hints that perhaps the relationship is not as cordial as we are being led to believe.
The Mercedes clash was the most exciting part of this dullard in the desert, where the likes of Mo Farah and FIFA’s Gianni Infantino headed up the list of notable people.
Somewhat incredibly, this track was given the green light to host this race, despite there being no test event.
Signed off by the FIA – despite the resurfacing and installation of the controversial pyramid-shaped kerbs – which Pirelli have found to damage their tyres.
The Italian tyre maker told the FIA their concerns and after discussions it was decided that teams could not use a set of tyres for more than 18-laps, due to the fears the tyres would blow. It meant a total of at least FOUR pitstops.
It was a huge embarrassment for all parties; the circuit, the FIA and F1 – thank heavens the title was decided the previous day, because it was a total farce.
Not only were all the mandatory stops quite ridiculous – although understandable given the safety risks – the issue of track limits again raised the question, just what F1 is doing at this track, which was designed for MotoGP?
There was a succession of deleted lap times as drivers ran over white lines, which were enforced by the FIA, who dished out the penalties – much to the confusion of everyone trying to keep up.
Of course, Verstappen won – his 14th victory in 17th races – he even took the bonus point for setting the fastest lap late on.
Behind him was Oscar Piastri, who was second, and teammate Lando Norris was third as McLaren continued their excellent progress.
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Norris said: “I am happy, it was stressful, hot and sweaty, but a good job for the team.”
Russell recovered from his first lap incident with Hamilton to come home in fourth place. More

FOR once he didn’t win, but Max Verstappen’s second-place finish in the Qatar GP sprint race was enough to clinch him the F1 title.In what has felt like the longest procession in F1 history, finally the Red Bull ace has his third world crown – and there are still SIX races to go.
Perez crashing out means Verstappen has won the Drivers Championship without having to raceCredit: AP
Verstappen was able to celebrate earlyCredit: EPA
After winning the Championship on a SaturdayCredit: Getty
F1 have introduced these 30-minute sprint races to liven up the action, strategically placing three of them towards the end of the year in the hope of prolonging a title fight.
But there was not a chance of taking this championship to the wire – especially with Sergio Perez’s intent on making life difficult for himself.
The Mexican is under mounting pressure to justify his place in the team after a number of poor performances.
He’s been openly criticised by Red Bull’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko on repeated occasions.
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And he did himself no favours here after a poor qualifying and getting taken out of the sprint race by Esteban Ocon.
With Perez eliminated, Verstappen was crowned world champion before the race had even ended.
Verstappen started third and made a conservative start as he plotted his way through the early laps.
He mounted a late charge, passing George Russell to move into second place but ultimately yielded to Oscar Piastri, who won for McLaren.
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Verstapppen was crowned in QatarCredit: Getty
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It was a measured performance from Verstappen, who has enjoyed a season of domination at an unprecedented level.
He’d re-written the record books by winning 10 races in a row – ironically beating former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel who set it in 2013 when all the other teams had stopped developing their cars.
Verstappen, still only 26, has been unstoppable with 13 wins in 16 races – no wonder then, even before this Saturday sprint race, he was relaxed about the prospect of being crowned three-time world champion.
Clearly not one for superstition, he spoke about still having plans to celebrate his title win, despite still having Sunday’s Qatar GP to come.
This championship has looked inevitable as soon as Perez’s limp chance of challenging him wilted as easy as the Miami GP only the fifth race of the season.
As he crossed the line he was congratulated by team boss Christian Horner, who said: “Max you are a three-time world champion. That’s unbelievable. Incredible year for you.”
Verstappen replied: “Yeah unbelievable guys. I don’t know what to say. Thank you for providing me with such a car. It’s been a lot of fun this year.
“I just want to say a big thank you to everyone here at the track and back at the factory, putting all the effort in.
It’s Verstappen’s third title on the spinCredit: Reuters
“To be able to achieve something like this, I can’t thank you all enough. Besides all the performance related stuff, it’s just really enjoyable to work with you all. That’s the most important thing at the end.”
Piastri produced an excellent drive for his first win in F1 while his McLaren teammate Lando Norris was third. Russell was fourth and Lewis Hamilton was fifth.
Meanwhile, F1 chiefs will discover today (SUN) if they can run the Qatar Grand Prix as intended or force teams to make extra pitstops on safety grounds.
The sport’s governing body, the FIA, are worried about some of the new kerbs at the Lusail International Circuit causing damage to their tyres.
The problem was highlighted by tyre suppliers Pirelli at 10:30pm on Friday night, who investigated the sets of tyres used by the drivers in the solitary practice session and qualifying on Friday night.
However, despite informing the FIA, teams were not told about the risks until 14 HOURS later, sparking outrage among the drivers, who requested an urgent meeting.
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They were reassured by F1 but pending further investigations, the FIA could stipulate THREE pitstops to prevent blowouts.
Somewhat incredibly, the international sporting event has not had a single pilot event with an F1 car while there are zero additional races on the schedule – unlike other races on the F1 calendar. More

FORMULA ONE chiefs are sweating over whether Sunday’s Qatar Grand Prix will go ahead as planned due to safety concerns.Saturday’s practice has been extended as the sport’s governing body, the FIA, are worried about some of the kerbs at the Lusail International Circuit, which has undergone some major redevelopment work.
Sunday’s race in Qatar is a doubt over safety concernsCredit: AFP
Drivers and team bosses alike have been left outragedCredit: Getty
The problem was highlighted by tyre suppliers Pirelli at 10:30pm on Friday night, who investigated the sets of tyres used by the drivers in the solitary practice session and qualifying on Friday night.
However, despite informing the FIA, teams were not told about the risks until 14 HOURS later, sparking outrage among the drivers, who requested an urgent meeting.
They have been reassured by F1 that the tyres were at least safe for the 30-minute sprint race but the FIA have registered extra running time to investigate further.
It could result in the FIA stipulating that during Sunday’s race, drivers are forced to stop THREE times for new tyres to limit the chances of a blow out due to cuts in the tyre wall.
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It comes after a substantial development of the track to signal the start of the 10-year deal Qatar has signed with F1.
However, somewhat incredibly, the international sporting event has not had a single pilot event with an F1 car.

The first time an F1 car went around the circuit since the resurfacing was on Friday, sparking a debate as to how safe the circuit is.
While this is not the first time this track has held an F1 race – it hosted the 2021 Qatar GP – questions are being asked of the FIA and F1.
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Not only have there been no test events, there are zero additional races on the schedule – unlike other races on the F1 calendar.
Consequently, the track is dirty and covered in dust, making it more unpredictable for drivers.
It is all messy at a race where Max Verstappen can be crowned world champion. More