Motorsport

MAX VERSTAPPEN says F1 was made to “look a bit silly” due to the farce at the Qatar GP.The sport’s bosses gave the track the green light despite it only just being finished on time and without a single test event.
Max Verstappen won the F1 race in QatarCredit: AFP
Verstappen was critical of F1 being the first event for the newly laid Qatar trackCredit: Alamy
It meant that when the drivers took part in the hour-long practice session on Friday, it was the first time any race car had been around the resurfaced track.
Incredibly, there were no test events – or other races on the bill – as drivers tiptoed around the dusty track that was still too green.
The reigning world champion said: “Next time that we get into a situation like this, I don’t think F1 should be the first one to drive because it looks a bit silly.
“Like, [first practice] with cars sliding around having no grip.
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“It’s important when we go to a track where they’ve put new Tarmac, that at least it’s run in a little.
“Also, for understanding the tyres, for example, what we had now.
“That’s why we had these forced, of course, limited laps.
“So yeah, a few things I think to learn out of this weekend as a whole.”
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F1 chiefs will need to get their house in order before the inaugural Las Vegas race in November.
The new track could be hit with similar grip issues, however, closing the roads could prove a problem for the city.
Vegas has experienced a number of issues setting up the F1 race, including the death of a worker last month.
Complete F1 2023 race calendar – details on every Grand Prix this year More

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