Alonso: New-spec fireproofs and pre-race anthem timing made Qatar heat worse

Fernando Alonso believes the severe dehydration drivers experienced during the Qatar Grand prix was exacerbated by the current generation of fireproof overalls.

Many drivers suffered from dehydration and fatigue during the last round at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar after low winds on Sunday caused the temperatures in the cockpit to reach unexpectedly high levels, the effect compounded by a rise in humidity.

Williams driver Logan Sargeant, who had gone into the weekend recovering from an illness, withdrew from the race due to his physical condition. Team mate Alexander Albon was one of several drivers who had difficulties getting out of their cars after the race, while Esteban Ocon admitted to being physically sick in his car after the early laps.

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s United States Grand Prix in Austin, where temperatures are expected to be cooler than in Qatar but still relatively hot, Aston Martin driver Alonso said something should be done to help protect driver wellbeing in similar circumstances in the future.

“I think the conditions were a little bit too extreme to race,” Alonso admitted, “but obviously no one could anticipate it, probably. Saturday was not as bad, humidity was much higher on Sunday and the temperature as well. So that was maybe a little bit of a surprise.

“We need to learn from this episode. I think we were just, as I said, too on-the-limit for the physical aspect of the drivers.”

The former World Endurance Championship racer proposed adopting the driver wellbeing measure used by the sportscar series in F1.

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“In WEC, for example, there is a sensor in the cockpit that the temperature inside cannot be two degrees more than the outside temperature,” Alonso explained.

“If you are above that temperature, you have to stop. The FIA tells you to stop. So those kind of things, I think maybe in Formula 1 it has to be implemented somehow and has to be discussed about something that there is a limit and probably Qatar was over the limit.

“There is some kind of air conditioning [in WEC] and I think there has been work behind those regulations to make sure that there were not electrical boxes in the cockpit and things like that just to make sure that you are within the regulations on the temperature. I think Formula 1 that is the least of the priorities. Maybe in Qatar we found an episode that we want to improve.”

Alonso complained about a painfully hot seat in the cockpit of his Aston Martin during the race. He said his team had done all they could to try and make his car as comfortable an environment as possible.

“We try to isolate the best we can all the boxes and all this kind of thing just to make sure that we can gain some temperature there,” he explained.

“We are trying to do our best in terms of preparation as well. Try to start the race as cool as possible. Just the body temperature. For sure we will discuss with the FIA a couple of different scenarios and procedures.”

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He said the timing of the national anthem performance before the race, which drivers are required by the rules to attend, makes it harder for them to keep their temperature down.

“I’m not a big fan, for example, of the national anthem being 14 minutes before we go in the car. I think this is unthinkable in any other sport that you will put your body in the limit. So if that can move a little bit earlier and then you can cool down before going in the car or whatever, it’s just putting that temperature limit further into the race instead of reaching that limit in lap 15, maybe you reach it in lap 40 and it’s only 15 laps of struggling.”

Drivers are required to wear multiple layers of fireproof clothing at all times while behind the wheel of their cars. Alonso suggested that the current generation of FIA-compliant overalls brought into the sport in the wake of Romain Grosjean’s fiery crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix may have contributed to drivers’ struggles in Qatar.

“The racing overalls, the fireproofs underneath, etcetera, are very thick right now to be within the regulations after the Grosjean crash, obviously,” he said. “So it is a difficult topic, because you need to have very safe equipment for fire in case it happens.

“But that equipment – in some conditions, in some races – it’s just not evaporating the heat. It just stays with you for the whole race. So the body cannot perform at this normal level.

“They are different. I think it has been from last year or this year. The regulations are just much tougher for the companies to pass the fire test and now they are thicker. But as I said, they are safer. So it’s about where you put the the right balance.”

Alonso believes the lack of cooling in the cockpit of a modern Formula 1 car is part of the sport’s nature, but that some support should be considered for the more extreme races.

“The priority in Formula 1 is just to put all the boxes and all these things into the cockpit because like this you can tighten the bodywork and you make priority for aerodynamics, which is obviously good. But in some cases – rare cases, maybe Singapore, Miami, Qatar – that is something that maybe we need to [do] better.”

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2023 Qatar Grand Prix

• Albon fears Qatar GP conditions risked creating dangerous “wet bulb effect”
• Alonso: New-spec fireproofs and pre-race anthem timing made Qatar heat worse
• Magnussen admits he took “too long to learn” Losail circuit
• Analysis: Sargeant’s Qatar radio reveals his painful struggle to end point-less run
• Alfa Romeo ‘finally understand their upgrade’ Bottas believes as team target Williams

Browse all 2023 Qatar Grand Prix articles