George Russell has hit back at comments from ex-Formula 1 drivers who criticised the current crop for complaining about the conditions in the Qatar Grand Prix.
The drivers battled through searing humidity during the 57-lap encounter at the Lusail International Circuit a fortnight ago, resulting in many individuals requiring assistance to even be extracted from their cars post-race.
An already unwell Logan Sargeant succumbed midway through, with Williams team-mate Alex Albon also being treated for acute heat exposure. Meanwhile, Esteban Ocon admitted he had vomited early on.
Despite the likes of Lando Norris declaring F1 had reached the “limit” of acceptable conditions that day, Gerhard Berger queried the fitness levels of the current grid.
The 10-time F1 race winner told ServusTV: “It was the same for us. This time, the boys seem to have pushed themselves to the limit, but it’s simply a question of fitness.
“If you’re in great shape, you won’t get sick. It’s a fitness problem and a circulatory issue.”
Berger’s words came after former F1 driver and current TV pundit Martin Brundle said he does not “buy into the weak view [that F1] shouldn’t put [drivers] through this kind of challenge,” adding “it’s races like Qatar and very rainy days which make F1 drivers look the heroes and athletes they are.”
However, Russell has highlighted that there’s only so much training that can be done to prepare for such gruelling conditions.
The drivers’ issues were amplified by the FIA imposing mandatory 18-lap stint lengths amid tyre concerns, effectively enforcing a flat-out race at the high-speed Qatar circuit.
Taking that into account, Russell has also pointed out how the drivers of today wrestle cars with significantly more downforce than those Berger and Brundle competed with.
“Well, what I can say is I train substantially for the heat,” he retorted. “I train in three layers of clothes ahead of these hot races. I do a huge amount of saunas to adapt to the heat.
“These guys who are commenting on this, we are driving laps 20 seconds a lap faster than they were, in the corners pulling 5G, 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.
“And if you take the contrast of the Qatar World Cup due to the heat, they added three-minute water breaks twice throughout the game. They have that 15-minute halftime break, and we were driving flat out for 90 minutes on a super high-speed circuit, high downforce circuit with temperature and humidity that were horrific.”
Russell adds that previous generations also didn’t have to contend with the extreme heat generated in the cockpit by the systems surrounding the drivers in the modern-day.
“I know from the drivers, some drivers who suffered from heat stroke were ill for the week following as well,” he revealed.
“Anybody can say what they like but also the race cars in the 90s and 80s didn’t have all the electrical boxes around the cockpit, heating the cockpit up, and they didn’t have the power steering system that was running at 50/60 degrees radiating heat.
“We have hydraulic lines running all around the cockpit which is at 120 degrees, so the cockpit was closing in on 60 degrees Celsius throughout that race and we have thicker fireproof underwear than they ever wore, since the [Romain] Grosjean crash, the fireproofs are substantially thicker, so it’s like wearing a fleece.
“So, people can say what they like, things are different now, [the] same way things were different 40 years ago.”
The FIA announced in the days following the race that it would conduct an analysis of the event and would consider changes to prevent a repeat scenario from occurring.
“A good thing is the FIA have recognized the issue and it’s not just in Qatar, it’s many, many races, you’re limited by the heat,” Russell noted.
“As I said, since the Grosjean crash, heat has been much more of a factor because suits and the fireproofs are just so thick, to withstand additional fire resistance. I think we’re looking at ways of cooling the seat in one way or another.”
