F1 News: Former Driver Defends His Stance On Qatar GP Heat Row

Former F1 driver and Sky Sports journalist Martin Brundle has come forward to defend his stance before the drivers who turned down his views on Qatar's extreme climatic conditions.

After several drivers complained of extreme heat during the Qatar GP, with many even seeking medical attention after the race, Brundle expressed his views through a tweet he shared on X, stating "Absolutely don’t buy into the weak view we shouldn’t put them through this kind of challenge.”

Listen To The Latest Driven Mad Podcast Episode

George Russell justified the complaints about the heat by hitting back at the senior driver's statement stating “We're driving cars 20 seconds-a-lap faster than they were”.

But his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who earned a DNF in the same race, sided with Brundle by saying that F1 must not become too soft on its drivers in the future.

Now though, Brundle has put forth his point of view by agreeing with Hamilton. Continuing the debate, he told on Sky TV:

“I’m with Lewis on this. I’ve been lifted out of a car a couple of times - two races I’m particularly proud of - I’ve rolled it into a ball, run back to get in the spare car.

"So I feel qualified to say because I’ve been there, done it.

"NASCAR, GT, everybody puts up with a lot of temperature.

"Qatar was right on the limit. It’ll get sorted out for next year.

"We are guardians of this great sport. We’re just passing through. All of us here! We represent the blood, sweat, tears, broken bones, lost lives of the previous 73 years.

"Hundreds of millions of people tune in. Hundreds of thousands spend hard-earned money to turn up to see something incredible, something you couldn’t or wouldn’t want to do yourself.

"After the race the drivers looked like total heroes. I could see they were struggling.

"We edit out most of the danger. Many would say that’s a good thing. We can’t edit out the challenges. We have to keep them.”

During the race on the Losail Circuit, Williams driver Logan Sargeant retired mid-race after feeling unwell while Alpine driver Esteban Ocon spoke of being sick inside his helmet. Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll even claimed that he almost passed out due to the heat in his car. But, Brundle stressed his point by offering a piece of advice. He continued:

“You’re not going to pass out in the car. You’re going to pull into the pits, as Logan Sargeant did.

"I’ve said my piece on that. Interesting what others think. I do feel quite strongly about that."

EXCLUSIVE: Johnny Herbert On Max Verstappen Dominance, Sprint Races, And Extreme Qatar Conditions

The former driver spoke of a measure to improve the situation for next year and agreed that the conditions pushed the drivers to the limit. But, he also questioned if there was a solution at all. He concluded:

“The teams will put more air through the car, the drivers will prepare differently.

"I accept that was on the limit. What was the solution? Cancel the race? Shorten it by 20 laps? There was no solution.”