Ex-Formula 1 World Champion Nico Rosberg says Lance Stroll should not use the extreme conditions in the Qatar Grand Prix as an “excuse” for his track limits penalties.
The debate surrounding track limits reared its head again in Qatar, with the stewards noting 53 infringements and handing out multiple penalties across the grand prix.
After Pirelli spotted micro cuts appearing on its tyres following Friday’s running, the FIA elected to reduce the width of the track by 80cm at Turns 12 and 13 to prevent the drivers from running out onto the kerbs that were suspected to be inflicting the damage.
Stroll, however, was one of four competitors to still inherit more than one five-second time penalty, dropping the Aston Martin driver from ninth to outside the points in 11th.
The Canadian labelled the penalty situation “a joke”, arguing the stewards failed to accommodate for the changed track limits and the searing humidity that had him “passing out” with 20 laps to go.
But Rosberg has dismissed that the conditions were responsible, citing how many drivers managed to navigate the 57 laps without being penalised.
“I think it was a decent race perhaps, for him but still an extreme way of stating it that he says the last 25 laps he’s almost passing out in those high-speed corners,” Rosberg told Sky Sports F1.
“I mean, I believe him that is just crazy, crazy difficult out there.
“But, nevertheless, all the other drivers managed to do without penalties – or many of them – especially the best ones out there today.
“So it’s not really an excuse, I think, to still have so many mistakes to get the penalties that he did.”
Aside from Stroll encountering trouble getting out of his car post-race, both Williams drivers required trips to the medical centre, while Esteban Ocon admitted to vomiting in the opening stages.
After Lando Norris and Max Verstappen declared Formula 1 had “found the limit” in Qatar, the FIA has announced it will look to put measures in place to avoid a repeat.
Rosberg disclosed that he previously partook in a test that simulated competing in similar temperatures, which deemed that it would be too big a risk to a driver’s health.
“In my day, we did a test with a doctor with a device,” he revealed. “We did a simulation of a race like that in those temperatures and it was deemed that it was not a risk to one’s health.
“Of course, it was an extreme exhaustion. It was extremely difficult. So I wonder, I mean, they would need to analyse it. Certainly, it was borderline. They lost like three kilos, so six pounds of body weight in those one hour and 45 minutes that they were racing. That’s extreme, it’s like 5% of your body weight, which really, really is so tough and it’s such a torture.
“So that’s something they’re gonna have to look at.”
Discussion about this post