The race was a perfect storm of high ambient temperatures, humidity that ramped up on race day, draining heavy g-loadings through the fast corners, and the one-off tyre rules that turned the race into a series of four sprints, with little respite for the drivers.
The FIA soon promised an investigation into the factors involved, and that has quickly developed into the subject being added to the next meeting of F1’s technical advisory committee, where teams and the governing body discuss rule changes.
F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has also written to the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers Association), essentially thanking their drivers for their efforts, and acknowledging how tough their Sunday evening was.
He also pointed out that scheduling the Qatar race for early October was unavoidable, and reminded them that next year it will move to December, and thus conditions won’t be so challenging.
The date change should certainly take the edge off the specific issues seen in Qatar, and some believe that should be the end of the matter.
However, the race highlighted a bigger picture of unregulated cockpit heat, and the role played by hitherto little-known factors such as thicker overalls mandated since Romain Grosjean’s accident at the 2020 Bahrain GP.