Alpine driver Esteban Ocon exclaimed that one would have to kill home before he retires from the race irrespective of the conditions at play. The French driver was one of the many drivers that suffered during the race in Qatar due to extremely hot conditions for driving.
After the race, Ocon revealed that he was puking inside his helmet after 15 laps due to excessive heat. He was not the only driver as many others suffered due to excessive heat in the race and many had to go to the medical center after the race was over.
Talking about the race after it was all over, the Alpine driver told the media how tough it was inside the cockpit during the race. As quoted by racingnews365, he said:
"In Jeddah, that’s how it feels, a flat-out push from start to finish. But I never felt something like that. It was so hot that I wanted to open the visor in the straight line because I had no air.
"I was trying to also guide, with my hand, some air into the helmet because the more I was breathing to try and get everything lower, the more heat was coming inside the helmet. It was hell in there. But next year, we're coming [later] so that should be better.”
When questioned if there were any thoughts of him leaving the race mid-way and retiring due to exhaustion, the Alpine driver was quite boisterous about it and said that one had to kill him before he retires. He added:
"No. You need to kill me before I retire. It’s true.”
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon looks back at his race in Qatar
Looking back at his race in Qatar, Esteban Ocon was happy to bring home a few points for the team after a challenging race. Talking about the race, the Alpine driver was happy to put it all together and bring home a decent result in the conditions.
After finishing seventh at the Losail Circuit, the 27-year-old Frenchman said:
"We had a great start to move up to fifth and credit to the team too for a well-executed strategy and pit stops. The conditions were extremely tough in the car and I did not feel well physically in the first half of the race. I was able to pull it together and focus on what I needed to do."
The race in Qatar was especially challenging compared to what the drivers have come to expect. After the race, Lando Norris and Lance Stroll talked about how the drivers were passing out with exhaustion and this needs to be prevented in the future.