Indian Grand Prix 2023 presented extreme challenges for riders due to soaring temperatures and oppressive humidity, prompting concerns and complaints from competitors like Pol Espargaro.
Throughout the tournament, the scorching temperatures and high humidity levels made racing conditions incredibly uncomfortable for all participants. These adverse weather conditions led to various issues, with riders expressing their discontent after the initial day of racing. The severity of the situation became evident when organizers had to make adjustments to the race schedules.
IndianOil Grand Prix of India
The sprint race on Saturday, September 23, was shortened by a lap, while the main race on Sunday, September 24, saw a reduction of three laps due to the intense heat and humidity.
Unfortunately, Pol Espargaro’s performance suffered as well. He encountered difficulties, failing to finish one race and achieving subpar results in another. However, Espargaro was not alone in facing challenges; fellow rider Jorge Martin also grappled with severe dehydration post race. Espargaro, known for his outspoken nature, didn’t mince words regarding the harsh conditions.
He voiced his concerns, highlighting the extreme discomfort experienced by riders due to the extreme heat and humidity. As the Indian Grand Prix unfolded, it underscored the importance of considering environmental factors in racing events to ensure the safety and well-being of all participants.
“We cannot face these kinds of conditions, it’s pretty tricky. We just put a sensor on the bike, on the fuel tank. It’s where we breathe in the straights and it was like 65C. So the air is coming toward our body. So you can imagine this is hard.”
“Also because it was one of the longer races on the calendar. Like, for example, in Barcelona we took 38 minutes to make the race and to make this distance here it was about 42.5 minutes. So this was, I think, the longest race on the calendar. So together with the hottest conditions and higher humidity, I think it was too much.”
Pol Espargaro & Riders to Discuss Indian GP in Safety Commission
Pol Espargaro revealed that the riders will discuss the situation in the safety commission meeting and the race may be moved to a slightly later date or whatever is more convenient when the weather is not as extreme. He said:
“We all the riders are going to talk a little bit in the safety commission, in the next one. The bike is a machine, it gets super hot, and this heat comes to [us] as well. So it’s not just the ambient temperature, it’s also the temperature the bike is delivering to the rider.”
“So I believe we are young, we are athletes, we are prepared for many things but this kind of temperature is a little bit over the limit. So maybe it’s so easy to change the calendar a little bit to come in [to races] during better weather conditions. That would be great and it’s possible so we need to think a little bit about it.”
The provisional Indian GP appears to have been pushed back to early October. This should help with the weather, but it also must be noted that India has faced an uncharacteristic heatwave this year that has led to the temperatures rising this much.
