‘You need to kill me to retire’ - Ocon wasn’t prepared to stop despite "hell”

The Alpine driver said he had vomited several times in his helmet but still managed to finish seventh as extreme conditions made for a gruelling race in Qatar. 

Several drivers required medical attention after Sunday’s race, which took place in temperatures in excess of 30C and high humidity. 

Williams driver Logan Sargeant retired because he could not cope with the conditions any longer after reporting he felt unwell. 

“I never felt something like that, it was so hot that I wanted to open the visor on the straight-line because I had no air,” Ocon is quoted as saying by RaceFans. 

“I was trying to also guide with my hands some air into the helmet because I couldn’t. 

“The more I was breathing to try and get everything lower, the more heat was coming inside the helmet and honestly it was hell in there.”

While Ocon admitted the conditions were like nothing he has ever experienced before, the Frenchman said he was not prepared to stop, no matter how ill he felt.

“It’s not an option, retiring,” he stressed. “I was never going to do that. You need to kill me to retire.”

The FIA has vowed to take action to help F1 deal with extreme weather and ensure driver safety in future events. 

Next year’s Qatar race will take place six weeks later, on December 1.