Singapore F1 race: So hot, driver suffers burns on his bum, Latest Others News - The New Paper
Sports

Singapore F1 race: So hot, driver suffers burns on his bum

McLaren’s Kevin Magnussen labelled his 10th place finish at the stifling Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday (Sept 21) as the hardest point he earned in Formula One - after he suffered burns from his over-heated car.

The demanding two-hour race along the 23-turn Marina Bay street circuit is always one of the toughest on the calendar.

Evening temperatures hover around 30 Celsius and humidity is high.

As his car struggled to cope, the  21-year-old Danish rookie was seen flailing his arms outside of his cockpit, desperately trying to get cool air down his sleeves and into his overheating suit.

“It was a very, very tough grand prix,” he said.

The hardest point earned

Ranked 12th in the drivers standings, he added: “During the race, I don’t know if there was something wrong with the car but my seat started getting very hot, which made things extremely uncomfortable for me.

“Without that, I think we could have done better than 10th, but at least we got that one point. It’s better than nothing.

“It was the hardest point I’ve ever earned.”


Magnussen held on for 10th position despite having a overheating car that was burning him. Photo  AFP. 

Magnussen had qualified ninth for Sunday’s race. His McLaren team has struggled in 2014 following their double podium at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix where the Dane finished second.

McLaren Racing Director Eric Boullier said the solitary point from the tough weekend was difficult to accept but commended his young driver for completing the 60 punishing laps in such extreme conditions.

“He was subjected to severe bodily discomfort,” the Frenchman said.

“In the end, after an impressively plucky drive in extremely challenging conditions, he was able to score a single point for the team,"he added. 

“It was scant consolation, of course it was, but it’s indicative of his tremendous fighting spirit, and I commend him for it.”

Sources: Reuters, AFP

Formula 1