Singapore haze adds new concern before GP
"It doesn’t seem like the healthiest air to breathe"
Air pollution has emerged as a significant issue ahead of the Singapore GP, with smoke from major Indonesian wildfires pushing conditions into the unhealthy range.
The FIA says the situation is being monitored closely but does not currently expect the haze to threaten track activity.
Carlos Sainz, a GPDA director, admitted the conditions are less than ideal.
"I’ve been reading, and it doesn’t seem like the healthiest air to breathe considering the pollution from the Indonesian fires," said the Williams driver.
"We trust what the authorities say, although I’m not sure they recommend exercising outdoors."
He added: "In this sport, when you’re competing, you’re breathing in the exhaust fumes from the car in front. We like the smell of gasoline, although in this case, pollution or haze is a different matter."
Lewis Hamilton said he had noticed little apart from the visibility problems on arrival.
"I didn’t notice anything unusual out there - apart from the fact that we had trouble landing because of the smoke," he said.
Fernando Alonso was also relaxed about the impact on the cars and drivers.
"The cars shouldn’t have any problems with the smoke," said the Aston Martin driver. "And we drivers are well prepared."
"It will be a tough race, but the smog shouldn’t be a problem. It’s mainly the heat and humidity that will give us trouble in the race."
Valtteri Bottas had an especially close view after cycling into Singapore from Malaysia.
"The weather gradually worsened on the journey from there," he revealed.
"When I arrived here in Singapore, it really wasn’t great. Nevertheless, I don’t feel it’s extremely bad."
"I won’t be wearing a face mask."