Top 3 hottest F1 Grands Prix

2 tied. 1955 Argentine Grand Prix: 40 degrees

“Que calor” the seven Argentine drivers must have said to themselves on their home soil on January 16, 1955. The very first round of the fifth season of F1 takes place in the middle of the southern summer at the Buenos Aires Autodromo. 

In those days when it was normal to go full throttle in shirtsleeves, José Froilan Gonzalez achieved pole position with his Ferrari Type 625 with a power of 250 horsepower. Diversity is the key word on the starting grid with four different manufacturers in the top 4: Ferrari, Lancia, Mercedes and Maserati. 

The event is so big that the President of the Republic, Juan Peron, orders the organizers to accept the public along the track, at a crazy proximity for today's standards. 

The immense crowd (200 people according to reporters) exulted from the first round: Juan Manuel Fangio took the lead from third position! However, the fight rages on; his Mercedes W000 was soon overtaken by Alberto Ascari (Lancia). It is soon again the turn of José Froilan Gonzalez to take back his property. What indecision!

It is after a third of effort that the heat will determine the final ranking. Giuseppe Farina, heading towards the pits, exhausted by the 40 degrees. At the time, it was tolerated for a driver to change cars mid-race. Suddenly, Umberto Maglioli replaced him behind the wheel of the Ferrari, time for the 1950 champion to drink. 

Then, José Froilan Gonzalez does the same. While it cools down, Giuseppe Farina returns to the track with his car! The latter will exchange places with the Frenchman Maurice Trintignant. The game of musical chairs affects almost the entire paddock. 

Stirling Moss (Mercedes) is helped to get out of his car after barely an hour. Lying down, he receives a little fresh air from a mechanic who waves a small handkerchief frantically! “I had to take a shower before leaving”, he explained. 

Only two drivers heroically resisted the heat and drove for three hours without leaving their car: Juan Manuel Fangio, winner, and Roberto Mieres (Maserati), fifth. “I thought I was driving through a waist-deep snow bank and I told myself I had to keep running because the snow was freezing me. It worked ", explained a surprisingly fresh Juan Manuel Fangio. 

The end result is particularly croaking. For example, Maurice Trintignant finished second and third, despite having retired with his starting car! Five drivers occupy the podium in total.

The courage of Juan Manuel Fangio is not without consequences. The tenor burns badly on his right leg. This was in contact with the hot chassis due to the presence of the exhaust. It will take three months for the pain to fade, but he will live forever with a burn mark. 

2 tied. 1984 Dallas Grand Prix: 40 degrees

40 degrees, it hits the carafe when you go out to buy bread. But imagine that instead of this T-shirt, you have to wear a thick fireproof suit, a helmet and gloves!

Gently forced to spend two hours harnessed in a cramped and uncomfortable space, your objective is to drive a Formula 1 turbo from the 80's, without any driving aid, along an urban circuit made up of 23 turns, between concrete walls and on melted asphalt from qualifying (66 degrees recorded by Goodyear!). 

This certain idea of ​​hell on Earth was experienced by the 27 drivers of the 1984 Dallas Grand Prix. This is what a lap on the Texas track looked like. And to think that we had to complete 67…

Under the eye of the President of the United States at the time, Jimmy Carter, the departure was exceptionally brought forward by three hours (11 a.m.). This does not help the circuit staff, who have to hastily carry out repair work on the tarmac until 10:30 a.m. 

The green flag is waved by “JR”, the star of the series “Dallas”. In this furnace, pit stops are an ideal place to cool off. So, Piercarlo Ghinzani (Osella) asks his mechanics to pour him a bucket full of frozen water. 

The Dutchman Huub Rothengatter, forced to retire on the 16th lap, rushed into a spectator area and asked for several glasses of water to, according to legend, “cool his private parts”… 

Only eight competitors finished, 14 giving up after an accident with the walls. The winner, Keke Rosberg (Williams), had the good idea of ​​wearing a bandana filled with ice cubes under his helmet. An object which would perhaps have allowed Nigel Mansell (Lotus) not to faint a few meters from the line. It must be said that pushing a 540 kg car under the dodger is not really healthy:

“I was angry, I wanted to push to the end,” the mustachioed man, victim of a gearbox problem, explained. Then everything went dark and I woke up in the hospital, in a bed full of ice. » Or how to give new meaning to the expression “to push through the effort”. F1 never returned to Dallas again. 

1. 2005 Bahrain Grand Prix: 42,5 degrees

If you are looking for a little warmth in all seasons, your best bet is to go to a desert. That's good, F1 decided in 2004 to go to a small archipelago in the Persian Gulf with an arid climate, Bahrain. 

In front of stands filled mainly with VIPs and wealthy people, the second edition broke all records. Despite the relatively early date in the year (April 3), the thermometer is exploding! The departure time, 14 p.m., doesn't help matters. 

The tarmac heats up to 56 degrees. A real challenge arises for the mechanics, because that year, any tire changes are prohibited. The Michelin and Bridgestone must therefore endure a huge stint of 57 laps. 

“It was even hotter than in Malaysia (lower temperature, but higher humidity. Editor’s note), the winner will explain Fernando Alonso (Renault). It's even the hottest race I've ever taken part in. » His great rival Michael Schumacher (Ferrari) was devastated by the mechanics, putting an end to an unprecedented series of 58 consecutive finishes (since the summer of 2001!).