Pit Stop | As pollution threatens Singapore Grand Prix, the future of Lotus is almost as murky
As haze threatens the city-state’s grand prix, one of sport’s oldest teams is also set for a murky future after burning through cash
The Southeast Asian haze. It has been enough to send expats back home and locals scurrying indoors for cover. Now it’s threatening to disrupt the Singapore Grand Prix.
Indonesian farmers have been burning off forests for agriculture, as they have done for years. It’s a dramatic illustration of the retreat of the rainforest in the area, but it’s also having unwanted effects in the city state.
Other sports have been postponed because of the air quality, and organisers are keeping a close eye on the situation. It’s ironic that a sport that isn’t exactly environmentally friendly might have such problems.
It’s not the first time the issue has affected grand prix. There are constant concerns in our neck of the wood about air quality at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, and a couple of years ago the Indian Grand prix was delayed by 20 minutes because it was so smoggy the medical helicopter was grounded.
Let’s hope that proceedings this weekend go ahead as normal. The problem with the haze though, is that as well as threatening people’s health, there is an issue of visibility. Run at night under floodlights, any smog would be a real issue for the drivers, and a bit of a pain for spectators both at the track and watching on television.
What the organisers could do with is a stiff breeze to blow the haze away. Even the clever people in Formula One can’t organise that.
