Cockpit temperatures above 50C once left drivers falling ill and in need of medical attention. Ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, Red Bull's French driver Isack Hadjar has called for cooling vests to be banned outright. "I think it should be banned... It is supposed to be tough," Hadjar told the media, leaving no doubt about his position. The device circulates cold fluid through tubes built into a fireproof vest, yet many drivers have serious doubts about how well it works. The International Automobile Federation (FIA) introduced the regulation after several drivers came close to passing out in the unbearable heat at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
Under the current rules, teams are obliged to fit a cooling system to the car when the heat index exceeds 31C, although wearing the vest is left to the driver. Any driver who turns the vest down must carry an extra 0.5kg of ballast in the cockpit. Like Hadjar, Max Verstappen has rejected the system because it restricts his movement, while George Russell is calling for its use to be made compulsory. Last season, at the race in Texas, the pump on Kimi Antonelli's car failed, sending hot water through his vest and leaving him with heatstroke.
