F1 News
'Special cooling vests still optional in F1 season 2025, mandatory next year'
Special cooling vests will be introduced in Formula 1 this year, but their use would be optional for now. From 2026, the FIA would start requiring F1 drivers to wear the specially designed shirt in the car to prevent overheating in hot conditions.
Since the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, it became clear that a solution was needed for the issue of overheating in extremely hot conditions. Several drivers became unwell during the race: Esteban Ocon vomited while driving, Lance Stroll briefly lost consciousness after the race and Logan Sargeant even had to abandon the Grand Prix.
'Special cooling vests mandatory in F1 from 2026'
Several solutions were put forward to keep drivers cool in the extreme heat. Initially, a cockpit cooling system was considered, but this solution would have been too complex. Meanwhile, special shirts, equipped with a cooling system, which drivers could wear under their race suits, were said to have been chosen, so reports Autosport.com.
F1 drivers could still choose not to wear the special shirt in 2025, according to reports, but in that case, 500 grams of weight would have to be compulsorily added to the car when racing in extremely hot conditions. The minimum temperature for this would be set at 31 degrees Celsius, measured by various weather stations at the track.
The wearable tech incorporates 50 metres of tubes, which pump cooled fluid around. As the new technology is not currently incorporated into the cars' design, its use would still be optional this year - provided 500 grams of ballast is added, should they opt not to wear it. From 2026, however, the system should become a permanent part of the electric systems in the cars.
This article was written in collaboration with Norberto Mujica.
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