SINGAPORE – Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have expressed their disagreement with the FIA’s proposal to make cooling vests mandatory for Formula 1 drivers in races with high temperatures.
Disagreement at the Singapore Grand Prix
The Singapore Grand Prix, considered a challenge due to the heat, has been the setting for these statements. The FIA has established that cars will carry an additional weight of 5 kg for those drivers who choose to use cooling vests, a measure implemented after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where several drivers suffered from the extreme humidity. During the usual Friday drivers’ meeting, several expressed their rejection of the FIA’s initiative to make this device mandatory in hot races from 2026.Hamilton, who has mentioned that the vest is “irritating” to him, argued that safety should not be the only reason, as there are no cases of drivers dying from overheating in a race, except in extreme situations. For him, the decision to use it should be personal. Verstappen, for his part, also opposed the mandatory nature, stating that the vest feels like “hot tea” after a few laps on the Singapore circuit.I don’t think it should be forced on the drivers.
Lewis Hamilton
Verstappen also pointed out the lack of space in the narrow cockpits of the single-seaters to accommodate the vest and dry ice, and questioned its effectiveness after a few laps. Carlos Sainz, Williams driver and president of the Grand Prix Drivers Association (GPDA), supports that the use of the vest remains optional, as he believes it offers a performance advantage to those who use it.I don’t like it. I don’t like the tubes they put in your body, with the belts that go next to you. It should be a personal choice.
Max Verstappen
I am convinced that it works and helps, although I have run 10 Singapores without suffering physically. They should leave it to the choice of the drivers.
Carlos Sainz
