During that weekend, the temperatures were around 32\u00baC (90\u00baF), while the humidity was approximately 70 percent.<\/p>\n
The governing body said afterwards that it \u201cprefers to take material action now to avoid a repeat of this scenario,\u201d and this came in the form of heat hazard declarations and driver cooling aids<\/a>.<\/p>\n Singapore is known for being a tricky race weekend, as drivers navigate the tight confines of the track and the humid conditions.<\/p>\n Temperatures are forecast to reach 31\u00baC (87.8\u00ba F) during the race, which is the bar for declaring a heat hazard. The declaration leaves the teams and drivers with two options \u2014 wear the cooling vest or carry more ballast in their car.<\/p>\n What are the cooling vests?<\/p>\n The FIA, motorsport\u2019s governing body, introduced wearable cooling technology this year. Tubes attached to the fireproof shirt allow cooling liquid to circulate.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s not a guarantee that these systems will always work. After all, mechanisms do fail. Were this to happen, it could lead to higher cockpit temperatures and discomfort, impacting a driver\u2019s health and performance.<\/p>\n In March, NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski\u2019s cooling suit failed at Circuit of the Americas, and he was carried from pit road on a stretcher after finishing the race. His condition improved after receiving IV fluids at the infield care center.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also the concern about whether the cooling substance will melt too quickly. Haas driver Ollie Bearman explained on Thursday how \u201cthe only issue is that if it melts too fast, then you\u2019re just circulating hot water, and then it\u2019s probably heating you more than not wearing it. That\u2019s the trade-off.\u201d<\/p>\n \n Lando Norris is pictured wearing a cooling vest at the Spanish Grand Prix. (Clive Rose \u2013 Formula 1 via Getty Images)<\/p>\n Though it is required in F1\u2019s sporting regulations for teams to ensure all components of the cooling system are functional and available, the drivers aren\u2019t required to wear them.<\/p>\n If they don\u2019t, the teams will need to add ballast to the cockpit \u2014 weights placed strategically around a car to meet a weight requirement while still optimizing handling and balance.<\/p>\n The regulations state: \u201cThe difference in mass between the driver\u2019s personal equipment normally used and any items of a driver\u2019s personal equipment that form part of the system must be compensated by the fitting of 0.5kg of ballast in the cockpit.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018Itchy\u2019 and \u2018a bit uncomfortable\u2019 \u2014 What the drivers say<\/p>\n Despite the predicted temperatures, some drivers would prefer not to use the cooling system this weekend.<\/p>\n Racing Bulls\u2019 Liam Lawson told reporters Thursday, \u201cI probably won\u2019t be running it unless we\u2019re forced to.\u201d He added he found it \u201cnot the most comfortable.\u201d<\/p>\n And he\u2019s not the only one. Ocon said in April during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, \u201cIt\u2019s a good initiative, but unfortunately, I can\u2019t quite use it at the moment. The way the seats are designed and with some of the vests \u2014 it\u2019s very different from what we are currently using. It\u2019s much bulkier and bigger.<\/p>\n \u201cWe would need to redo a complete seat, and I\u2019m not even sure that doing that would still be suitable in corners.\u201d<\/p>\n Six months later, the sentiment regarding the discomfort remains the same. Bearman tried the system during FP1 in Hungary in August and found it was \u201ca bit uncomfortable,\u201d though he would rather use it.<\/p>\n Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton said on Thursday, \u201cI\u2019ve never used it, but I\u2019ll try it. It\u2019s quite uncomfortable. It itches a lot \u2014 not sure I want to drive with an itchy top on.\u201d<\/p>\n \n The road circuit for this weekend\u2019s Singapore Grand Prix. (Roslan Rahman\/AFP via Getty Images)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/GettyImages-2217800278-scaled.jpg\")
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