Formula 1’s United States Grand Prix could be the second event in a row to be designated as a ‘heat hazard’ race.
The Singapore Grand Prix was the first in F1 history to be given such a designation by the sport’s governing body, the FIA, with the initiative brought in as a safety precaution following the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.
That weekend at the Losail International Circuit left drivers seeking medical attention post-race for dehydration and fatigue, with then-Williams driver Logan Sargeant retiring from the race due to sickness created by driving the car in such extreme conditions.
Lando Norris, McLaren, trialing a cooling vest during Spanish Grand Prix practice, 2025. | McLaren Racing
A heat hazard declaration means that drivers either have to wear a cooling vest or add ballast to their cars to replicate the safety system, thus ensuring no weight advantage is gained by not utilizing the system.
While Singapore’s intense humidity was part of the reason for the hazard being declared, along with a 31-degree Celsius [87.8 Fahrenheit] heat forecast under the floodlights, this weekend’s event at the Circuit of the Americas poses a different reason for a potential designation.
Temperatures of as high as 33 degrees Celsius [91.4 Fahrenheit] are forecast for the weekend, but instead of that being under the lights, it will instead be under the Texan sun.
Verstappen against cooling system
Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool
The cooling vests are not yet mandatory, and while they are set to be from next season onwards, not everyone is convinced they are the solution.
While many supported the system, Red Bull driver Max Verstappen explained when speaking in Singapore: “I haven’t used the vest. I’m also not intending to use it. Because I feel like this needs to be the driver’s choice.
“From the FIA side, they will always throw it on safety. But then we can talk about a lot of stuff that can be improved on safety, including pit entries in certain places. I think that has a bit more priority than a vest in the car.
“I don’t like it. I don’t like the tubes that are on you and your body with the belts that go next to you. Then they can say it’s a bad design. I disagree. It just needs to be an option for the drivers to choose.
MORE: Lewis Hamilton Closing In On 43-Year-Old Ferrari F1 Record He Won’t Want To Break
George Russell and Alex Albon comment on FIA’s Driver Cooling System after the Heat Hazard has been declared for the #SingaporeGP 🇸🇬#FIA #F1 pic.twitter.com/5VoqD4raC9
— FIA (@fia) October 2, 2025
“Some like it, some don’t. And that’s fine. It should be a personal preference. I know, of course, this year we can (choose). But probably next year they don’t want to do that. And that is not the right thing.
“The problem also is that in a GT car or any other car, prototype, you have a bit more space to put stuff, or at least cables. “In our cockpits, it’s so narrow that there is no space, or at least not enough space. And that is also a little bit of a problem I find.
“Plus, where are you going to put the dry ice? The cars are not designed really to have this extra kind of space. And within 15, 20 laps, it’s anyway gone. And you have hot water (running through the system).”
The Latest Formula 1 News
Haas Reveals Special One-Off Livery For United States Grand Prix
Mario Andretti Names The Team Charles Leclerc Should Join If He Wants A ‘Risk’
Cadillac Insists Key F1 Preparation Task “Doesn’t Really Matter”
Ralf Schumacher Reveals F1 Team That Could Attempt Oscar Piastri Coup