Overview
- The FIA declared its first Formula 1 heat hazard for the Singapore Grand Prix, requiring teams to fit the car-side cooling system while leaving vest use optional for 2025.
- Drivers who choose not to wear the vest currently carry an additional 0.5kg of ballast to maintain competitive parity.
- Max Verstappen said he will not use the vest in Singapore and called making it compulsory “ridiculous,” citing discomfort, limited cooling duration and cockpit packaging issues.
- Lewis Hamilton echoed that the vest should remain a personal choice, while George Russell reported benefits from using it at earlier hot races; Carlos Sainz favors keeping it optional and Oscar Piastri remains unconvinced.
- The FIA says any mandate from 2026 is under consideration rather than decided, with further consultation underway following a split drivers’ briefing in Singapore.