Overview
- The FIA declared the Singapore weekend a heat hazard on Thursday, permitting teams to fit liquid‑cooled vests or allow drivers to opt out and carry a 0.5kg ballast to keep grid weight parity.
- Drivers remain sharply divided with Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar calling for the vests to be banned while George Russell publicly urged collective action to make the systems work and said he would use them regularly if reliable.
- Teams report practical failures and discomfort with current designs, noting that pumped coolant commonly loses effectiveness after about 20–40 minutes, tubing can be intrusive in tight cockpits and pumps or plumbing have failed in sessions.
- The FIA has offered targeted development allowances—reported as about $50,000 for a full‑race proof system and a further $75,000 for solving comfort issues—but squads split on priorities with Williams cited as having an effective unit and Mercedes choosing to prioritise car upgrades over vest development.
- The debate ties back to extreme heat incidents such as Qatar 2023 and Singapore 2024 and could lead to tougher regulation, a shared supplier or continued voluntary use depending on whether teams collectively deliver a durable, comfortable system.