Overview

• Singapore was declared the season’s first heat hazard, requiring teams to install car-side cooling equipment while leaving vest use optional for 2025.
• FIA single-seater chief Nikolas Tombazis said the governing body may keep vests voluntary in 2026 after further medical reports and discussions with the GPDA.
• Max Verstappen opposes a mandate, arguing the vest should be a personal choice and highlighting cockpit packaging issues, uncomfortable tubing, and short-lived dry-ice cooling.
• Lewis Hamilton backed keeping the vest optional, calling a mandate “silly” and saying drivers should decide when the system is comfortable and beneficial.
• George Russell supports the technology, noting he used it in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and said teams have reduced cockpit heat by relocating components that radiate hot air.