Drivers welcome ‘cooling vest’ for the Singapore Grand Prix

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc claims that drivers will assess during the practice sessions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix whether they will need to use the cooling vest for this weekend’s race at the Marina Bay Circuit.

Ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Formula One’s governing body, the FIA has declared the race a ‘Heat Hazard’ weekend. It means that drivers might use the cooling vest at the Marina Bay Circuit.

The cooling vest circulates cold liquid though tubes to maintain body temperature. The device adds additional weight to the car, but drivers who elect not to use it will need to add extra ballast to their cars for the race.

The regulation was introduced after drivers suffered exhaustion in the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix.

"Having received a forecast ... predicting that the Heat Index will be greater than 31 degrees Celsius at some time during the race at this event, a Heat Hazard is declared," motorsport's governing body said in a statement on Thursday (Oct 2).

Asked to reveal how he has prepared himself for the Singapore Grand Prix, Charles Leclerc denied that he trained more for this weekend, albeit he admitted that he slightly adjusted his preparation to cope with the special demands of the Marina Bay Circuit.

„I didn’t change my physical preparation for the weekend. Yes, we are doing… at least on my side, yes, I do things a bit more specific for Singapore, but my goal is to be as fit as possible from the first race to the last race.

„It’s not like I start training more for Singapore because I’m training as hard as I can over the season. Maybe you do some sauna sessions before Singapore, which helps acclimation with the heat.

„The only thing that changes with what the FIA announced is we now have the choice to run the cooling vest, which is something we’ll consider and keep in mind throughout free practices in case it’s way too warm in the car.

„I don’t expect this weekend to be harder than last year, and last year was very warm and very tough, but it was still doable. It’s something I will keep in mind for sure,” concluded Leclerc.

Williams driver Alexander Albon revealed he is a supporter of the cooling vests and he has gained some valuable experiences with it as the Grove-based outfit experimented with the driver cooling device last year.

„I think it’s a nice thing that we’ve got a choice at least to use this cooling vest or not. Different teams have different solutions, and within the cooling vest itself there are different ways to make it work.

„I don’t see it as a bad thing—and I think it’s safe. It’s a good thing; it’s another step forward in terms of making all drivers comfortable. It’s likely I’ll be using it for this weekend.

„As a team, Williams, we started using it early last year, experimenting, so I think we’ve got a good grasp of how to make it efficient and work for us and make it comfortable.

„In terms of preparation, it’s not like I’m taking the cooling vest in the sauna with me—still preparing like normal. I work a bit more than maybe other drivers on it just because I feel the heat quite a lot.”