FIA declares first-ever Singapore Grand Prix warning as drivers face interesting choice | F1 | Sport

The FIA has issued an unprecedented heat hazard warning ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix, with drivers being instructed to wear cooling vests or carry additional ballast in their cars. The Marina Bay street circuit is bracing for temperatures that could surpass 31 degrees Celsius.

In a statement released prior to the race, the FIA confirmed: “In accordance with Article 26.19 of the Sporting Regulations, having received a forecast from the Official Weather Service predicting that the Heat Index will be greater than 31.0°C at some time during the race at this event, a Heat Hazard is declared.”

Teams now face a decision for Sunday’s Grand Prix in light of these regulations. All drivers must have the necessary equipment to operate the cooling vests, but they are not obliged to use them.

However, those who choose not to will need to carry extra ballast on board. “The difference in mass between the driver’s personal equipment normally used and any items of a driver’s personal equipment that form part of the system must be compensated by the fitting of 0.5kg of ballast in the cockpit,” the rules dictate.

Singapore is infamous among both drivers and fans as the most physically demanding race of the year. Cockpit temperatures can soar up to 60 degrees Celsius during the Grand Prix, forcing even the fittest F1 stars to withstand gruelling conditions under their helmets.

In 2024, the Mercedes pair of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell skipped their post-race media obligations after suffering mild heatstroke symptoms. Subsequently, in a Netflix Drive to Survive episode, viewers saw the alarming severity of Russell’s physical ordeal as the British driver battled to control his breathing.

Whilst the sporting rules aim to protect drivers’ safety, not everyone on the grid will welcome the cooling vests’ introduction in Singapore. Before this year’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Haas driver Esteban Ocon voiced worries about the equipment’s practicality. “At the moment, we can’t use the cooling vest,” he explained.

“You have the tubes all around, that’s fine. You have the tubes in the back, that’s also fine. But there is a massive tennis ball on the side, on your hip. If you put it here [on the chest], it’s hurting with the belts. If you put it in the back, you can’t fit in the seat. If you put it on the side, you can’t fit in the seat.

“So yeah, at the moment, it doesn’t work for us, or at least what I’ve tried. And from what I heard from other drivers, it’s very similar. It’s good that FIA have been able to provide us a solution and come up with something. But at the moment, I can’t use it, at least. I’m not talking for the others, but myself and Ollie [Bearman], we can’t use it.”