Max Verstappen criticises F1's driver-cooling system before the Singapore Grand Prix, the first race to be declared a 'heat hazard'.
Max Verstappen has criticised Formula 1's driver-cooling system before the Singapore Grand Prix, the first race to be declared a 'heat hazard'.
The Red Bull driver, who qualified second to Mercedes' George Russell at Marina Bay, said he was "not intending to use" the cooling vest "because I don't like it".
And he said he was opposed to plans by F1's governing body the FIA to make the use of the cool vest mandatory in heat-hazard races from next year.
Russell said he would run the system, while McLaren's Oscar Piastri, third on the grid, was unsure whether to use it.
The FIA declared the Singapore race a 'heat hazard' because it surpasses an index that combines high temperatures with high humidity.
Temperatures during qualifying were 30C with 70% humidity, with similar conditions expected for Sunday's race at 13:00 BST.
Why Singapore is so demanding - and how drivers try to cool off
Singapore has long been regarded as the toughest race for drivers because of the conditions, combined with a long, bumpy street circuit and the fact it is the longest race on the calendar at close to two hours.
The 'heat hazard' designation has come into play only because the rule was introduced this year. The conditions are more or less identical to those at every Singapore Grand Prix since its inception in 2008, so the drivers are well used to training to ensure they can cope with the conditions.
They also use other methods to keep their core temperature down before climbing into the cars, such as ice baths.
Teams design their own cooling systems but most are similar - a tank of dry ice through which a liquid such as glycol is pumped before running through a tube in a vest worn by the driver.
Why Verstappen does not like vest
Verstappen said he felt the system and the rules that come with it were flawed.
"I haven't used the vest," he said. "I'm also not intending to use it. Because I feel like this needs to be the driver's choice.
"From the FIA side, they will always throw it on safety. But then we can talk about a lot of stuff that can be improved on safety, including pit entries in certain places. I think that has a bit more priority than a vest in the car.
"I don't like it. I don't like the tubes that are on you and your body with the belts that go next to you. Then they can say it's a bad design. I disagree. It just needs to be an option for the drivers to choose.
"Some like it, some don't. And that's fine. It should be a personal preference. I know, of course, this year we can (choose). But probably next year they don't want to do that. And that is not the right thing.
"The problem also is that in a GT car or any other car, prototype, you have a bit more space to put stuff, or at least cables.
"In our cockpits, it's so narrow that there is no space, or at least not enough space. And that is also a little bit of a problem I find.
"Plus, where are you going to put the dry ice? The cars are not designed really to have this extra kind of space. And within 15, 20 laps, it's anyway gone. And you have hot water (running through the system)."
Verstappen's last remark highlights an issue with the system whereby if the dry ice cannot be kept cold for long enough, the fluid in the system takes on the ambient temperature around the tank.
As F1 cars reach temperatures exceeding 40C during races, that means the liquid pumping through the system would make the driver hotter rather than cooler.
But Russell said: "I'll run it. I ran it in a couple of races this year. It isn't the perfect solution yet. And the fact is, you have no testing, you can only test it in a race environment.
"So, the race in Bahrain, I was happy with it. I ran it in Saudi as well. I was happy with it. But, of course, here it is much hotter. The dry ice will melt faster.
"But the team have made big improvements with the car cooling of itself. We recognise some quite major issues of sort of hot air seeping in.
"The cockpit massively exceeded 60C at certain races and just moving a few electronic boxes around and hydraulic lines that are running at 120C around your feet have a major impact on the heat. I'll give you an answer tomorrow (as to whether it worked)."
Championship leader Piastri said: "I still don't know if I'm going to use it. I used it yesterday. I think the problem with the suit is it's great when it works. But if it fails, it's even worse than not having it.
"I think the initiative is good. But, like Max said, I think having the choice to use it or not is important because there are benefits and downsides."
The split in the top three is expected to be reflected up and down the grid.
McLaren poised for constructors' win
Piastri leads the championship by 25 points from team-mate Lando Norris, who qualified two places behind the Australian.
Verstappen is the only other vaguely realistic title contender, and is 69 points behind Piastri.
McLaren are poised to clinch their second consecutive constructors' title on Sunday. They will do so unless Mercedes outscore them by 31 points or Ferrari by 35.
It will be one of the earliest times a team has clinched a constructors' title, matching Red Bull doing it with six races remaining in 2023.
But it marks the third consecutive race weekend in which McLaren have not shown the same level of competitiveness as earlier in the season.
Team principal Andrea Stella said he believed the reason was a combination of McLaren's car not performing as well as others at circuits where lap-time effect is dominated by braking and traction with short-duration corners and bumps, and the team stopping development relatively early while others have continued to progress.
Overtaking is difficult in Singapore, but McLaren have proven to have an advantage on tyre usage, especially in hot conditions.
But Norris, who took a dominant win in Singapore last year, said he expected a difficult race.
"You've got to be one second a lot quicker to overtake and no-one's one second a lot quicker," he said
"When you're the leader around here, it's quite easy, as I found out last year. It's a different story for me tomorrow. I have to try and make up some big places. With a car that's not as quick. I'm on the back foot a little bit, but it's a new day, so I'm optimistic. We can still try and get a few positions."
Asked about the importance of trying to beat Piastri to boost his title bid, Norris said: "It's just points. I'm fifth, so not a lot of points. I'm behind the people I need to be behind.
"I've got nothing to worry about. I've just got to try and get my head down. It's not an easy track to overtake on. That's why today's a bit frustrating, of course. I'm not the happiest about today from my own performance."
Category: General Sports
