FIA cooling gear rule kicks in for Singapore Grand Prix

Race director Rui Marques declared a heat hazard on Thursday for this weekend's Singapore Grand Prix, triggering a 2025 FIA rule that requires Formula One cars to carry driver cooling equipment when temperatures are forecast to exceed 31 degrees Celsius. The move, the first formal invocation of the regulation, follows forecasts of around 32 C for Saturday and 33 C for Sunday on the Marina Bay street circuit, a venue long noted for its combination of heat and humidity.

Under the rule, teams must install a driver cooling system in the car. The devices are designed to circulate cooled fluid through a vest worn by the driver and include a pump, plumbing and a thermal store that can range from engineered refrigeration elements to a simple ice block. Drivers are not compelled to wear the vest, but even those who do not must have the system's components fitted and carry ballast to offset any weight advantage from omitting the vest. The FIA adjusted minimum weight regulations for 2025 to reflect the equipment, increasing limits for practice and Sprint qualifying and by a larger margin for Sprint races and full Grands Prix.

The regulation was developed after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix,...