{"id":52101,"date":"2025-04-26T12:30:09","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T12:30:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/52101\/"},"modified":"2025-04-26T12:30:09","modified_gmt":"2025-04-26T12:30:09","slug":"lewis-hamilton-conveys-scepticism-at-new-f1-technical-addition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/52101\/","title":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton conveys scepticism at new F1 technical addition"},"content":{"rendered":"

Lewis Hamilton has conveyed his scepticism at one of Formula 1<\/a>\u2018s new forthcoming technical additions \u2013 the cooling vest system.<\/p>\n

The cooling vests, which will become mandatory next year, are designed to provide drivers relief from scorching temperatures, and stave off health concerns they bring.<\/p>\n

Implementation of the vests will formally come into effect in 2026, as the system will be seamlessly connected to the cars that will be rolled-out as part of the new regulations.<\/p>\n

Usage will be enforced when the ambient temperature reaches 31 degrees, but drivers who opt not to use them will be required to fit a 5kg ballast to compensate for its weight. <\/p>\n

Some drivers are currently experimenting with the devices now, with George Russell signalling a positive stance on his own usage at the Bahrain Grand Prix.<\/p>\n

But in pre-season testing, Haas\u2019 Esteban Ocon claimed that \u201cno one\u201d could use them<\/a> due to its bulkiness and its subsequent compatibility in the cockpit.<\/p>\n

Hamilton, speaking to media including Motorsport Week<\/strong>, said that the physical challenge, including dealing with the heat, is part and parcel of the sport.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve only had two races in my career when it\u2019s been [extreme conditions],\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy first year in Malaysia, my drink didn\u2019t work and I was dehydrated at the end of the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd then\u00a0Singapore\u00a0last year was pretty brutal. But I love that. We\u2019re supposed to be at the top, the highest of the highs in terms of athletes. It needs to be tough.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf anything, the cars today are easier to drive than when I started in F1. They\u2019re a lot heavier.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hamilton added that he has always been methodical about his preparation to prevent such an issue happening in the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to use it if I can avoid it. I want to look at how I can prepare better, how I can use a cooling vest before, how I can pre-cool my body, how I can make sure I\u2019m hydrated. That\u2019s a part of the whole process.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do understand that it\u2019s tough and we don\u2019t want drivers passing out when we go to Qatar, that one race where it was extremely hot for the drivers, which I actually crashed out of, so I didn\u2019t get to do it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s good that they\u2019ve got the technology in there, but for me, it\u2019s not what I want to see in my car. That\u2019s just my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix was a significant milestone in the current move towards cooling vests, with many drivers suffering in the extreme conditions<\/p>\n

Cooling vests to prevent further illness incidents<\/p>\n

The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix was the catalyst for such a debate and rule change, with many drivers suffering under the extremity of the conditions.<\/p>\n

Some were quick to seek medical attention after the race, with Williams\u2019 Logan Sargeant and Ocon \u2013 then at Alpine \u2013 amongst those most badly affected.<\/p>\n

Ocon said that he vomited in his helmet during the race, and Sargeant was forced to retire due to the illness the heat brought on.<\/p>\n

Hamilton was also quick to comment<\/a> then, too, urging F1 to not become \u201ctoo soft\u201d, adding: \u201cMy feeling towards it is\u2026 this is an extreme sport. You don\u2019t have marathon runners who are passing out after the marathon, saying you have got to make it shorter.\u201d<\/p>\n

READ MORE<\/strong>: F1 discusses mechanisms to support trailing power unit suppliers under 2026 rules<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lewis Hamilton has conveyed his scepticism at one of Formula 1\u2018s new forthcoming technical additions \u2013 the cooling…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52102,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4103],"tags":[4199,707,4200,998,79,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-52101","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-f1","8":"tag-f1","9":"tag-formula-1","10":"tag-formula1","11":"tag-lewis-hamilton","12":"tag-sports","13":"tag-uk","14":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114404276635119851","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/52102"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}