Max Verstappen has voiced firm opposition to the FIA’s plan to make cooling vests mandatory for all Formula 1 drivers from the 2026 season.
Speaking at the Singapore Grand Prix, the senior driver – one of three world champions currently on the grid – criticised the proposal, arguing that the technology is still too uncomfortable and underdeveloped to be imposed on everyone.
The FIA introduced the idea following extreme heat incidents at the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where several drivers suffered severe physical distress.
Esteban Ocon vomited in his cockpit during the race, while Lance Stroll later admitted he was losing consciousness at times due to the punishing conditions.
In response, the FIA declared a heat hazard at this year’s Singapore event, instructing teams to install the necessary equipment to accommodate the vests. The devices use up to 50 metres of tubing that pump cooled water around the body to help regulate temperature.
However, Verstappen and several other drivers have expressed concern that the system remains impractical for racing.
“I haven’t used the vest, I’m also not intending to use it because I feel like this needs to be a driver choice,” Verstappen told media.
“Of course, 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 because I don’t like it. I don’t like the tubes that are on you, on 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, and I know this year we can [not use it] but probably next year they don’t want to do that, and I feel that is not the right thing.
“The problem is that in GT cars or any other cars, prototypes, you have a bit more space to put stuff, or at least put the cables. In our cockpits, it’s so narrow that there is no space – or at least not enough space.
“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 gone, and then you have hot water… or tea.”
