Verstappen criticises cooling vest but Russell will ‘run it’

Before the first race to be labeled a “heat hazard,” Max Verstappen has criticized Formula 1’s driver-cooling system.

The Red Bull driver said he didn’t intend to use the cooling vest because he didn’t like it because he placed second behind George Russell of Mercedes in Marina Bay.

And he claimed that the FIA’s plans to require the use of the cool vest starting next year were unsupported.

Oscar Piastri, McLaren’s third-place grid, was unsure whether to use the system, whereas Russell said he would run it.

The Singapore race was deemed to be a “heat hazard” by the FIA because it exceeded an index that combines high humidity and high temperatures.

Due to the conditions, a long, bumpy street circuit, and the fact that it is the longest race on the calendar, which is close to two hours, Singapore has long been considered the toughest race for drivers.

Only because the rule was implemented this year, has the “heat hazard” designation come into play. The drivers have been well-versed in the training to ensure they can deal with the conditions because the conditions have been at least somewhat the same since the start of the Singapore Grand Prix in 2008.

Before entering the cars, they also use ice baths and other techniques to maintain their core temperature.

Verstappen claimed that the system and the accompanying regulations were flawed.

He continued, “I haven’t used the vest.” “I don’t intend to use it either,” I said. Because I believe the driver should decide this.

They will always throw it on safety, according to the FIA. However, there are many areas that could be improved on safety, including pit entry in specific locations. That, in my opinion, has a little more priority than a car vest.

“I dislike it,” I said. I dislike your body and the belts that attach to you, both on top of yours. Then they can claim that the design is poor. I disagree. The drivers simply need to have a choice in this regard.

Some people approve, while others disagree. That is acceptable. It should be your personal preference. Of course, we can (choose) this year, I am aware. But they probably won’t want to do that the following year. And doing that is wrong.

The issue is that there is a little more room for cables in a GT car or any other prototype.

It’s “in our cockpits” that there isn’t enough space, or at least not enough space because it’s so constricting. And I have a small problem with that.

Where will you also place the dry ice, plus? This extra space is not actually what the cars are designed for. And it’s still gone after 15 or 20 laps. And the system is running hot water.

Verstappen’s most recent comment brings up a problem with the system, which is that the dry ice takes on the tank’s ambient temperature if it can’t be kept cold for a long enough period of time.

The driver would become hotter rather than cooler as the temperature in F1 cars exceeds 40C during races.

However, Russell continued, “I’ll run it. This year, I participated in a few races. Not yet, it is the ideal solution. You can only test it in a race environment, which is a fact.

I was pleased with the Bahrain race, then. I also ran it in Saudi Arabia. I liked it a lot. However, it’s still much hotter here, of course. The faster melting of dry ice

“But the team has significantly improved the car’s self-cooling system. We are aware of some significant issues that are essentially a source of hot air.

The cockpit significantly exceeded 60C during some races, and moving a few electronic boxes around and running at 120C hydraulic lines around your feet can significantly affect the heat. Tomorrow, I’ll let you know whether it worked.

Piastri, the champion of the championship, said, “I still don’t know how to use it.” Yesterday I used it. The suit, in my opinion, is great when it works. But failing makes it even worse than not having it.

“I think the initiative is good,” I think. However, having the option to use it or not is important because there are advantages and disadvantages, as Max said.

Lando Norris, who finished second behind Piastri, is in command of the championship with 25 points, ahead of Piastri.

Verstappen is the only other speculatively plausible title contender, trailing Piastri by 69 points.

On Sunday, McLaren are on track to win their second consecutive constructors’ title. If Ferrari or Mercedes cannot be outscored by 31 points, they will.

With only six races left in 2023, a team will have won the constructors’ title, making it one of the earliest instances of its kind.

However, this is the third consecutive race weekend for McLaren to exhibit less competitiveness than they did earlier in the season.

The team stopping development relatively early while others have continued to advance, according to team principal Andrea Stella, who said he thought 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.

In Singapore, overtaking is challenging, but McLaren has shown to be more efficient with tire usage, particularly in hot weather.

However, Norris, who won in Singapore last year, said he anticipated a challenging race.

No-one is one second quicker than you, he said, and you have to be one second quicker to overtake them.

“It’s quite simple when you’re the leader in this place, as I discovered last year. Tomorrow will be a different story for me. I need to arrange some large square footage. Compared to a car, it’s slower. Although it’s a new day, I’m a little on the back foot. We can still try to fill a few spots.

When asked how important it was to defeat Piastri in order to raise his title bid, Norris responded, “It’s just points.” Not many points, given that I’m fifth. I need to be there for the people I need.