F1 chiefs plan emergency rule change after “toughest ever” threat to drivers
The FIA has changed F1 rules to require teams to take extra measures to keep drivers cool in extreme conditions after several calls for medical attention following the Qatar Grand Prix.
Formula 1 teams will have to take extra measures to keep drivers cool during races in extreme heat as the FIA plans to grant its own emergency powers.
This follows last month’s Qatar Grand Prix, where a combination of factors led to extreme heat for the drivers during the race. Several people needed medical attention after the race, when Logan Sargeant was forced to retire and Esteban Ocon vomited in his helmet.
The FIA has launched an investigation to mitigate such scenarios in the future. Last week, the F1 committee agreed that teams will install small buckets in their cars next year to channel cold air into the cabin.
However, governing bodies are not limited to that. He intends to challenge future powers with emergency powers to make changes if such an emergency arises again.
Nicolas Tombazis, the FIA’s director of single-seaters, said: “This adds extra weight to the car – perhaps as much as 2kg – which the driver has to carry and use to keep him cool. This makes solutions like cooling vests possible.\”
Responding to the suggestion that some teams could try to capitalize on this change, he added: “We need to work out some details, but I want to be clear that this is not something that will be available in any form. Incredible benefits. .
“It’s really for [cooling], it’s essential. So you could put ballast on the seat, but that would be a bit silly because we’ve seen drivers make mistakes in the final part of the race, like in Qatar. “I don’t think it’s in the team’s best interest to ignore it.”
Ocon was one of many drivers who said after the Qatar race that conditions were the most difficult of his racing career. alpine runner: “Yeah, I did two laps around lap 15 or 16. So I thought, ‘Damn, this is going to take a long time.’ \’.\”
Charles Leclerc agreed: “It was the hardest race of our career. There is a lot involved. It will be a tough race due to the extreme heat. Second, there are a lot of fast turns, and third, I think the most important thing is the 3 stops.
“We all talked about tires. But I think I underestimated that this meant more stress in fast corners. Usually no. It’s hard to put into words how hard it was. It was twice as difficult as previous races like Singapore. “We have to be careful and think about whether we need to come here at different times of the year and that will be the case next year.”
