No amount of training can fully prepare F1 drivers for grueling races such as Singapore. That is what Mercedes’ George Russell experienced firsthand last year. Despite training for a month to prepare for the race, the Briton found it incredibly difficult to take the stifling heat.
With Netflix having released season seven of Drive to Survive, fans are getting to see some of the unseen clips from last season. In episode seven — In the Heat of the Night — Russell can be seen discussing how “brutal” the Singapore GP was with one of his team members while returning to the Mercedes garage.
“I don’t feel good,” Russell told his Mercedes team member, who replied that “Everybody’s struggling,” presumably to console him that he was not the only one. With Russell being drenched in sweat, the first thing he did was lie in the ice bath to cool down his body.
That is when he shed more light on the extreme weather conditions. “It was 60 degrees (140 degrees F) in there”, the Mercedes driver told his girlfriend, Carmen Mundt, who was seated beside him to support him.
“My body totally overheated,” Russell then added before shockingly revealing that he lost a whopping 4 kgs (8.8 lbs) after the Singapore GP alone. Even though drivers know that they will lose weight during the two-hour long race in Marina Bay due to the heat, they cannot help but feel completely exhausted after the race.
| DTS Episode 7 Preview:
“Russell appears to have a panic attack following heat stroke-type symptoms after the Singapore GP”
Ignoring how invasive it is to record this, it also highlights how unsafe it is for drivers to keep driving in these conditions without change.#F1 pic.twitter.com/3wjwS7PlUp
— The Russell Report (@sixtythreenews) March 4, 2025
Russell gasping for breath in the behind-the-scenes footage in DTS reflects how grueling it can get for all drivers. In fact, even his Mercedes teammate, Lewis Hamilton, couldn’t bear the sweltering heat. Eventually, both drivers ended up missing their post-race press duties.
Lando Norris expresses his agitation with Russell and Hamilton skipping media duties
Usually, all drivers are mandated to attend their press duties after each race, but understanding the situation in Singapore, the FIA permitted both Mercedes racers to skip it. However, with all the other 18 drivers attending their media duties, it was unsurprising that some of them were agitated.
While streaming, McLaren’s Norris furiously said, “Toto Wolff issues health update on Hamilton and Russell? F**king hell, it’s tough for everyone! What do they think that they’ve… Everyone’s got heatstroke if they’ve got heatstroke”.
While Norris may feel that it was unfair for both Mercedes drivers to be granted permission to skip media duties, intense heat at some races is indeed a major concern. With several drivers having complained about the same at the 2023 Qatar GP as well, the FIA is set to introduce some new rules from this season onwards.
Lando Norris questions Mercedes drivers’ Singapore GP media absence: ‘It’s tough for everyone’:
– Lando Norris has raised concerns about Mercedes drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell skipping post-race media duties in Singapore, saying the tough conditions affected everyone… pic.twitter.com/VwfmmcXaaV
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) September 25, 2024
Taking note of drivers’ concerns at races such as Qatar and Singapore, the FIA has decided to introduce a new cooling system for the 2025 season. Teams will be permitted to use this device when the forecasted temperatures are in excess of 30.5°C (86.9 F).
The cooling system is essentially a battery-powered cooling vest that will pump a coolant around the driver’s body. Per the regulations, “The cooling medium within the driver’s equipment may only be air, water, or an aqueous solution of sodium chloride, potassium chloride or propylene glycol”.
