FIA is planning to test a simple cooling system in the F1 drivers’ cockpits to help them cope with extreme heat. However, Lewis Hamilton has spoken out against this plan to add air conditioning to F1 cars as he thinks it is unnecessary.
The FIA came up with this plan after several drivers had trouble in the very hot conditions at the Qatar GP last year. Some drivers got sick, threw up, or even passed out because of the heat. The motorsport governing body wants to avoid these problems in the future.
They plan to test the new cooling system at the Dutch GP weekend in Zandvoort on one of the cars. If it works well, they might make all teams use it when the weather gets too hot. But, Hamilton said in Hungary per Motorsport.com, “[Air conditioning] It’s not needed. This is Formula 1. It’s always been like this. It’s tough in these conditions.”
The seven-time champion believes that drivers should train hard to handle the heat, especially for races in places like Qatar and Singapore, where one would expect very hot weather conditions.
This season, the races in Imola and Austria besides Hungary have been the hottest with temperatures up to 33 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the Singapore and Qatar weekends will take place in the second half of the season.
Lewis Hamilton says he doesn’t believe F1 needs to introduce a cockpit air conditioning system because “it’s always been tough” ❌
A trial will be conducted on a single car at the Dutch GP. pic.twitter.com/2j7BgPWLKI
— Autosport (@autosport) July 28, 2024
Hamilton thinks F1 drivers are paid highly for a reason and should be able to deal with such heat without extra help. But, this is not the first time the 39-year-old has spoken against one of F1’s innovations.
Hamilton changed his opinion on the halo after it saved his life
When the FIA was first contemplating the idea of introducing the halo ahead of the 2016 season, Hamilton was strictly against it. He even said that the drivers should get the option to choose whether they want to use it or not.
The Briton thought at the time that drivers should realize that they are taking a huge risk every time they get inside an F1 car and they should be okay with it. However, it didn’t take long for Hamilton to change his opinion.
During the 2021 Italian Grand Prix, Hamilton and Verstappen crashed out into turn 1 with the rear right tire of the Dutchman’s car almost landing on the former’s helmet. Without the halo, his neck would have taken the brunt of the damage. That’s when he realized how important the halo was.
Mercedes’ British driver Lewis Hamilton (L) and Red Bull’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen collide during the Italian Formula One Grand Prix in Monza, Italy. One of Verstappen’s wheels could be seen hitting Hamilton’s crash helmet. https://t.co/7PeXG4OPSX pic.twitter.com/eIrNgdnmGg
— ABC News (@ABC) September 13, 2021
“I feel very, very fortunate today,” Hamilton said after the race. “Thank God for the halo which saved me, and saved my neck… If you look at the images of the crash, my head is really quite far forward in the cockpit”.
While Hamilton is against the implementation of air conditioning inside the cars, it would be interesting to hear the opinion of his teammate, George Russell, who is the director of the Grand Prix Driver’s Association (GPDA).
