Driver cooling kit “unusable” in current form

Haas driver Esteban Ocon has cast doubt over the practicality of the FIA’s new cooling vests, designed to help drivers cope with extreme conditions in hot races, claiming that “no one can use” the system in its current form.

The cooling device was introduced following the physical challenges drivers faced during the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix. While it is theoretically ready for use this season, its design has reportedly led to discomfort, making it difficult to implement.

The system consists of cooling tubes integrated into the drivers’ overalls, but the main issue appears to be the connection point where the tubes enter the suit, creating an uncomfortable pressure area.

According to Ocon, the device is currently “unusable.”

“At the moment, we can’t use the cooling vest,” he told the media in Bahrain. “You have the tubes all around, that’s fine. You have the tubes in the back, that’s also fine. But there is a massive tennis ball on the side, on your hip.

“If you put it here [on the chest], it’s hurting with the belts. If you put it in the back, you can’t fit in the seat. If you put it on the side, you can’t fit in the seat. So yeah, at the moment, it doesn’t work for us, or at least what I’ve tried. And from what I heard from other drivers, it’s very similar.

“It’s good that FIA have been able to provide us a solution and come up with something. But at the moment, I can’t use it, at least. I’m not talking for the others, but myself and Ollie [Bearman], we can’t use it.

“The product itself, which is standard, is not usable. It’s too big. You know how tight the seat is in Formula 1 everywhere. Where all the tubes linked up, it’s like a knot of tubes. And that’s why it’s too big.”

For now, drivers have the choice of whether to use the system, but from 2026, the FIA plans to make it mandatory. That gives the governing body time to refine the device, though Ocon believes the options for improvement are limited.

Asked if cockpit seats could be modified to accommodate the system, he was doubtful.

“Well, if you want a seat with a massive hole in it, no. A seat is very difficult to get right. If you do a cut-out like that, you will lose in flexibility massively.

“So the only way I see it improving is if we manage to have less of that knot, or if we come up with a solution where in some road cars, for example, there is air conditioning through the seat, which we do not have to have on the way.”

Ocon also questioned the necessity of making the device compulsory, suggesting that drivers have managed extreme conditions well through fitness training.

“It’s not very needed yet,” he said. “For extreme conditions, I agree, like Qatar, for instance, or sometimes Singapore. But Qatar last year, I spent a week cycling in the sauna before getting to the race weekend – and when I arrived, I was in a jacket. It was so cold, so I was a bit pissed off to prepare so hard for nothing!

Esteban Ocon, Haas F1 Team

Photo by: Haas F1 Team

“I don’t know if there’s going to be more discussion. I reckon nobody’s in a position at the moment to use it. That’s what I believe. I could be wrong, but I think everybody’s struggling to fit in the car with these tubes.

“I think, you know, [we are] happy to have the system on board and add the weight, and if we don’t want to use it, we don’t use it. But at the moment we can’t use it, so… It’s not like if I’m just being a diva and I don’t want to use it! It would be the opposite, actually. I would want to use it, if that was the case. No, it’s just that it’s not fitting.”

With a mandatory introduction set for 2026, the FIA will need to work closely with teams to refine the system and ensure drivers can integrate it into their cockpit designs.