Singapore Grand Prix Labeled ‘Heat Hazard’ With F1 Drivers Bracing For Brutal Temps

Formula 1 is headed to Singapore this weekend for a race around the Marina Bay Street Circuit that is known to be one of the most physically demanding on the calendar.

Race director Rui Marques is calling it a ‘heat hazard,’ with ambient temps expected to top 88°F all weekend long.

That may not sound that bad, but Singapore is notorious for its high humidity. Then, on top of that, there's the fact that it gets hot in the cockpit in general, thanks to the 1.6-liter, turbocharged V6 hybrid power units. That's a recipe for an excruciatingly hot day at the office.

Plus, to top it off, the circuit has 19 turns, meaning drivers get a workout even if they weren't working in sweltering temps.

According to the Associated Press, the "heat hazard" means teams will have to run cooling equipment in their cars. This is part of some new rules for 2025, which come as the FIA puts a focus on cooling gear after the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, during which a few drivers needed medical attention because of the heat.

The gear consists of a vest that the driver wears, which has a series of tubes through which cooling fluids are pumped.

Any race around Singapore's Marina Bay Street Circuit is physically demanding, but even more so when it's hot. (Photo by ROSLAN RAHMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

However, while teams have to set their cars up to use them, it's up to the driver whether or not they wear them. The drivers who don't use the vests will have ballast added to compensate.

Got to keep it fair.

I think I'd wear one without question, but Mercedes driver George Russell — who is still fighting back from an illness over the Azerbaijan Grand Prix Weekend — said that the vest can get uncomfortable when the tubes press against his ribs at high speeds.

So, I guess it's up to drivers to pick their poison this weekend: finish the race with sore ribs or sweat their brains out from the formation lap until the return to parc fermé at the end of the race.