Singapore GP declared heat-hazard race as F1 turns to cooling vests again
Formula 1 has declared the Singapore Grand Prix a heat-hazard race after forecasts pointed past 31C during the event.
The call makes Singapore the fourth heat-hazard weekend of the 2026 season, and the second in a row. Austria, Bahrain and Italy received the same status earlier this year, according to BBC Sport.
Italy provided the immediate example. Race director Rui Marques confirmed the warning for the race at Monza when forecasts showed temperatures above 31C, with high summer heat still hanging over the country.
A heat hazard is an official tag, not a description. It applies when temperatures are expected to top 31C at some point in the race. The rule was brought in for 2025 and the status can cover a sprint, a grand prix or both, declared 24 hours before the start of competition under FIA regulations.
The tag opens up an option. Teams can fit a cooling aid built around a small tank and pump, usually placed in the nose of the car. It pushes cooled liquid, such as glycol, through pipes stitched into a fireproof top worn under the driver's overalls.
Nobody has to use it. The kit is optional. Drivers who leave it out must carry 5kg of ballast, extra weight added to the car to remove any performance gain from running lighter.
The sport has set money aside for the idea. The FIA allowed teams an extra $50,000 under the cost cap, the championship's spending limit, to develop a system that stays cool for a full grand prix distance. A further $75,000 was allowed for work to make the cooling top comfortable to wear.
Mercedes has decided against running the system in Singapore. That choice stands out because Singapore punished its drivers in 2024, when George Russell and Lewis Hamilton were treated for heat exhaustion after the race.
It will be hot. Singapore runs at night, under lights, but the air stays thick. Temperatures sit around 30C even after dark, with humidity that gives drivers little respite across almost two hours of close walls and constant gear changes.
For fans, this means a different kind of test to watch. Speed still matters. So does who copes best when the cockpit feels like a sauna for lap after lap.
