Hungarian heatwave puts F1 driver safety in focus

This year's Formula One race at the Hungaroring is set to be impacted by the current heatwave sweeping across Europe. Temperatures of up to 31 Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) are expected on race day, July 21, which will impact all involved.

Hungarian authorities and race organizers will have to be prepared to provide enough free water and plenty of shaded areas for the hundred of thousands of fans expected to attend over the course of the weekend. Having medical provisions on site will also help. But what about the drivers?

"I think that in terms of racing car drivers, we aren't really considering the risk enough," climate scientist and extreme heat researcher Dr. Chloe Brimicombe explained to DW.

"There isn't that much research on the effects of heat on racing car drivers, but also on those working in pit stops. The combined effect of working in a pit stop, whith the air pollution and heat you're exposed to, is something that really needs to be taken into account. I feel like Formula One would be the sort of organization that could spearhead that and show they're protecting their staff members. It would be really positive for other industries to see that they're doing that."

Heat of an F1 cockpit

In Formula One cars, the cockpit gets really hot. This is because of the electronics, the aerodynamic design and the placement of the engine (behind the cockpit). Mercedes driver George Russell admitted that after the infamous 2023 Grand Prix in Qatar, the cockpit temperature had been closing in on 60 Celsius (140 Fahrenheit) during the race. Tire supplier Pirelli said the track temperature did not drop below 36C during the night race.

This takes an enormous toll on the drivers, who can lose up to four kilograms in body weight during races. All of this while they are wearing overalls thickened for safety reasons since 2020 — Russell labeled them "like wearing a fleece" — and coping with heavy physical strain and high g-forces.

That combination is what made the aforementioned Qatar Grand Prix a punishing event for the drivers. Alpine's Esteban Ocon revealed he had vomited inside his helmet because of the extreme temperature, while Aston Martin's Lance Stroll said he had been in danger of losing consciousness. "It was beyond the limit of what is acceptable," Russell said afterwards.

At the time, Grand Prix Drivers' Association chairman Alex Wurz said F1 must address the issue, suggesting teams should look into cooling seats and better insulation.

The F1 Commission subsequently approved the creation of a small additional duct to channel fresh air into the cockpit, and motorsport's governing body the FIA is now also able to trigger an emergency declaration to help drivers.

But concern remains. For all the training drivers do to handle strain, g-forces and temperature, heat fatigue is not a question of race fitness.

"If someone is trained and athletic, we know that allows the [temperature tolerance] threshold to rise, as well as for protective clothing, but it's not by that much," Brimicombe said. "I think it was at most five degrees if you're trained and wearing protective clothing. Putting in a cooling seat would be great, but I think the question is also what are we happy for people to do for entertainment, right? Are we happy to push people to their limits and not know what the health effects are, both after a race and when they finish driving? I think that's the issue. We don't know what those effects are."

Driver impact

Brimicombe explains that research investigating different cooling measures for helicopter pilots in the army showed there was still a limit to what the human body can endure, even with the presence of cooling seats and cooler clothing.

"I think it would also be good for people to actually understand climate change as well, because it's such a big platform," Brimicombe said.

"A lot of people watch it, maybe people that weren't necessarily engaged with climate change beforehand, and I think it would be wonderful for Formula Oneto engage people on the heat stress debate and emissions. I know that they are trying in some way to look at the emissions, but I think it would be fantastic for their image because they can show they're leading the way and doing leading research into heat, which they're not doing at the moment."

It's high time more research was done on heat in Formula One, not just because of driver safety but because heatwaves look set to become a more frequent event that wider society will have to contend with. If sport can lead the way, then the positives can extend beyond the track.

"We not only know at the moment that heatwaves are growing in intensity, lasting longer, but also the area affected every time that they occur also appears in some sense to be growing. So the number of people exposed appears to be growing now as well. I think sport will have to make changes," Brimicombe explained.

"I think sport should be used as a platform to make changes in other areas. It could be used as a way to change heat safety thresholds in international standards, it could be used to change labor laws, all of these things. And sport really has a platform to do that in a way that some other industries don't, because it does have so much publicity and sponsorship behind it."