F1 News: FIA Makes Change To 2024 Cars After Driver Complaints

The FIA has taken measures to improve driver safety in F1 by introducing a rule for enhanced cockpit cooling, effective from 2024.

In response to the health concerns following the Qatar Grand Prix due to extreme heat, the FIA has announced a significant rule change. This new regulation, aimed at improving cockpit cooling, will be implemented in 2024.

Key Takeaways:

• In light of the harsh conditions faced at the Qatar GP which left some of the drivers needing medical attention, a small scoop designed to direct cool air into the cockpit will be added beneath F1 cars from 2024, as approved by the F1 Commission. 
• The FIA, through Nikolas Tombazis, has disclosed a new emergency protocol for situations with extreme weather. This protocol involves an increase in the minimum weight of cars, mandating the use of the added weight for additional cooling equipment for drivers.
• While the raised minimum weight could be misused for strategic benefits, Tombazis has emphasised its sole purpose for driver cooling. He pointed out the impracticality of misusing the weight, referencing the performance struggles of drivers in Qatar's heat.

The FIA's recent decision to improve driver safety in Formula 1 races comes after the serious health issues faced by drivers at this year's Qatar Grand Prix due to the intense heat. To combat this, a new rule has been set to introduce a cooling device under the cars to help regulate cockpit temperature, which will take effect from the 2024 season.

Nikolas Tombazis, the FIA’s head of single-seater categories, elaborated on an emergency measure that would be activated under extreme weather conditions. This measure will allow for an increase in the minimum weight of the cars, specifically to accommodate additional cooling equipment for the driver.

Tombazis explained to Autosport:

“This will give an extra bit of weight for the cars, something like probably two kilos, which will be mandatorily put on and mandatorily [must be] used for the purpose of cooling the driver. So, that will enable solutions such as cooling vests.”

To ensure the additional weight is used appropriately, Tombazis addressed the potential for teams to leverage it for competitive advantages rather than its intended purpose. He stressed the necessity of using this weight specifically for cooling, adding:

“We need to work out some of the details, but we want to make it clear that it's not something that you can use for any form of dodgy advantage. It's really for the purpose of [cooling] and it's mandatory.

"So therefore, you could put the ballast in the seat, but you'd be a bit of an idiot because, like in Qatar, we saw drivers towards the latter part of the race make mistakes. I think that it is clearly not in the teams' interest [to ignore it].”