The 2026 Formula 1 season has thrown the paddock a massive logistical and physical curveball. With the Bahrain Grand Prix relocated to the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia due to ongoing regional conflict, teams are battling suffocating heat and humidity. But for Mercedes, the extreme weather has exposed a frustrating consequence of the sport’s strict financial regulations.
Despite track temperatures hovering around 60°C and cockpit temperatures expected to reach similar brutal heights, George Russell and his teammate, championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli, will not be equipped with the newly regulated driver cooling vests.
Russell: “Like Sitting in an Oven”
Under the latest FIA directives aimed at protecting driver health in extreme heat, teams are permitted to run an active in-car cooling system that pumps chilled liquid through pipes sewn into a fireproof undershirt.
However, Mercedes has reportedly been forced to sideline the technology for this weekend because they prioritized their £163 million ($215 million) budget cap strictly toward major performance upgrades for the W17 challenger.
Speaking to the media, including the Daily Mail, Russell didn’t hold back on the physical toll the team’s financial decision will have on him during Sunday’s race.
“I was sweating sitting on the beach in my shorts and flip-flops,” Russell told the Daily Mail. “Let alone with fireproof underwear, suit and helmet. It will be like sitting in an oven”.
The British driver made it clear that he actively wants the safety equipment, especially with back-to-back high-heat races on the calendar. “I would like to wear the cooling vest this week, and I would like to wear it next week (in Singapore),” he added.
The Technical Trade-Off
The absence of the cooling vest isn’t just a comfort issue; it’s a matter of complex car setup and team dynamics.
To ensure that teams don’t gain a lightweight performance advantage by ditching the safety tech, the FIA mandates that any car running without the cooling system must carry 5kg of dead ballast. For Mercedes, this means they are carrying dead weight rather than functional, temperature-regulating equipment simply because the development resources were spent elsewhere.
As Russell and Antonelli prepare for a grueling stint in the Malaysian heat, all eyes will be on the Mercedes garage to see if the W17’s costly upgrades provide enough of a performance boost to offset the severe physical strain placed on their drivers.
