The teams and the FIA ​​will discuss the heat issue in the Formula 1 cockpit

he TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) It is a forum in which the ten technical directors of the teams and the FIA ​​discuss future rules, and to which the Formula 1 technical chief also contributes, Pat Simmonds.

Following the Qatar Grand Prix, the issue of high temperatures in the cockpit, an issue that had not been on the table until now, was added to the agenda of the virtual meeting scheduled for October 31.

The FIA ​​has already promised to conduct a full analysis of what happened at the Losail Circuit in Qatar and its repercussions.

One challenge is that cooling equipment, whether part of a driver’s kit or the car itself, inevitably adds weight.

He added: “We will talk about this at the next conference.” Simmonds For Motorsport.com. “The FIA ​​is working on this and so am I. It’s not entirely simple.”

“The IndyCars have different ventilation arrangements at different times. They wear really cool gear, which I think weighs a few kilos, it’s not the end of the world.”

“You decide what performance you get from the weight. So, if we’re talking about a few kilograms for a fresh monkey, for example, you can calculate what that costs you in physics.”

“You can’t calculate exactly what you’re earning from the pilot, but there will be a point where you say the pilot will get a bottle he can drink from.”

The teams support efforts to address the temperature condition inside the car.

“I think teams and drivers will have a great ability to have different points of view on different topics,” he said. Zac Brownfrom McLaren F1, when Motorsport.com He asked about the temperature issue.

“But I think when it comes to security, everyone is united, so all the smart people will be brought together in one room to come up with a solution.”

He added: “I think everyone realizes that the situation was not good, so we will have all the right people working together to figure out the best solution, and I am very confident that that will happen.”

Aston Martin team principal Mike Crackwho has experience with cockpit cooling from his time with Porsche At WEC, he also sympathizes with the drivers.

“I think the GPDA and the FIA ​​are in constant exchange, and we will have to see what happens in the coming weeks,” Krak said. “It is true that in other categories there are different devices.”

“So I think in the next few weeks we have to sit down with all the parties involved and come to a good outcome.”

“I think no one is interested in continuing like this and the drivers have to feel more comfortable if we want them to give it their all, and I think we have to work together to achieve that.”

But the head of Mercedes Toto Wolfwas cautious about any solution directly related to the car.

“This was, for me, the most dangerous situation for a driver in terms of heat absorption that I have seen so far,” he said of Qatar.

“And I think there are some hardliners who would say, ‘Well, that’s what the job entails,’ and to some extent, that’s true.”

“You have to be able to practice for these extreme situations, but this was probably a step too big and there was a consensus by the majority of drivers that it couldn’t be repeated.”

“And we have to see if we can find a solution with the FIA ​​and with the drivers to cool the cockpit a little more without making big holes in the cars, which would again raise a situation about what we really have to change and how it affects the technical regulations.” “.

picture: Motorsport pictures

Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of Mercedes-AMG, at the Team Principals’ press conference

“I think it’s not something we want to open, but anyway you have to respect the driver’s position, and it wasn’t good to see.”

haas F1 head, Gunter SteinerHe was also cautious about changes to the cars, especially since the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix is ​​more than a month away, meaning a less heated race.

He added: “I think we should not exaggerate in searching for technical solutions.” “You have to be careful about putting big holes or large devices in the car in a situation that only happens once every 100 years.”

“I think we need to keep our feet on the ground and see whether or not there is a risk, or whether we can avoid it by adjusting the schedule, which I think is the easiest way to do it.”