F1 driver is 'suffering' but not allowed to use 'life-changing device' as rules set for major change
A Formula 1 driver has revealed that he is 'suffering' after not being able to use what has been described as a 'life-changing' device.
The 2025 season has already been filled with dramatic moments on and off the track.
Two drivers have already been dropped, with rookie Liam Lawson demoted from Red Bull to sister team Visa Cash App Racing Bulls.
Meanwhile, Australian rookie Jack Doohan was axed after the Miami Grand Prix and was replaced by Franco Colapinto.
Advert
Although two rookies have had it tough, the likes of Kimi Antonelli, Ollie Bearman and Isack Hadjar have shown glimpses of what they are capable of.
However, speaking recently, Haas driver Bearman has revealed that he has been suffering due to FIA rules preventing the use of a 'life-changing' device.
The device in question is a cooling vest, which is set to be mandatory in 2026.
Back in 2023, F1 drivers called for more safety protocols when it comes to racing under hot conditions after Aston Martin driver Lance Stroll said that he lost consciousness while driving and Esteban Ocon revealed that he was sick in his helmut during the gruelling Qatar Grand Prix.
Since then, FIA introduced extra cooling vents in 2024 and in 2025, cooling vests are optional if a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius is reached.
However, Bearman has admitted that he is currently not able to use the cooling vest due to the weight limit.
As reported by Racing News 365, the young Brit said: "I tried it in Jeddah, and it seemed really, really good, so I'm really happy with what they've been able to do to roll that out. But unfortunately, we are not able to run it at the moment as we don't have the weight from the FIA, so we are just waiting for that, but it seems like the threshold is quite high.
"I know that some teams are able to run it normally, as they have the weight margin, but if they never declare it hot enough to race, then only half the teams are getting the benefit, which seems a bit unfair."
Bearman continued: "The original design didn't work for anyone, but now it works pretty well and you do feel it, especially on your back, because you are pushed up against the seat. But the benefit of having cool water, even if it works for 10-15-20 laps, is game-changing, and because Jeddah, for example, is such a hot race, what you don't see is the humidity, the heat.
"It may be 27-28 degrees, but with 60, 70% humidity, with all those layers on, it is really hot and having cool water is life-changing. It really helped me in practice, but unfortunately, we were not able to run it in the race.
"The whole system is too heavy, and we're trying to get the most performance out of the car, we are not trying to make the car lighter to run the cooling vest. Unfortunately, we are going to have to suffer until they change something to allow us to run it more freely, as some teams have the margin to run it."
Marcus Chan