Leclerc hits back at cooling vest sceptics: 'Some drivers don't want to hear any of it'
Photo: Race Pictures
Tobia is a Formula 1 journalist at GPblog with experience at international circuits. Since 2022, he has covered Grands Prix across Europe, delivering reliable coverage and insights from the paddock.
Charles Leclerc will race with Ferrari's cooling vest at the Singapore Grand Prix, and he has little sympathy for the drivers who turn it down. The Ferrari driver admits the system is not perfect yet. He also suggested that some of his rivals are not even willing to talk about it.
The cooling vest has dominated paddock discussions at Marina Bay since the FIA declared a heat hazard for the weekend. George Russell has voiced his support for the device, while Max Verstappen remains adamant that it is unnecessary.
Now Ferrari has joined the debate, and Leclerc is siding with the drivers who want the vest.
Leclerc: the vest buys 15 to 20 laps
Speaking to GPblog and other media in the Singapore paddock, Leclerc openly acknowledged the limitations of the cooling system, without suggesting that it could last for an entire Grand Prix.
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Of course, I wouldn't say no to an even better vest. But it works pretty well for 15 to 20 laps now.- Charles Leclerc
That limited operating window could prove particularly significant in Singapore, where the Grand Prix runs over 62 laps and can approach the two-hour time limit. Leclerc's estimate suggests that Ferrari's cooling system would remain effective for less than a third of Sunday's race.
However, with Singapore hosting a sprint weekend for the first time, the 21-lap sprint on Saturday presents a different scenario, with the vest potentially lasting for almost the entire distance.
Leclerc says the vest is about performance, not survival
To Leclerc, a partial benefit is still a benefit. He argued that fitness alone does not stop a driver's pace from fading in Marina Bay's heat.
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But at least this way I get to benefit from it for the first 15 to 20 laps, and I'm grateful for that alone. It's not as if I feel that every driver on the grid is fit enough to get through a whole race without a drop in performance.- Charles Leclerc
The Monegasque added that drivers inevitably lose performance as they lose so much fluid, and that the closing stages get tough as a result. He then took a pointed swipe at those who refuse the vest: "That's why I think all drivers want to make the most of it. But obviously, some drivers don't want to hear any of it."
Red Bull pair lead the opposition
Leclerc did not name anyone, but the loudest critics are easy to spot. Isack Hadjar went further than anyone this week: "I think it should be banned. Because it's supposed to be tough," the Red Bull driver told GPBlog in Singapore.
His teammate Verstappen plans to race without the vest: "For me, it's not necessary," the Dutchman said. Leclerc's point about 15 to 20 laps answers Verstappen's complaint that no system lasts a full race: in his view, it does not have to.
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Leclerc's view has also shifted since last year. When the vests made their Singapore debut, Leclerc and Gabriel Bortoleto said they only worked for a number of laps. He still sees the same limitation, but he no longer treats it as a reason to do without.
Leclerc has plenty to fight for this weekend. He arrives in Singapore on 191 points, three ahead of Lando Norris and Verstappen, who are level on 188.
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