Ocon: At the moment, we can't use the cooling vest

The FIA started working on a driver cooling system following the 2023 Qatar Grand Prix, where several drivers suffered from the extreme heat and humidity, some even pulling out before the race was over, like Logan Sargeant, who was driving for Williams then.

Lance Stroll passed out briefly while Ocon vomited in his helmet, but the latter insists that the system, which the FIA will introduce in 2025 as an option for drivers, is not usable.

Asked about the cooling vest, which will be mandatory from 2026 onwards, Ocon told the media over the course of the Bahrain pre-season test: "At the moment, we can't use the cooling vest.

"You have the tubes all around; that's fine. You have the tubes in the back; that's also fine. But there is a massive tennis ball on the side, on your hip.

"If you put it here [on the chest], it's hurting with the belts. If you put it in the back, you can't fit in the seat. If you put it on the side, you can't fit in the seat.

"So yeah, at the moment, it doesn't work for us, or at least what I've tried. And from what I heard from other drivers, it's very similar.

"It's good that the FIA have been able to provide us a solution and come up with something. But at the moment, I can't use it, at least. I'm not talking for the others, but myself and Ollie [Bearman], we can't use it.

"The product itself, which is standard, is not usable. It's too big. You know how tight the seat is in Formula 1 everywhere. Where all the tubes linked up, it's like a knot of tubes. And that's why it's too big," Ocon explained.

Ocon said: "Well, if you want a seat with a massive hole in it, no. A seat is very difficult to get right. If you do a cutout like that, you will lose in flexibility massively.

"So the only way I see it improving is if we manage to have less of that knot, or if we come up with a solution where, in some road cars, for example, there is air conditioning through the seat, which we do not have to have on the way."

The French driver went on to question the need for such a system in the first place, especially as the Qatar Grand Prix timing in 2024 meant the weather was not that bad.

"It's not very needed yet," he continued. "For extreme conditions, I agree, like Qatar, for instance, or sometimes Singapore. But Qatar last year, I spent a week cycling in the sauna before getting to the race weekend—and when I arrived, I was in a jacket. It was so cold, so I was a bit pissed off to prepare so hard for nothing!

"I don't know if there's going to be more discussion. I reckon nobody's in a position at the moment to use it. That's what I believe. I could be wrong, but I think everybody's struggling to fit in the car with these tubes.

"I think, you know, [we are] happy to have the system on board and add the weight, and if we don't want to use it, we don't use it.

"But at the moment we can't use it, so... It's not like if I'm just being a diva and I don't want to use it! It would be the opposite, actually. I would want to use it, if that was the case. No, it's just that it's not fitting," Ocon concluded.

The F1 driver cooling system the FIA is mandating was developed by a company called Chillout Motorsports and is called Cypher Pro Micro Cooler. (Quotes from Motorsport.com)