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Max Verstappen Responds to George Russell's Call for Cooling Vest Rule Change Before Bahrain GP

This weekend's Bahrain Grand Prix, held in Malaysia due to political reasons, has been flagged by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) as a heat-hazard race. Temperatures are forecast to surpass 31C at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.

Despite the intense heat, Mercedes drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli will not wear cooling vests during the race. The German team chose to allocate its cost cap budget toward car performance upgrades instead of investing in more reliable cooling vest technology.

George Russell Pushes for FIA Rule Change

Speaking to The Times before the race, Russell expressed his belief that all drivers should have the option to use cooling vests and urged the FIA to alter regulations to make this possible.

  • Russell said: "We won’t be running the cooling vest because we haven’t put the resource into making it robust enough."
  • "I feel we need the FIA just to step in and say, ‘Here’s some money extra in the cost cap,’ or there’s an external company who’s going to develop it for everybody, you just put the money towards it. Because we should all be wearing it."
  • "When it works, it works great. So I would like to wear it this week, and I would like to wear it next week. But the team asked me… look, we can develop it, and we can put the money towards it [but at the cost of performance]."

Max Verstappen Responds to Russell's Comments

Starting from pole position after an outstanding qualifying session, four-time world champion Max Verstappen addressed Russell’s complaints. He dismissed them, suggesting Russell should learn to cope with the heat rather than complain. Speaking to Telegraaf, Verstappen said:

"I don’t need it. Maybe I suffer a bit less from the heat.. I find a Finnish sauna at 85 degrees a lot hotter... You shouldn’t make a fuss. Yes, it is hot, but that’s part of it. You have to train for that."
"When I was eighteen, I had a bit more trouble with these conditions. But after that, I started training more in the heat, such as in the sauna and a steam room, so that I can handle the sweating better and the fact that your head gets very hot. Maybe I should take him (Russell) to the sauna a few times."

Starting Grid Highlights

  • Pole position: Max Verstappen
  • Second place: Lewis Hamilton
  • Third place: Kimi Antonelli (championship leader)
  • Seventh place: George Russell
  • Other notable starters: Charles Leclerc (4th), Lando Norris (5th), Oscar Piastri (6th)

Red Bull impressed strongly in qualifying, and Verstappen looks confident about claiming his first win of the season. Meanwhile, Russell remains second in the World Championship, trailing teammate Antonelli by 66 points.

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