Formula 1

F1 News: Lewis Hamilton Complains That Cars Are Burning Drivers As New Issue Shows Itself

There are lots of changes this year in the F1 with 2022 seeing some of the biggest regulation changes the sport has ever seen. And thanks to these changes we’ve seen a few issues show themselves as the cars are now plagued with something called porpoising due to the changes in how they create downforce.

But now a new issue has shown itself, and drivers Lewis Hamilton and Alex Albon have both complained about it rearing its head through testing. They’re getting burnt on their backsides.

Yeah, we’re laughing too, but this is presenting itself to be quite the issue as these 2022 cars are already more than uncomfortable to drive thanks to the bouncing – porpoising – and the fact that the seats are so low slung and close to the ground. Now with the added heat, drivers across the grid are complaining with Albon having to jump out of the car because it was becoming unbearable.

As we explained in an article on whether F1 drivers pee in their cars or not, F1 cockpits get incredible hot thanks to heat of the engine, the general heat of the weather, and the rest of the equipment found on these cars. And with the ambient temperature hitting over 38C at Barcelona testing, it’s no surprise that drivers were becoming agitated by this issue.

This added heat could well put unbearable amounts of stress on the drivers’ bodies, and could be dangerous for prolonged driving especially in even hotter countries.

Fortunately, there is something teams can do about this, and while it’s not a perfect solution, it’s a solution that is light weight and space-saving. It involved coating the underside of the seat in an insulator or heat reflector. Alongside this, extra care is taken around the sidepods as each are sealed so heat isn’t pushed into the cockpit from the engine.

The most interesting change is a small vent at the tip of the cars’ noses which will push air into the cabin. This is limited to 1500mm² so it doesn’t add any aerodynamic value, but will help massively in cooling down the drivers.

Alex Harrington

Alex started racing at a young age so certainly knows his way around a car and a track. He can just about put a sentence together too, which helps. He has a great interest in the latest models, but would throw all of his money at a rusty old French classic and a 300ZX. Contact: [email protected]

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