In its final meeting of the year, the FIA’s World Motor Sport Council has formally approved cooling scoops to be fitted to Formula 1 cars from 2024.
During October’s Qatar Grand Prix, several drivers were hampered by a combination of the extreme heat and high humidity.
Ambient temperatures peaked in the mid-30s Celsius at the Lusail International Circuit, forcing Williams’ Logan Sargeant to retire from the event due to intense dehydration. Team-mate Alex Albon was treated for acute heat exposure after the race.
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon also admitted to struggles with the heat, saying he had vomited in his helmet in the opening stages of the race. Meanwhile, Lance Stroll claimed to be “fading in and out” behind the wheel of his Aston Martin with some 20 laps still to go.
The FIA opened an investigation following driver complaints regarding the extreme weather conditions and has now formally approved the use of ‘cooling scoops’ from 2024 in a bid to combat the issue.
The scoops will likely be fit to the underside of the car and will direct cool air into the cockpit.
The idea had already been approved by the F1 Comission during the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, but the green-light from the WMSC confirms the update to the Technical regulations.
“It was noted that the FIA continues to explore technological innovations that will further improve regulatory practices in the coming years,” the WMSC’s statement read.
“Work remains ongoing to introduce measures to combat the extreme heat that drivers experienced in Qatar this year, with the first steps having already been taken following the update to the technical regulations to permit a cooling ‘scoop’ to be fitted to the cars.
“The 2024 calendar, previously approved by Council Members, was also discussed with the health and welfare of all travelling personnel a key consideration for the future.”
Teams and drivers had all raised concerns over the intensity of the final leg of the 2023 calendar which saw six races in five weeks, including a massive time-zone shift for personnel travelling from Las Vegas to Abu Dhabi in the final double-header of the year.
Next year, Las Vegas will serve as the first round of a season-ending triple-header before the circus travels to Qatar and Abu Dhabi.
The WMSC also approved a safety-related amendment to the Technical regulations which will limit “the number and mass of certain metallic components in the floor that have been identified as a safety risk should they become dislodged from a car.”
The Council ratified a reduction in the time spent on the grid before a Grand Prix, scaling back from 50 to 40 minutes as had been the case prior to the trial of pre-race driver presentations.
The FIA also noted that it had no regulations in place to “describe the procedure surrounding personnel and equipment related to cars starting from Pit Lane”. As a result, it will now be mandatory for all personnel and equipment to vacate the fast lane 90 seconds after the start of the formation lap.
Minor updates to the 2026 Power Unit Sporting, Technical and Financial Regulations were also approved.
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