Within the first a part of an interview for f1ingenerale, Chillout Motorsport, represented by Charles Kline, defined the historical past of the model. Among the many numerous anecdotes and product particulars, the preliminary suggestions from drivers who examined the brand new system was additionally revealed. Amongst them was Charles Leclerc, who expressed nice satisfaction with the brand new cooling package in his remarks.
The brand new package will debut within the 2025 season and represents a major step ahead for driver well being and security. It’s going to assist drivers keep away from experiences like these in Qatar 2023, the place the mixture of humidity and temperature posed important challenges. With the introduction of the brand new 2026 F1 vehicles, additional modifications are anticipated, together with higher integration of the package with the automobile.
Are you able to describe how this technique works? Is it built-in with the automobile or linked to the motive force’s swimsuit?
Presently, the system is standalone, with its personal battery. It’s considerably heavy, weighing about 2.4 kg. It’s mounted contained in the automobile and operates independently, positioned behind the pedals in some vehicles and on the edges of the chassis in others. This setup is basically a retrofit, an adaptation. We’ll see what occurs in 2026, though it could be difficult. Since it’s separate from the automobile, there are not any controls other than a button. In the mean time, it’s merely an on/off system. Temperatures are pre-set and programmed for the motive force’s consolation, tailor-made to every particular person. By 2026, we hope to combine it with the automobile, maybe by rising the scale of the alternator to eradicate the battery and the related weight.
We’ve seen that Charles Leclerc was among the many first drivers to check it. What was his impression?
I consider we addressed all the problems he didn’t like, from seat configuration to belt positioning. We additionally adjusted the format of the “tubes” barely primarily based on his suggestions. We needed to make sure there have been no strain factors the place tubes would possibly overlap. We paid additional consideration to particulars on parts that wouldn’t sometimes pose issues. However sure, the suggestions I obtained from him, conveyed by some Ferrari personnel, was constructive. They informed me he would have appreciated to make use of the system in each race. He doesn’t suppose it’s obligatory just for scorching races however believes it needs to be utilized in each race. He notably appreciated the added consolation and vitality it gives.
Some drivers consider it may give a aggressive edge to others who could also be extra heat-tolerant. I gained’t identify names, however it’s straightforward to guess who. That mentioned, the vast majority of suggestions on the system has been overwhelmingly constructive—not simply from us or the groups, but additionally from the drivers. Nevertheless, I feel they gained’t find yourself utilizing the system in each race. Presently, we don’t know if will probably be categorized as a security gadget. However I consider that if we will show that it reduces errors and helps drivers carry out higher, drive quicker, and extra safely, its worth will turn out to be evident.
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