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Sport

Austrian Grand Prix declared a heat-hazard race

The FIA has applied its heat-hazard designation to the Spielberg weekend, forcing teams to fit driver cooling systems as a European heatwave bites.

Tom Bracewell

Writer ·

4 min read
Formula One car on track at Spielberg
Formula One car on track at Spielberg · Illustrative section image

Formula One teams have been told to prepare for heat-hazard conditions at the Austrian Grand Prix after the FIA applied the designation to the Spielberg race weekend.

Reuters reporting carried by The Guardian said race director Rui Marques cited official forecasts above 31C, triggering a rule that requires teams to fit driver cooling systems such as liquid-cooled vests.

Background

The designation is the first of the season and comes as a wider European heatwave affects sport, travel and public health. Drivers are not forced to use the cooling gear, but the equipment must be available, and the car's minimum weight rises to account for it.

What happens next

The decision is more than a weather story: it shows how Formula One is adapting its safety regulations as extreme heat becomes a recurring race-management issue rather than an occasional one.

Source: This summary is based on reporting by The Guardian. The NE Times aggregates and rewrites news for readability; please refer to the original for the full report.

For informational purposes only. The NE Times does not provide live or breaking news coverage — we collect stories from established sources and present them in a readable format. Disclaimer.

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