Mercedes Unpacks the Heat Challenge: Inside Lewis Hamilton’s Sweltering Italian GP Experience

Mercedes clarifies the reasons for Lewis Hamilton's overheated seat during the Italian Grand Prix.

Andrew Shovlin, the trackside engineering head for Mercedes, has clarified the reasons behind Lewis Hamilton's complaints about an overheated seat throughout the Italian Grand Prix Formula 1 weekend.

During the Friday practice session, Hamilton expressed his discomfort about the excessive heat of the cockpit seat.

Hamilton characterized the interior of his Mercedes vehicle as "excessively warm," comparing it to "being in a sauna without wearing any shorts."

The weekend experienced exceptionally warm weather, with temperatures soaring above 30 degrees, leading to excessive heat within the cockpit.

"Shovlin pointed out on the team's YouTube channel that the primary reason was the intense heat in Monza. He noted that the car, including the seat, tends to run very hot due to the substantial amount of heat produced by the power unit, which needs to be effectively dissipated."

"You also have numerous electronic devices that exert a lot of effort and produce their own heat, so you're attempting to dissipate that heat from the cockpit."

Shovlin mentioned that the interaction between the plank (beneath the car) and the track would have produced heat.

"Additionally, when driving on the straights at Monza, the vehicle occasionally scrapes the road due to the planks, which creates heat through friction. This heat then starts to transfer through the car's floor and up into the seat of the driver," he explained.

With the surrounding air temperature at 34 degrees, it's impossible for anything to be cooler than that. Add in several sources of heat, and this causes the temperature to rise even further. As a result, the cockpit's temperature significantly exceeds that of a driver's body, making it extremely difficult for them to cool off. Consequently, the heat continues to accumulate.

"Now they have become accustomed to navigating through these challenging terrains, it's just that during the most intense races, when the heat peaks, it becomes quite severe and truly puts them to the test."

Mercedes experienced a disappointing weekend at Monza, securing fifth and seventh places respectively.

Shovlin disclosed that in an effort to tackle rising temperatures, teams are constantly exploring methods to "enhance conditions for the drivers".

He explained that although they undergo extensive training, including in high temperatures, the challenge arises when the cockpit temperature exceeds their body temperature, making it extremely difficult to dissipate the heat.

"Currently, we are exploring various strategies to enhance conditions for our drivers. In the sport, there's also an investigation into how we might introduce extra gear to the vehicles during particularly demanding races to help keep the drivers cooler. However, as mentioned, it's a tough setting, which is why extensive training is crucial."

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