Liam Lawson shares 'pretty disappointing' stance over proposed F1 rule change

Liam Lawson says he would be "pretty disappointed" if plans to make cooling vests mandatory in F1 are forced through as planned.

After the brutal conditions of the 2023 Qatar GP, the FIA began to investigate ways of cooling drivers, with a cooling vest being developed, and run for the first time at the '25 Singapore GP after a heat hazard was declared.

The hazard was declared again in the United States, with air temperatures above 31 degrees triggering the use of the vests.

For 2026, there are plans to make the vests mandatory for drivers, something most have voiced opposition to, with Kimi Antonelli's even failing during Friday practice in Austin. 

Offering his thoughts on the situation, Lawson believes the cooling vests don't match up to safety improvements such as the Halo and the HANS device.

"I'd be pretty disappointed if they made it mandatory, I don't think it makes sense to force us to wear something that isn't something that we find comfortable," Lawson told media when asked by RacingNews365 for his thoughts on the situation. 

"It's not something that we need. I mean, other things develop over time. The Halo is a life-saving device and stuff like that, the HANS device, these kinds of things are very important for safety. 

"But for me, the cooling vest isn't doing the same job. We train very, very hard to drive these cars, and I think most of us don't feel the need to use it, so I don't think we should be forced to use it. 

"It's another variable that can go wrong, and for me, if it's something I don't feel like I need, then I'm not going to run it just for the sake of running it."