Drivers’ cooling system makes its debut at Australian Grand Prix
Sports group adidas has worked with Dutch textile technology partner Inuteq to create a cooling jacket for Formula One drivers.
Ahead of the start of the 2025 Formula One World Championship in Melbourne on March 16, adidas unveiled the Climacool system, which consists of an insulated jacket and a cooling vest.
Drivers from the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team will be able to use the Climacool system throughout the season in any race in which high temperatures might affect performance.
In hot conditions, drivers can experience in-car temperatures of up to 60 degrees Celsius, which can result in the loss of more than 4 kilos in the course of a race. The idea behind Climacool is that drivers will be better equipped if they can wear the jacket and cooling vest in a 20-minute window after preparation and ahead of the race beginning.
Wearing cooling vests during that period is now common, but adidas argues that the Climacool system will deliver reductions in skin temperature and core temperature that are unachievable using vests alone.
The jacket uses a cooling agent that works in conjunction with fans and insulation materials.
In lab testing, adidas and Inuteq said the system had created “almost double the impact”.
Image shows Mercedes-AMG Petronas driver George Russell testing the Climacool system.
