FIA activates heat protocols ahead of scorching Austrian Grand Prix

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Austrian Grand Prix

FIA activates heat protocols ahead of scorching Austrian Grand Prix

It's getting hot in here...

By Chris Deeley.

Friday 26 June 2026 23:00

The FIA has officially declared a heat hazard for this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, with soaring temperatures expected to create challenging conditions for drivers, teams and fans at the Red Bull Ring.

Under Formula 1's regulations, a heat hazard can be activated when forecast temperatures are expected to exceed 31 degrees Celsius during a race weekend, a threshold that weather predictions suggest will be comfortably surpassed in Spielberg.

The declaration allows the FIA and teams to implement additional measures aimed at protecting drivers from extreme cockpit temperatures, with the Styrian circuit set to host one of the hottest race weekends of the 2026 season.

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As a massive heatwave sweeps across Europe, temperatures of up to 36 degrees have been forecast for the Sunday, after topping out at 35 degrees on Saturday and 33 on Friday. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that all of those numbers are larger than 31.

What is a 'heat hazard' declaration in F1?

Of course, the heat hazard announcement doesn't actually change that much in terms of what fans will see on the track.

Sessions won't be paused or cancelled, drivers won't go around with big pub garden sun umbrellas poking out of their cockpits (despite the obvious potential to stick about 50 sponsors on them), but those in the garages have to do some systematic tweaking.

Introduced in 2025, the Heat Hazard protocol means that teams must fit the Driver Cooling System in their cars – a system that goes above and beyond the normal cool vests some might wear.

Drivers are free to use, or not use, any part of the system that they want. However, to discourage teams deciding to prioritise performance and avoid adding weight to their cars, teams not using the system will have to add ballast to the cars to make up the difference in weight.

And people wonder why the sport is prioritising climate responsibility and its net zero goals...

F1 FIA Austrian Grand Prix