McLaren introduces pitstop cooling system

New pitstop cooling system for West Mclaren Mercedes.

The West McLaren Mercedes Team will introduce new temperature controlled team race suits which will be available for the remaining Grands Prix of the season. The specially made systems consist of a cooling unit, a liquid fed suit and a newly developed helmet, all of which have been designed to ensure that the 28 team members involved in a pitstop remain cool and focused while working in the fast paced and intense environment of the race.

The cooling suit is the result of a nine-month project which has been developed in-house and in association with the team's Corporate Partner Hugo Boss and Med-Eng Systems Inc. Designed to supply full torso cooling without compromising user comfort, the all-weather suits provide a controlled environment for the duration of a race. The final part of the new system is the bespoke helmet, which is a full-face design fitted with a flameproof integral retractable visor.

Each suit has a strategically placed intricate network of tubes with the coolant passing between a reflective silver outer covering and multiple layers of Nomex. The technology has been derived directly from research conducted by the European Space programme and carries the European Space Agency (ESA) Technology Transfer logo.

'I am very happy that we have been able to incorporate technology which was originally developed for space travel into the West McLaren Mercedes Formula 1 race team uniforms,' said Pierre Brisson, Head of the ESA Technology Transfer Programme. 'Space travel and Formula 1 are similar in that both disciplines work within harsh environments and need the best possible protection from the elements.'

'The personal cooling technology is engineered by the Coretech division of Canada's Med-Eng Systems and is similar to the design flight certified for use on board NASA's Space Shuttle, among other extreme temperature environments,' explains Dr. Jean-Philippe Dionne, Sr. Research Engineer at Med-Eng Systems. 'Integrating Coretech systems into the pit crew uniforms will help mitigate the effects of heat stress including loss of concentration and fatigue, thus improving safety and performance in F1 racing conditions. The West McLaren Mercedes team will be operating with an advantage through the system's ability to help maintain acceptable heart rates and increase overall user comfort.'

The West McLaren Mercedes pitstop crew will debut the cooling suits during Thursday's pitstop practice at Silverstone, which is scheduled to take place at 15.45.

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