Somewhere in the race in Barcelona, Bottas was told by his engineer on the radio “these black overalls are fucking hot.”
The move from white to black overalls was part of a pre-season rebranding exercise that saw the team also switch its car from traditional silver livery to black as part of its ongoing diversity message.
“It was really hot in the car,” Bottas said after the race. “This year it has become even harder in the car. Of course we had to change the color of the overalls. And it is known that black color takes more of the heat, especially when there is direct sunlight.
‘I do not know the number or facts, how much is actually black or white in terms of temperature difference, but this year it has been really hot in the car. And there’s also a new homologation for the overalls this year, so they’m thicker, and the underwear is thicker, so I do not know how much effect that has.
‘It was just so hot that I said,’ Guys, you know these overalls are too hot. ‘And for sure, white would be cooler in terms of temperature and today, for example, I lost three kilos in the race, which is quite a lot.
“And that’s where it can start to affect performance. I know I’m one of the fittest of all drivers, if not the fittest, that I can take it, but it’s never comfortable and there are always things we can improve. ”
Before the season, there was speculation that the dark color would affect the car’s cooling, and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff acknowledged that the team had kept an eye on possible problems.
“In the end, messaging and marketing are very important, but if performance is harmed, that’s obviously not great,” he said.
After the first race in Austria, strategy director James Vowles denied that there was any influence.
“Inside the engine cover, there’s actually a silver liner, a heat-resistant liner, and that’s in place, despite the exterior color,” Vowles said.
“But we can see no difference in our radiator temperature or other temperatures of core systems in the car as a result of the paint color externally.
“There’s a little more reflection that really should exist with a lighter color, but the reality is: it has negative negatives if any effects on our system temperature.”
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