What to Wear Under an F1 Formula Racing Suit: Base Layers & Cooling Tech

Inside the cockpit of a Formula 1 car, temperatures regularly surpass 50°C (122°F). Drivers endure intense physical stress while wearing multi-layer fire-retardant outer suits. What a driver wears underneath their racing suit is critical not only for safety, but for maintaining stamina, precision, and body temperature regulation over a grueling 90-minute race.

1. Nomex & Flame-Retardant Base Layers

The primary defense layer against heat and fire is the fireproof underwear set. Top-tier drivers rely on specialized flame-retardant tops, bottoms, balaclavas (head socks), and socks. Materials like Nomex or meta-aramid blends carbonize when exposed to extreme thermal spikes, creating a protective barrier without melting onto the skin.

Featured Racing Gear & Track Apparel

Pair your base layer setup with professional-grade race wear available on our store:

2. Active & Passive Cooling Technologies

Modern motorsport utilizes advanced thermoregulation technology underneath outer race suits to prevent driver overheating:

• Cooling Vests / Liquid-Circulating Tops: In hot-climate Grand Prix events, drivers connect specialized fluid-channeling undergarments to onboard cooling units (coolers) that circulate chilled fluid around the torso.
• Micro-encapsulated Phase Change Materials (PCM): High-tech base layers utilize thermo-regulating micro-capsules that absorb body heat when the driver gets hot and release it as temperatures drop.
• Flat-Seam Moisture Management: Seamless construction prevents skin chafing under high G-force loads while pulling sweat away from the body to encourage rapid evaporation.