Vettel leads FIA investigation into effects of inhaled brake dust

Sebastian Vettel finished the Austrian GP last Sunday (10) with a face full of black dust from the brake discs of his Aston Martin. The German believes that the new design of the brake ducts is throwing the dust directly at the drivers, and has asked the International Automobile Federation to investigate the possible effects and consider changes.

"This is something they need to work on because the design of the brake ducts this year is throwing all the dust in our faces and it's not good. Breathing carbon dust is something that is not very healthy. I hope the FIA will look into it soon because it is unnecessary and something easy to change," Vettel complained to British television channel Sky.

According to the Autosport website , the FIA is aware of the issue and has already decided to investigate the matter, as it involves the health of the drivers. The issue should come up at the next meeting of the Sports Advisory Committee, which is composed of team members, to discuss possible solutions.

This is not the first time the subject has come up. Who also made important revelations about the brake dust problem was Valtteri Bottas in 2019. The then Mercedes driver revealed that his post-race sneezes would come out with a black coloration because of carbon.

"I don't know if there is anything that can be done. For sure there is dust from your own brakes, but it is minimal. The problem is the cars in front, the dust is always going to be there. Always after the race, if you sneeze, it will come out black, so year after year, I don't know what it does to your body. I have no idea. I don't think anybody has ever investigated that. I would love to breathe clean air, but I don't know what can be done," Bottas said.

Even before Bottas, Mika Salo also talked about the problem almost 20 years ago, when he revealed that doctors found large amounts of carbon dust in his lung after a surgery following his retirement from Formula One.