The FIA confirmed last week that it was working with teams to combat cockpit temperatures in the new Rally1 cars that were described as unsafe by crews during Rally Portugal two weeks ago.
The increased cockpit temperatures stem from the fact the position of the exhaust has moved from a central position to the right hand side of the car for the new-for-2022 Rally1 machines.
As a result the co-driver is now exposed to higher temperatures.
Following a series of proposals presented to the WRC Commission, teams have completed a series of minor changes but these have been restricted by the limited time between the Portugal and Sardinia events.
It is expected drivers will face ambient temperatures that are predicted to reach 41 degrees on Saturday.
FIA rally director Andrew Wheatley has confirmed that teams will be permitted to use several strategies to tackle the problem that have been ratified by the WRC Commission, with some of these requiring a fast track homologation process.
Teams have been able to modify roof vents, add vents to the windows and place mirrored film on the windows to reflect heat. Changes can also be made to the insulation of engine bays underneath the cars in a bid to lower temperatures.
“Honestly this is a really good example of what motorsport does best in trying to work through a problem,” said Wheatley.
“We have got two issues, physical restrictions and we have regulatory restrictions regarding what we can do. There is no question this weekend is going to be fairly exceptional. The predicted temperatures are going to be huge.
“Immediately after Portugal the FIA technical team sat down and worked out two lists.
“The first list was what we can do without any homologation changes and that list was five items and the teams immediately set to work on those issues.
“Then there was three more issues that required a fast track process through the homologation process and that had to go to WRC Commission to get the quick response they [the teams]…
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