Formula One drivers to wear a “biometric glove” in 2018. The glove will be ready for 2018, even though it will not be made mandatory just yet.

During the 2017 Formula One season, it was reported that the special glove developed by the FIA would include a 3mm sensor that feeds lifesaving data to the medical team to help in the event of a serious crash or incident. Now, German weekly sports magazine published in Hamburg Sport Bild has recently reported that the glove will be ready for 2018, even though it will not be made mandatory until next year.

“We asked ourselves how we could use state of the art technology to help our medical team and therefore the drivers,” confirmed the FIA’s Laurent Mekies. He added: “The drivers are very supportive of this move to improve safety.”

Explaining how the glove is useful, F1 Deputy Race Director Laurent Mekies said: “If you know whether the driver is moving and breathing, you can make quite different decisions. For instance, does the car have to be moved quickly to access the driver, or can the recovery be done more cautiously?”

The FIA’s move to beef up driver safety comes as Liberty Media also announced that “grid girls” will no longer be seen in Formula One.