No end to F1 drivers' frustration over car weight after FIA U-turn
F1 cars have gradually gotten heavier in recent years and the latest generation are the heaviest ever thanks to a 46kg increase, taking the current minimum weight to 798kg without fuel.
Minimum car weight has risen by a whopping 156kg since 2013 alone.
A small change was set to come about for 2023, with plans for the minimum weight to be reduced by two kilograms down to 796kg.
However, at the latest meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) in mid-January, it was agreed the weight limit would remain at 798kg, according to Auto Motor und Sport.
The move will only add to drivers’ frustrations, with the weight increase that came with the 2022 rules revolution already proving unpopular.
Mercedes’ George Russell, who is a director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association, recently revealed his safety concerns in an interview with select media including Crash.net.
“There’s a lot of positives to take from this regulation change, but equally, the big [issue] is the weight,” he said.
“The weight is extraordinary. At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great.
“We keep making these cars safer and safer, but obviously the heavier you make them when you have an impact it’s like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car.
“You’re going to have a greater impact if you’re going the same speed with a car that weights 800-odd-kgs or over 900kgs at the start of a race, compared to one 15 years ago when they were at 650kg.
“And I’m sure there’s analysis going on about striking that right balance because I don’t know where the line is drawn.
“If you just keep making it heavier, heavier, heavier, stronger, stronger, stronger – actually you get to a point where you cross over that [line] that too heavy is actually not safer.”
His teammate Lewis Hamilton has also been critical about increased car weight, while two-time world champion Max Verstappen warned there is no quick solution for the “extremely heavy” current generation of F1 cars.
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