FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, believes Formula 1 needs to go down the path of lighter cars in the future, as opposed to the current generation that tip the scales at almost 800Kg.
To be precise, current F1 cars have a minimum weight of set at 798Kg compared to 585Kg back in 2008, and while much of that weight has been gained due to the addition of the modern safety systems, the shift into the Turbo-Hybrid era in 2014 with the batteries and energy recovery systems that come along with it played a role in these gains, not to mention the cars’ ever-growing dimensions, with the final addition being the 18″ wheels and their covers that debuted in 2022 with the ground-effect cars, which several teams notably struggled to keep the weights in check.
The next regulation change is set for 2026, where F1 will introduce new power units, less complicated without the MGU-H and will run sustainable fuels, and while that is finalized, the chassis side of the sport is not, as the F1 powers that be are still discussing the future direction.
The first bit of good news is that there seems to be an agreement that the new generation of cars should be lighter, with FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem revealing as much.
“One thing I would like to see is very clear: we need a lighter car,” he told Motorsport.com. “I believe this is better. I come from motorsport, where lighter cars are safer and they won’t use the same amount of fuel.
“It will be hard to achieve, but everybody wants it. So I am pushing because I come from rallying, where nothing is worse than having a heavy car,” he added.
And while Ben Sulayem has had his fair share of fights, or disagreements, with Formula 1 management recently regarding having new teams and the commercial value of the sport, he and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali seem to be on the same wavelength for a change, when it comes to the future weight of F1 cars.
“One of the points that has always been a debate has been the weight,” the Italian said. “As you know, with the hybrid engines, with the batteries, the weight is getting higher and that is something that is not really in the nature of F1. So, it’s a topic for discussion for the future.”
At some point, too strong and heavy stops being safe
As for the drivers, they have also been complaining about the extra weight of the cars they have to drive, and George Russell, Mercedes driver and director of the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association (GPDA), weighed in on the topic.
“The weight is extraordinary,” he told Motorsport.com. “At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great.”
Russell also believes that extra weight will have a detrimental effect on safety, he said: “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 weighs 800-odd-kgs or over 900kgs at the start of a race, compared to one 15 years ago when they were at 650kg,” the Briton explained.
“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,” Russell concluded.