by The FIA’s technical advisory group has reportedly backtracked on plans to lower the weight limit of Formula 1 cars, sticking instead to the 798kg limit from 2022.
The weight of the Formula 1 car has increased massively in a relatively short period of time, with the 2013 cars being limited to 642kg, 156kg lower than the 2022 limit, but there were plans to lower the maximum weight that both the car if the driver can carry together. weigh.
Following the regulation change for 2022, the cars went up from 749kg to 798kg, to which drivers responded, with world champion Max Verstappen saying the cars were “extremely heavy now”.
But as the Dutchman also said, he “didn’t see a quick fix for that” and it seems the FIA has come to the same conclusion that they have scrapped plans to lower the limit.
The FIA had set a target of dropping 2kg from the limit, as reflected in the technical regulations published in June 2022, but Auto Motor und Sport now reports that the technical advisory group has decided to keep the current limit .
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Despite the introduction of carbon fiber as a major component, modern day F1 cars are much heavier than their predecessors.
The Ferrari 375 F1 used in the sport’s first season in 1950 weighed just 560 kg, 238 kg lighter than the RB18.
But as the sport has evolved, technical innovations have increased weight. In 2014, after the introduction of turbo hybrid engines, the limit went from 642 kg to 691 kg. In the following years, the ban on expensive but lightweight materials, improved safety measures and larger tires eventually pushed the limit to what it is today.
A notable change also came in 2019 when the FIA introduced a minimum driver weight of 80kg, which was good news for the taller members of the paddock such as the 6ft 7in George Russell. For those unable to meet the limit on their own, the shortfall would be made up for by the weight of the chair.
Numerous teams struggled to get close to the minimum weight limit for 2022, with Aston Martin being the worst. At the start of the season, the AMR22 weighed 815 kg and during the Australian Grand Prix it weighed another 3 kg.
Red Bull also had weight issues with the RB18 weighing in at 810kg before losing 8kg ahead of the race at Imola.
