When the major regulation changes came into effect at the start of 2022, teams were perplexed at how to reduce the weight of their cars to the minimum allowed.
Max Verstappen has revealed that despite the RB-18’s dominance last year, it started the season overweight which might explain its poor performance compared to the early season form of Ferrari.
This season the minimum allowed weight of the cars has been reduced even further, leaving engineers up and down the paddock scratching their heads, trying to work out how they can make their cars lighter than before.
Verstappen has also explained that these larger and heavier F1 cars are no longer suited to some of F1’s most iconic tracks, claiming that races as Monaco and other street circuits are no longer enjoyable due to the size and rigidity of the new F1 cars.
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Alongside these issues with street circuits, Mercedes driver George Russel has outlined a more pressing issue, suggesting that the heavier F1 cars are actually proving to be a risk to the health of the drivers.
“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 comparted to a smart car,” Russell told Motorsport.com.
“Ypu’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.
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“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.”
Mick Schumacher’s crashes in 2022 are a good example of when the heavier cars become a problem, as the impact of his collision with the barrier last year in Monaco caused the German’s Haas to split completely in half.
The halo has saved countless lives since its introduction into Formula 1, however with the impacts becoming stronger and stronger, it may be time for the FIA to look into other methods of keeping the drivers safe in collisions.