10 June 2023 , 11:28
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Formula 1 chiefs are open to making changes to the car's weight with George Russell confessing "it’s like crashing with a bus" when things go wrong.
The grid is seeing constant regulation changes with the next major shift set to come in 2026. Certain rules are set in stone until then, but one element that could change is how heavy the current cars are, with this season's minimum weight currently sat at 798kg.
That is more than 200kg heavier than cars were in 2008, which was before the introduction of batteries, energy recovery systems and modern-day safety systems. A switch to turbo hybrid engines further weighed down the cars with the Halo later adding to it.
New ground effects cars which came in last season, with bigger wheels and new aerodynamics, resulted in the jump up to the current 798kg level. Now though the FIA and F1’s commercial rights holder are open to a change, which would aid safety and reduce the sport's carbon footprint.
FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem told Motorsport.com : “One thing I would like to see is very clear: we need a lighter car. 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.”
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F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali echoed that sentiment as he said: “One of the points that has always been a debate has been the weight. 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.”
Mercedes star Russell raised concerns earlier this year about the weight of the current car, which can limit performance, but also increases the impact upon collision, even if aspects of the car make them safer.
This season's cars are close to 800kgHe said: "The big one [issue] is the weight. 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."
The Brit also added: "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."