Sainz: Heavier F1 Cars a Growing Problem Over Years
Jul.26 - Carlos Sainz says it's a "problem" for Formula 1 that the cars keep getting incrementally heavier.
Today's hybrid-powered single seaters are literally hundreds of kilograms heavier than in the past - and now an extra 2kg has been added to the weight of the seat-plus driver for 2025.
The FIA explained that the move is "in the interests of driver wellbeing".
"Obviously, two kilos is not a big change," Ferrari's Sainz said. "The problem is when you start adding two kilos on top of another two, another two, another two, which I think is where the trend has been in Formula 1 over the last ten years.
"Then the cars have become 800 kilos heavy," he said. "In the past, they were around 600."
Sainz admits the extra 2kgs will be welcomed by tall drivers like Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon and George Russell who are taller and therefore naturally heavier.
"Yeah," agreed Daniel Ricciardo. "They can't help being tall, so it's unfair if they have to kind of dehydrate themselves just to make the weight, so to speak."
For the all-new regulations commencing in 2026, the overall minimum weight is being reduced to 768kg - but insiders believe the 32kg reduction is not enough to make the cars as nimble and 'racy' as in the past.
"Anything that we can do to bring the weight back down, I think every driver here will appreciate it," said Sainz. "We hope the FIA and the teams are taking that into consideration when deciding future rules - not only the '26 ones."
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Just because the separate weight allocation for drivers increases by 2 kg doesn't mean the minimum car+driver weight should also increase in conjunction.
798 kg as the minimum for the fourth consecutive season should also work with 82 kg as the driver minimum, just like it does with 80.
However, this formality won't impact on-track action or be noticeable at all, given several teams ran above 800 in 2022 as did Alpine early this season & Williams still.
Yes, 768 as the initially chosen minimum requirement for 2026 isn't as much as the previously planned 40-50 kg reduction, but still more than only a little, so people shouldn't really complain.
Albon as well as Russell, Ocon, & Hulkenberg is among the tallest drivers as will be Bearman from next season, with Stroll being the next tallest after Hulkenberg.
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