why is there a minimum weight requirement in Formula 1? Wouldn’t teams be incentivized to lessen the weight of their cars for faster speeds?
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The simple answer is that there is a minimum weight requirement because teams would take dangerous risks if there were no minimum weight.
For instance, teams would be incentivized to reduce the strength and safety of their cars, which would endanger the driver’s lives in the event of an accident. With the minimum weight rule, teams have plenty of pounds to spare for safety measures.
Another answer is that there would be an incentive for tiny and very skinny drivers, which might cause drivers to make dangerous diet decisions, as well as disqualifying good drivers simply because they have a larger frame. You see this in horse racing, where jockeys are all tiny.
Lastly, it helps even the playing field between the rich and poor teams. The rich teams have the budget to design lighter cars made from more exotic materials, while poorer teams would be stuck with heavier cars due to lack of money to spend on fancy engineering and manufacturing. With a reasonable minimum weight limit, every car pretty much weighs the same (the minimum), making the playing field more even.
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