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?
In: 3031
There is also a safety component. In the 60s and 70s there were some sports and formula cars that were little more than just enough thin wall 1” tubing to keep the car together. Collin Chapman of Lotus was famous for his theory to ‘simplify, then add lightness’. They were fast cars, but they injured/killed a lot of drivers of the era. They could not handle impacts
Formula 1 is all about restriction, it’s about making the absolute best out of a rule-set – that is the “formula”.
Weight has a massive impact on performance of the cars, with no minimum weight the cars would be too fast and would incentivise development on weight reduction rather than other innovation.
This in turn potentially has an impact on adherence to safety regulations, but primarily it’s about the cars becoming too fast – which is a constant battle for the regulators to keep the races safe.
You have to keep in mind that F1 is a sport and a way to make money via people watching it.
As such going fast is certainly important, but not the only goal.
There are actually a whole bunch of rules that result in slower cars but are there to keep the viewers (and competitors) happy.
Some rules (like minimum weights) are there to keep the playing field somewhat level and keep F1 from devolving into a pay-to-win sport.
There is also rules that are just there to ensure the cars *look cool*, because people don’t want to watch ugly cars (lookup “F1 X Wings”)
There is also a safety component. In the 60s and 70s there were some sports and formula cars that were little more than just enough thin wall 1” tubing to keep the car together. Collin Chapman of Lotus was famous for his theory to ‘simplify, then add lightness’. They were fast cars, but they injured/killed a lot of drivers of the era. They could not handle impacts
There is also a safety component. In the 60s and 70s there were some sports and formula cars that were little more than just enough thin wall 1” tubing to keep the car together. Collin Chapman of Lotus was famous for his theory to ‘simplify, then add lightness’. They were fast cars, but they injured/killed a lot of drivers of the era. They could not handle impacts
1) Besides what other people have commented, the minimum weight is also required as a safety measure.
2) In the early days everyone aimed for exactly this: to reduce weight as much as possible. Nowadays, there are regulations stating the weight limits for various developmental and safety purposes, as well as to make the game as balanced as possible for the teams.
3) Weight alone does not mean everything, as teams can play with their cars’s weight distribution.
4) Speaking of reducing weight, that is one of the primary reasons as to why teams go for black liveries – they may not actually be painted black; rather, they have no paint at all. Then there is McLaren who print the livery and apply it on the car because they state that it’s lighter. This also plays on the aerodynamics of the car because it reduces irregularities on the paint
1) Besides what other people have commented, the minimum weight is also required as a safety measure.
2) In the early days everyone aimed for exactly this: to reduce weight as much as possible. Nowadays, there are regulations stating the weight limits for various developmental and safety purposes, as well as to make the game as balanced as possible for the teams.
3) Weight alone does not mean everything, as teams can play with their cars’s weight distribution.
4) Speaking of reducing weight, that is one of the primary reasons as to why teams go for black liveries – they may not actually be painted black; rather, they have no paint at all. Then there is McLaren who print the livery and apply it on the car because they state that it’s lighter. This also plays on the aerodynamics of the car because it reduces irregularities on the paint
1) Besides what other people have commented, the minimum weight is also required as a safety measure.
2) In the early days everyone aimed for exactly this: to reduce weight as much as possible. Nowadays, there are regulations stating the weight limits for various developmental and safety purposes, as well as to make the game as balanced as possible for the teams.
3) Weight alone does not mean everything, as teams can play with their cars’s weight distribution.
4) Speaking of reducing weight, that is one of the primary reasons as to why teams go for black liveries – they may not actually be painted black; rather, they have no paint at all. Then there is McLaren who print the livery and apply it on the car because they state that it’s lighter. This also plays on the aerodynamics of the car because it reduces irregularities on the paint
I recall reading years ago that teams will try to save weight of the vehicle in general, then when they have to bring the vehicle back to the minimum weight they can add the weight strategically (close to center of gravity, for example) to maintain balance of the car.
So all cars weigh the same, but some have ballast in better places.
I recall reading years ago that teams will try to save weight of the vehicle in general, then when they have to bring the vehicle back to the minimum weight they can add the weight strategically (close to center of gravity, for example) to maintain balance of the car.
So all cars weigh the same, but some have ballast in better places.
Latest Answers