Formula 1 single-seaters have always been very heavy vehicles, but the regulation changes introduced for the 2022 season have also affected this aspect.
The minimum weight for cars in 2021 was 752kg, but the FIA has raised this limit to 795kg in 2022, an increase of 43kg . This is the highest minimum weight ever seen for a Grand Circus single-seater, but it is a race that has not yet come to an end.
Crew chief meetings are used to discuss many different topics, and the weight regulations were no exception. In one of their meetings, the directors of the teams spoke about applying an increase to the minimum weight of between 5 and 10 kilos .
None of the cars, with one possible exception, is capable of reaching this threshold, so an agreement was reached between them to submit an application to the FIA for it to be increased.
This request would be made under the explanation of cost savings, since the rules imposed for this year include a budget limit that would be a problem when it comes to reaching this minimum weight.
Achieving it would mean conducting various studies and research on every single detail of the car, which could result in jeopardizing the development work planned for the cars. On the other hand, any change in the regulations would penalize those who have been able to comply with the limit imposed by the regulations.
In order for the proposal to be presented to the FIA , it must have the support of at least eight teams out of the ten that make up the grid. In this case, this obligation is fulfilled, since Alfa Romeo would be the only one that does not support the idea because its new C42, with Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou at the wheel, would fit this minimum weight.
Weight is one of the key elements for the performance of an F1 car on the track, since every extra gram is meticulously measured in order not to lose time and to be as fast as possible.
On a track like the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, where the first pre-season tests have been carried out, about 10 kg of weight is equivalent to 3 tenths of a second per lap, a time that, when the results depend on thousandths, is too high.
