Red Bull Racing is clearly not calling the 2022 Formula 1 season over, even though Max Verstappen has an 80-point lead over Charles Leclerc in the championship.
According to information from Auto Motor und Sport , the reference German press, Red Bull would be homologating a new lighter chassis in order to solve the overweight that this year affects practically all single-seaters, except for the Alfa Romeo car, as they themselves recognized.
The RB18 is estimated to be around seven kilos above the minimum weight of 798 kilos indicated by the FIA regulations, and would only be surpassed by Mercedes, which would have a deficit of eight kilos, while Haas F1 Team and McLaren F1 would be only three kilos to reach the target weight. Aston Martin Racing and Williams seem to be close to that limit already after introducing some evolutions to their cars, while Ferrari shouldn’t be far from that threshold either.
Compared to last year, F1 cars have increased their weight by 46kg to comply with new safety regulations and adopt 18-inch tyres.
After the winter tests, several teams had asked the FIA to increase the minimum weight by about ten kilos, a request that was initially rejected, later to please everyone and grant only a couple of extra kilos.
With the introduction of the TD39, which from Spa-Francorchamps will impose a stricter floor inspection, the weight of the cars is expected to increase again, so it would not be at all surprising if Red Bull decided to invest part of your budget to lighten your chassis.
Only for Max Verstappen or also for Sergio Pérez?
It would therefore not be surprising if the team led by Christian Horner homologated only one chassis for Verstappen: the team must deal with the budget ceiling and, judging by the changes introduced in recent races, they are undoubtedly among the teams that have spent the most Until now.
Red Bull could gain a double advantage with the new chassis: in addition to immediately regaining performance by shedding a few kilos, it would also gain very useful data for the development of next year’s car, because the fight against minimum weight will continue in the 2023 season.
