Red Bull demands an increase in the weight but it seems that there has been a turnaround as the two teams seem to have close to no problem.
20 years ago the weight of the car used to be 600 kgs. Now the minimum weight is 795 kgs. Coming with the new 18-inch tires, the weight of the new car has increased by 43 kgs as compared to the last season.
Larger tires need larger breaks which in turn needs larger suspension. On top of that safety precautions and the budget cap are responsible for the increased weight.
Drivers want lighter cars so that they don’t have to put as much pressure as steering a truck around the corner of the track. On the contrary, engineers want heavier cars to reduce their headaches.
However, the word around the track is that at least two out of teams have close to no problem with the low weight. So, eight teams are over the limit and some even in double digits. Only Alfa Romeo has no problems and it is said that McLaren is not so far off.
Also Read: Red Bull demands an increase in the weight of the new car as it faces problem adjusting
Red Bull is angry
Following the new technical regulations, the cars are not just safe but also large. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko earlier said that the only problem the Milton-Keynes’ based team has is weight, but all teams have that.
Even though the weight has been increased there is still a lot of work to be done on the Red Bull car. He hoped that the governing authority would agree to increase the weight limit. But, there was a turnaround.
Marko with a slightly angry undertone said, “First it was said that the weight was going up, then there was a turnaround.”
Every single pound on the car makes the car slower. On a circuit like Barcelona, ten kilograms costs around three-tenths of a second. Therefore, there are calls to increase the weight before the start of the new season.
Also Read: Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko does not see Lewis Hamilton continuing at a high level for much longer
Alfa Romeo and McLaren do not want to lose competitive advantage
On one side is Red Bull which according to the rumours is well above the limit and on the other side is Alfa Romeo and McLaren. Both these teams have clearly no great interest in increasing the weight limit.
They simply do not want to accept the argument of monetary allotment associated with any weight saving. However, for teams to meet the current minimum weight of 795 kgs, eight of the ten teams would have to agree along with FIA.
Also Read: Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz shares his thoughts on the new 18-inch Pirelli tyres
