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“The bulls are overweight”- Red Bull demands an increase in the weight of the new car as it faces problem adjusting

Samriddhi Jaiswal
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"The bulls are overweight"- Red Bull demands an increase in the weight of the new car as it faces problem adjusting

Red Bull demands an increase in the minimum weight of the cars as their RB18 weighs over the given limit following the changes.

Already the new cars weigh 795 kgs making it the heaviest F1 car ever. In the 2022 season, the weight has been increased by a massive 43 kgs from the previous season. Not just Red Bull, almost all the teams are struggling with the weight limit problem.

However, the word around the paddock is that Red Bull is suffering relatively more than others. One of the significant parts of the weight increase is the switch from 13-to 18-inch tyres. Another reason is the significantly increased safety on the chassis.

Also Read: Max Verstappen explains how F1 and the team bosses used Michael Masi as a scapegoat before removing him from his role

Red Bull is overweight with more to add up

Following the technical regulations that have been introduced for the 2022 season, the cars have been designed in a way that is not just safe but large as well.

The bigger wheels need bigger brakes which in turn needs larger brake ventilation. The wishbones(an element in the suspension attached to the wheel and the chassis) needed to be concealed. In the past, the structural parts themselves created the aero surface and there was no need to deliberately conceal it.

All these little things add up to make the Red Bull weigh more than required. Team advisor Helmut Marko said, “The only problem we have is weight, but all teams have that. Thank God the minimum weight has already been raised, but there is still a lot of work to do before the first race.”

Therefore, the Milton-Keynes team is now demanding an increase. Marko revealed that the probability to reject the request is low as most of the teams have the same problem.

However, word has gotten around in the paddock that the bulls have the biggest problems with the weight. Given that, some teams who themselves are a little above the limit do not want to agree to the increase to keep the competitive advantage.

Also Read: Max Verstappen shares his thoughts on the RB18 and Red Bull’s aim for the 2022 season

The budget cap adds weight to the car

Even though some teams might not agree, Red Bull is not alone. Other big teams have the same problem as well. As Marko said, “all but one team are struggling with the weight problem.”

Furthermore, the budget cap also stands in the way of reducing weight. Lightweight construction is expensive. It costs a lot to save a few kilos on the car.

For years, the big teams never faced a problem with spending money on the expensive extraordinary components of the car, unlike the small teams. With budget cap into play, the luxury is gone.

It was for these purposes only that the cap was introduced in the first place. Now, the teams have to decide whether they want to spend their money on lightweight construction or other developments that might come.

Also Read: Max Verstappen becomes the latest F1 driver to speak out against racing in Russia after Sebastian Vettel

About the author

Samriddhi Jaiswal

Samriddhi Jaiswal

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Samriddhi Jaiswal is an F1 editor and writer at The SportsRush. She started her career as a business journalist but soon found her calling in lights out here we go! Samriddhi has been a Ferrari fan even when her interaction with F1 was occasional. Her first real experience with the thrilling sport came when Charles Leclerc clinched his iconic victory in Spa and Monza and painted the track red. Now, a Tifosi, Samriddhi is a hardcore fan of the prancing horse and can relate to the chaos within the Italian camp and also admires Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher. Off the track, she finds her home in books and musical instruments.

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