It seems that no formal decision has been made yet, but F1 and the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) have decided to revise the 2022 regulations ahead of the opening Bahrain Grand Prix and raise the minimum weight of the machine by 3 kg. is.
F1 raised the minimum weight of the vehicle to 795kg in 2022 when the grand effect car was introduced. This is a significant increase of 43kg compared to last year, but many teams are still overweight.
According to the Italian version of Motorsport, the FIA has decided to raise the minimum weight of the single-seater by 3kg this season in response to requests from 9 out of 10 teams.
Budget caps are the main reason why the majority, including top teams, are facing overweight. The customer team didn’t know about it, and they would have achieved weight reduction with abundant funds before, but this year the budget limit of 140 million dollars (about 16.1 billion yen) will stand in the way.
The FIA was reluctant to increase the weight, as it was an issue due to the enforcement of the budget cap, and as a result the discussions were prolonged. Some have called for a significant increase of 10kg or 15kg, but in the end it seems that a compromise has been reached within a range that does not deviate significantly from the spirit of the budget cap.
It seems that Alfa Romeo opposed without making a request. All machines except the C42 are obese and weigh more than 795kg, and it is believed that Red Bull Racing had a strong desire to increase the weight.
By changing from 13 inches to 18 inches, the weight of the tire alone increased by 11 kg, and it was further increased due to the installation of wheel covers and the increase in brake-related size. In addition, the weight of the skeleton has also increased to enhance safety performance, and in the end, as a countermeasure to the popping phenomenon, each car is in a situation where it has to add more fat by reinforcing under the floor. ..
