New regulations this year have had a big impact on the design and weight of almost all the cars on the circuit.
It has earlier been reported that Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes are all quite a way over the weight limit. Alfa Romeo is still believed to be the only team that has kept its weight to a minimum and in line with the FIA regulations.
These changes were brought in by the FIA in the hope that it would lead to a more even playing field.
The size of the tyres has also been bigger this year compared to previous seasons. As a result, the cars are also that much more heavier.
Teams are finding it so difficult to keep their car’s weight intact that it has forced the hand of the FIA to increase the limit to 798kg from the initial 795kg.
Jan Monchaux, who serves as the technical director at the Swiss team, explains why his team seems to be the only one that has nailed the weight aspect and ensured reliability.
“Until now, we’ve always had the tendency to be reliable, but to start the season with too much weight. I don’t want that anymore,” he said.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen is set to be handed a big title boost as confirmed by Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko.
“We can’t lose weight overnight, but only step by step. It will take longer for us to reach the limit,” Marko said.
Mercedes and Red Bull are the heaviest
Mercedes and Red Bull currently have the heaviest cars on the track, believed to weight around 208 kg. After them comes Ferrari sitting 5 kg lighter.
Teams have taken extreme steps in a bid to reduce as much excess weight as possible.
The paint has been scraped off by various constructors to ensure that there is no unnecessary weight left on the car.
The entire paint used on a car accounts up to 6 kg.
Aston Martin managed to remove 350 grams from its car by eliminating some of the paint. Mercedes and McLaren have been involved in a similar process.
McLaren team boss Andreas Seidl revealed that Alfa Romeo is the only team that seems to have found the right formula till now.
“Weight is an issue for everyone, except for one,” he said, referring to Alfa Romeo.
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