Carlos Sainz Jnr and Daniel Ricciardo have expressed hopes that growing the minimal driver weight rule will show fairer to taller drivers.
The FIA’s F1 fee just lately accepted an a rise within the sport’s minimal weight restrict for automobiles from 798kg to 800kg for subsequent season.
This improve of 2kg will solely be utilized to the minimal weight for drivers and their seat and driving tools. At the moment, if the whole weight of a driver, their race seat and tools – helmet, HANS system, and so on – doesn’t attain 80kg, the distinction should be made up with ballast. From subsequent season, the minimal restrict will likely be 82kg.
This alteration to the laws means 2025’s F1 automobiles will set a brand new file for the heaviest in historical past, reaching a dry weight of 800kg for the primary time. Though the FIA intends to cut back a few of that weight with its main technical laws adjustments in 2026, Sainz is cautious of the creep in minimal weight that has taken place throughout his time in Components 1.
“Clearly, two kilos isn’t a giant change,” Sainz mentioned. “The issue is while you begin including two kilos on prime of one other two, one other two, one other two… Which I believe is the place the pattern has been in Components 1 during the last 10 years – to maintain including two kilos right here, three there, 5 there, after which the automobiles have develop into 800 kilos heavy. Prior to now, they have been round 600.”
Whereas Sainz says he has had no issues with getting beneath the minimal weight and avoiding a possible efficiency penalty by being heavier than the restrict, he accepts that drivers who’re naturally taller – similar to Nico Hulkenberg, Esteban Ocon and George Russell – face challenges with conserving their weight down.
“I did should watch out with the quantity of muscle you placed on and the meals that you just take,” he defined. “However I’ve at all times been on the restrict of that weight.
“However I can think about being a Nico, an Esteban, or a Russell – I wouldn’t be very comfortable if I used to be 180-something centimetres. So I perceive it’s been carried out most likely for the heavier drivers, or the taller drivers, as a result of they have been at all times struggling a bit greater than medium-size like me.”
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Ricciardo agrees that growing the minimal driver weight is a step in the suitable route for driver wellbeing.
“They’ll’t assist being tall,” he mentioned. “So it’s unfair in the event that they should type of dehydrate themselves simply to make the burden, so to talk.
“However even us, even reaching that weight it’s good that we’ve the liberty to be the athletes that we must be and it’s not like ‘oh, we’ve to be careful, we will’t do an excessive amount of energy coaching’. So, having slightly little bit of freedom now round our coaching, I believe that’s a giant profit for lots of us.”
Regardless of approving of the rise in minimal driver weight, Sainz believes all drivers want to see the overall weight of contemporary F1 automobiles lowered, if it may be achieved with out compromising security.
“Work is happening, I suppose, for 2026,” he mentioned. “On the similar time, I believe this weight has made the automobiles additionally safer as a result of there’s plenty of influence construction and plenty of work being carried out on the motive force security, which I’m by no means going to disclaim that I need that security to be as excessive as potential.
“However something that we will do to carry the burden again down, I believe each driver will admire it. We hope that the FIA and the groups are taking that into consideration when deciding future guidelines, not solely the ‘26 ones.”
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