F1 News: George Russell Outlines "Big Issue" Of New Car
Mercedes driver George Russell has talked about the increasing weight of F1 cars and how this can increase the risks of racing.
Due to changes in regulations regarding the aerodynamics of the cars, they are heavier than they have ever been. The minimum weight was increased by 3kg before the 2022 season and is now 798 kg.
In an interview with Crash.net, the director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association, Russell, spoke about the worries he has over the weight of the cars. He explained:
“There’s a lot of positives to take from this regulation change, but equally, the big [issue] is the weight. The weight is extraordinary. At the moment, the low-speed performance is not great.
“We keep making these cars safer and safer, but obviously the heavier you make them when you have an impact it’s like crashing with a bus compared to a Smart Car.
“You’re going to have a greater impact if you’re going the same speed with a car that weighs 800-odd-kgs or over 900kgs at the start of a race, compared to one 15 years ago when they were at 650kg.
The British driver continued:
“And I’m sure there’s analysis going on about striking that right balance because I don’t know where the line is drawn.
“If you just keep making it heavier, heavier, heavier, stronger, stronger, stronger – actually you get to a point where you cross over that [line] that too heavy is actually not safer.”
2022 was Russell's first season with the Mercedes team, who struggled with many issues on the W13 cars. The team managed to make some significant improvements towards the end of the season and Russell took his first career win at the Brazilian Grand Prix.
The upcoming 2023 season will be starting with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday 5th March with the pre-season testing the week before.