F1 News: Red Bull Car Designer Slams New Regulations - "Shame That Formula 1 Has Gone Down This Path"
It's no secret that F1 cars are getting longer, wider, and heavier. Even F1 drivers such as 2022 champion Max Verstappen has complained about these cumbersome cars. But now, legendary F1 designer Adrian Newey has slammed not only the way F1 cars are being developed, but road cars, too.
During the 2022 season, teams such as Red Bull struggled to bring their cars down to the minimum weight limit of 798kg. Max said the following on the subject:
“I think following has been quite a bit better, so that’s positive,” he told the press. “But of course, the weight of the cars, they’re extremely heavy, which I think it’s not great, which I don’t really see a quick solution for."
Overall the driver was positive about how F1 cars are developing, but Newey has told Motorsport-Magazin.com that he isn't happy with the direction the cars are moving in with these latest regulations. Because not only are the cars larger, but they also have high drag thanks to the type of downforce they're relying on:
"I think it's a bit of a shame that Formula 1 has gone down this path, especially because right now there is a need and opportunity to do exactly the opposite," he said.
"It is clear that this wrong direction is the same one that the general car industry has taken recently: bigger and heavier cars and people's obsession with running on batteries or petrol.
"The biggest problem is the amount of energy needed to move the damn thing, regardless of where that energy comes from. It seems Formula 1's technical regulations don't understand that, because the big car manufacturers obviously don't want that."
I'm unsure as to whether he's blaming the politics of the motoring industry as a whole or just the leading teams of F1, but this is an argument that's been raging for a while now as cars get heavier and heavier. This is mainly due to occupant safety, but road cars have far more technology that older cars, which all adds on the pounds.
Maybe F1 could consider making their cars smaller in the coming years?