F1 cars will weigh 800 kg next year. To what extent are hybrid engines to blame? · RaceFans
The FIA wants to reverse the long-standing trend towards heavier cars in Formula 1. It wants to start doing this in 2026 – but not before the vehicles reach a new peak next year.
The minimum weight limit will be raised to a record high for the 2025 season: the 800 kilogram mark will finally be reached.
F1 rules have long been moving in this direction, causing concern among drivers, who are increasingly warning of the negative impact that too much emphasis has on the handling of their cars and, ultimately, on the quality of racing.
The biggest single increase in the minimum weight limit in Formula 1 in the last 15 years came in 2014 when Formula 1 introduced its current V6 hybrid turbo engines. The addition of batteries and two motor generator units, as well as the turbos on the engines, created a much heavier new generation of cars.
While the FIA hopes to start reducing the weight of F1 cars in two years, can it realistically expect this to make a significant difference as long as hybrids remain part of the formula?
Formula 1 minimum weight limit, 1995–2025
NB: In 1987 and 1988, separate minimum weight limits were introduced for turbocharged and naturally aspirated vehicles.
Between 1995 and 2009, the minimum weight of Formula 1 was only increased slightly. However, this changed after the series first allowed and later required the use of hybrid drives.
2009: KERS
When the FIA first allowed the use of hybrid powertrains in the form of kinetic energy recovery systems in 2009, the technical regulations did not allow any additional leeway for the extra weight. While some teams used these systems, others did not, and still others only used them on a car when there was a significant weight difference between the two drivers.
In 2010, the FIA increased the weight limit by 15 kg to encourage more teams to use the devices. However, all teams collectively decided against using KERS, partly to save money. That changed in 2011, but only after the FIA increased the weight limit by a further 20 kg.
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2014: V6 hybrid turbos
The introduction of the current V6 hybrid turbo engines, including the MGU-H and MGU-K, increased the minimum weight by 48 kg. The increase might have been somewhat less if the series had stuck to its original plan for inline-four engines instead of V6s, but much of the extra weight came from the new electrical components.
Despite the increase in the weight limit, several teams struggled to make their cars light enough. Some drivers took their diets to extremes to save precious grams. Adrian Sutil said he once went two days without eating. Jean-Eric Vergne was hospitalized after the opening race of the season, having weakened himself too much in an attempt to save weight.
The following year, teams were allowed to play with an additional 12kg, taking the minimum weight above 700kg for the first time. However, although the dry weight of the cars had increased, the new power units also led to the introduction of a limit on fuel consumption, initially set at 100kg. Because the new engines were more efficient than the ones they replaced, the cars started with a significantly lower fuel weight than before.
2017: Wider cars
The FIA revised Formula 1’s aerodynamic rules in 2017, increasing the maximum width from 1.8 to two meters and allowing for a more sophisticated bodywork. Wider tires were also introduced at the front and rear.
Both changes meant the cars became heavier, and the minimum weight was adjusted accordingly. Another expected change was also taken into account: the FIA was keen to introduce its new ‘Halo’ head protection device, but this was delayed for a year.
As the air resistance of new cars increases, the maximum allowable fuel load was increased to 105 kg this year and again to 110 kg in 2019.
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2018: Halo
When Halo finally came onto the market, a further increase in the minimum weight limit was necessary, as Williams technical director Paddy Lowe explained at the time.
“Teams were given 10 kilos of weight for the Halo in 2017, but (Halo) was not carried over,” he said. “The reality was that that weight gain was used by all teams even without the Halo because the weight forecast for 2017 was very inaccurate.”
“If you remember, we had bigger tires, more bodywork, there was a lot of pressure on weight due to the 2017 regulations which completely used up that tolerance. So for the Halo for 2018, another five kilos were added. But that’s much less than the weight impact on the car.”
Halo has added far more than the extra 7kg to the weight of the cars. The structures required to integrate and support it have added about the same amount again. In addition, much of the weight is high up on the car, not as close to the center of gravity as the designers would have liked.
In 2020 and 2021, the minimum weight was increased by a further 6 kg. There were various reasons for this, including to prevent engine builders from using expensive and exotic weight-saving materials and to equip the cars with an additional fuel flow meter to ensure legality.
2022: Ground effect
The introduction of the current ‘ground effect’ aerodynamic rules in 2022 resulted in the second biggest increase in the minimum weight limit. The cars were originally supposed to weigh 790kg but ended up weighing 798kg – an increase just 2kg less than that which came with the introduction of the V6 hybrids in 2014, although the power unit rules remained unchanged on that occasion.
So why did the cars get so much heavier? One reason was the switch from 13-inch to 18-inch wheels, which created particularly unwanted unsprung mass at each of the car’s four corners. The FIA also increased the use of standardized parts that were cheaper – but heavier – than their bespoke counterparts.
However, significant improvements in the cars’ safety standards also contributed to the increase in the weight limit. This was mainly in response to the fatal crash of Formula 2 driver Anthoine Hubert in 2019 and Romain Grosjean’s shocking fireball accident in Bahrain in 2020. F1 introduced stricter crash tests and required the use of more anti-intrusion panels.
Next year, the minimum weight will be increased by another 2 kg. This is done so that the rider weight can be increased to 82 kg. The free weight was introduced in 2019 to reduce the disadvantage of larger riders who are heavier than their competitors.
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2026: “Fast” cars?
After years of F1 cars becoming increasingly heavier, the FIA wants to reverse this trend in 2026. This will be achieved, among other things, by making the cars smaller. The width will be reduced to 1.9 m and the wheelbase to 3.4 m. The wheels will also be narrower.
But while the FIA is trying to make the cars lighter, the hybrid engines are getting even heavier. The minimum weight of the powertrain alone will rise from 151 kg to 185 kg in 2026. This 34 kg increase makes the FIA’s plan to reduce the overall weight by 30 kg seem even more challenging.
As long as automakers want a hybrid-powered formula, the days of ultra-lightweight F1 cars seem to be a thing of the past. And with Formula 1 successfully winning back Audi, Ford and Honda for 2026, that appetite is clearly there.
But the negative effects of the weight gain are clearly noticeable. At the British Grand Prix, Jenson Button again met the Williams from his debut season 24 years ago. The FW22 weighed 600 kilograms, exactly a quarter less than a car from the following year.
Button is convinced that the weight increase is largely due to the hybrids and believes this is one of the main reasons for the poor racing results of the current cars.
“The hybrid system is heavy, of course, but you also have to lengthen the car, so it’s much bigger,” he said in response to a question from RaceFans. “We had 600 kilos with drivers back then, so 200 kilos (lighter). Normally F1 teams say 10 kilos is three tenths (of a second), so you do the math, that’s a lot of lap time.”
“That means those guys had to put in a lot of downforce and a lot of power to be faster than the cars back then, which puts a lot of stress on the tires and causes us a little bit of trouble with the tires.
“I love the way we push technology forward and that’s what Formula 1 is all about. But when you see and hear these cars driving, it puts a big smile on your face.”
Of course, not all of the increase in vehicle weights over the past 15 years has been due to the introduction of hybrid powertrains. But a significant part has. And while the need for the changes made for safety reasons cannot be disputed, particularly in light of Grosjean’s accident, they were partly necessary in response to the increasing weight brought about by the introduction of hybrids. Reversing much of this will be difficult.
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